64th Annual Conference

Friday, March 9

Early Bird Open Sessions

7:15 A.M. – 8:15 A.M.

Session 210

The Therapist's Professional Will: Ethical and Clinical Benefits of Planning for Therapist Absence

Chair: 

Barry Helfmann, Psy.D., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Springfield, New Jersey

Presenter:

Ann Steiner, Ph.D., CGP, MFT, FAGPA, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California Medical School, San Francisco, California

Illnesses, expected and unexpected absences happen to us all. This session will outline ways to minimize trauma and feelings of abandonment in group members when therapists have: minor or serious illness, retire, relocate, or die. This Therapists Professional Will provides ethically sound and clinically effective steps to avoid common oversights and create a plan for dealing with the unavoidable.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe the power and impact on group members when the leader cancels or is ill.

2. Describe three ethical benefits of preparing a Therapists’ Professional Will.

3. Describe how to protect group members confidentiality when using an Emergency Response Team of selected clinicians.

4. Describe how to minimize the trauma and abandonment of the patient, frequently caused by canceling, transferring or terminating groups without adequate planning and preparation.
 

Course References:

1. Gerson, B. (Ed.). (1996). The Therapist as a Person: Life crises, life choices, life experiences, and the effects on treatment. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.

2. Steiner, A. (2004). The Therapist Protection Plan: Preparing for expected and unexpected absences from practice. The California Therapist. July/September. 

3. Weiner, M. (1978).Therapist  Disclosure: The use of self in psychotherapy. London: Butterworths.