Webinar: Confidentiality & the Duty to Protect (3 CE's - Ethics) PM

October 8, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM zoom

Register here.

Register here.

Webinar Summary:

This session explores the concept of confidentiality in light of the mental health professional’s duty to protect. The historical evolution of the duties to protect and/or warn others from client caused harm and to protect clients from self-harm are explored. Important attention is paid to critically evaluating these duties, considering many factors that are often overlooked. Real life examples, like the important Tarasoff and Ewing cases, are used to clarify ethical and legal obligations, and highlighting the challenges found in the conflict between the two.

Course Goals and Objectives:

This course aims to bring context to ethical concerns often experienced by behavioral/physical health professionals in practice with individual clients/patients. At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

1) Explain the legal and ethical obligation to keep client information confidential.

2) Describe the evolution of the duty to protect and/or warn those at risk of client caused harm.

3) Identify how duties to protect and/or warn compromise the professional relationship with clients.

4) Competently discuss with their clients these obligations so that clients make an educated decision when sharing information with the professional.

5) Appropriately respond to ethical, legal, and moral conundrums faced when considering to breach client confidentiality.

About the presenter:

Kathryn Krase, Ph.D., J.D., M.S.W., Principal Consultant with Krase Consulting, is an expert on the professional ethics, and the intersection of ethics with legal responsibilities. She has years of experience consulting with government and community based organizations to develop policy & practice standards.