Ethical decision making in school mental health provides mental health professionals with a seven-step approach to managing ethical predicaments. It combines guidance from four major codes of ethics, including the American School Counseling Association, National Association of School Nurses, National Association of School Psychologists, and National Association of Social Workers. Ethical issues are endemic for mental health professionals working with minors in a host setting like schools. New interventions, evolving technologies, and a patchwork of ethical and legal guidelines create a constant stream of new ethical dilemmas. Longstanding and complex questions rarely give way to quick and easy answers. The seven-step model presented here enables readers to apply a practical process that minimizes their liability and protects their students. Beginning with an introduction of the moral, legal, and clinical foundations that undergird ethical practice, the authors present an ethical decision-making model with seven steps: know yourself and your responsibilities, analyze the dilemma, seek consultation, identify courses of action, manage clinical concerns, enact the decision, and reflect on the process. The second edition includes meticulously updated chapters based on recent changes to all of the codes of ethics over the past 10 years. It also has a new chapter on the universal issue of ethical recordkeeping. This handy guide is written for multidisciplinary teams of mental health professionals, including school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and school counselors. It provides a trusty resource with the following elements: Clearly organized chapters that introduce a process approach to ethical decision-making; Interprofessional and collaborative approach to working with other stakeholders; Case examples and practice exercises illustrate real work application of ethical guidelines; and Glossary, web resources, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions on students’ civil rights.
