Considerations in Closing a Private Practice

2017 ◽  
pp. 548-562
Author(s):  
Janet T. Thomas ◽  
Steven Walfish
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Independent Practice ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Financial Difficulties ◽  
Transference And Countertransference ◽  
Clinical Records ◽  
Legal And Ethical Requirements ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Client Needs

The prospect of closing a practice can be daunting. It is a task eventually faced by nearly all psychologists, counselors, family therapists, and social workers who provide psychotherapy, assessment, or forensic services in the context of an independent practice. Retirement, financial difficulties, license suspension or revocation, and serious health problems are among the circumstances prompting a practice closing. Clinicians must think through and develop a practice closing plan that takes into account client needs, legal and ethical requirements, and the need for emotional preparation. This chapter addresses related clinical issues such as client notification, continuity of care, transference, and countertransference. The authors describe common ethical challenges and make recommendations regarding informed consent, confidentiality, and the maintenance and storage of clinical records for both closing and selling a practice.

Contexts/Settings: Private/Independent Practice Settings

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra A. Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Independent Practice ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Private independent practice (known historically as private practice) is a growing segment of the social work profession. Social workers entering this context are providing a range of services, including clinical and nonclinical. Major considerations for establishing, maintaining, and marketing a successful and ethical private independent practice will be discussed. Existing tensions and challenges in the social work profession and in the field of social work education will be briefly examined. Future directions for private independent practice of social work will be explored.

Developing a Code of Ethics amongst Social Workers in Supported Employment: Exploring the Socio-ecological Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1834-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orly Shapira-Lishchinsky ◽  
Miri Ben-Amram
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Ethical Codes ◽  
The Social ◽  
One Year

Abstract This study reveals the ethical dilemmas encountered by social workers who mentor workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities that work in the free labour market through supported employment frameworks. The aim of the study is to examine the social workers' ethical dilemmas, while extracting rules of conduct and ethical codes that are unique to supported employment frameworks, through team simulation training. The study included forty-eight social workers who attended nine sessions in the course of one year. The findings, which were analysed using a qualitative methodology, revealed that the dilemmas, rules of ethical conduct and the derived ethical codes ranged from flexible solutions to setting firm boundaries. It emerged that the ethical dilemmas were associated with interactions that take place on all layers of the socio-ecological model. The contribution of the study is in developing an ecological approach to coping with the multidimensional dilemmas that arise in the context of supported employment. The findings will help develop a systemic approach amongst social workers towards coping with the ethical challenges involved in this type of employment.

On Spiritualist Workers: Healing and Divining through Tarot and the Metaphysical

2020 ◽  
pp. 089124162096495
Author(s):  
Melissa F. Lavin
Keyword(s):  
Private Practice ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Independent Contractors ◽  
Self Help ◽  
The Future

In the following article, I explore how tarot card readers (and other spiritualist workers) “control the future” to heal and empower their clients, emphasizing the porous roles of therapy and advocacy that assorted “psychics” perform. I examine how these workers navigate interactional trials, including misassigned identity, ethical challenges, and interactional boundaries in readings at psychic fairs and in private practice. Tarot card readers and other “psychics” are independent contractors and (self)help workers that are cast aside from both science and religion, labor outside of conventional credentialing systems, and are reputationally marginalized. I argue that this cultural and structural marginalization allows these “libertarian spiritualist” workers to construct amalgamate identities, exercising role flexibility as readers and querents, and healers and survivors.

Text Messaging and Private Practice: Ethical Challenges and Guidelines for Developing Personal Best Practices

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sude
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Message Service ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
The Impact

The impact of technology on mental health practice is currently a concern in the counseling literature, and several articles have discussed using different types of technology in practice. In particular, many private practitioners use a cell phone for business. However, no article has discussed ethical concerns and best practices for the use of short message service (SMS), better known as text messaging (TM). Ethical issues that arise with TM relate to confidentiality, documentation, counselor competence, appropriateness of use, and misinterpretation. There are also such boundary issues to consider as multiple relationships, counselor availability, and billing. This article addresses ethical concerns for mental health counselors who use TM in private practice. It reviews the literature and discusses benefits, ethical concerns, and guidelines for office policies and personal best practices.

Social Workers who Move into Private Practice: Ideological Considerations as a Factor in the Transition

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 465-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate van Heugten
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Decision To Leave ◽  
New Information ◽  
Motivating Factor

Various aspects of a recent and unprecedented upsurge in private-practice social work in New Zealand were examined in research conducted from 1993 to 1999. A qualitative methodology was employed to try to reveal new information about a field of practice that has been extensively canvassed using quantitative methods. The findings reported here concern the importance of ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas were a surprisingly common motivating factor in respondents' decision to leave salaried agency social work. Most of the 33 respondents had recently left government or quasi-government agencies and less commonly had left private, nonprofit agencies. As expected, ethical dilemmas also arose in the transition to private practice, and respondents related their mostly pragmatic management of these.

Ethical Challenges of Military Social Workers Serving in a Combat Zone

Social Work ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Simmons ◽  
J. R. Rycraft
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Ethical Challenges
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