Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that offers strategies for avoiding medical errors in mental health practice.

This course is intended to increase clinicians’ awareness of the many types of errors that can occur within mental health practice, how such errors damage clients, and numerous ways they can be prevented. Its emphasis is on areas within mental health practice that carry the potential for “medical” errors. Examples include improper diagnosis, breaches of privacy and confidentiality, mandatory reporting requirements, managing dangerous clients, boundary violations and sexual misconduct, use of technology, the informed consent process, and competence.

Most errors arise from inadequate attention to the various educational, clinical, ethical, and legal resources available. This course will illustrate the kinds of “medical” errors that can occur in psychotherapy practice and will offer strategies for avoiding them.

Also included are sections on root cause analysis, suicide assessment, medical conditions presenting as a psychological disorder, psychotherapy in the digital age, including the use of social networking platforms, the challenges of maintaining and transmitting electronic records, email, text messaging, best practices for teletherapy, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in practice. Case examples are included throughout.

• This course satisfies the medical errors requirement for license renewal of Florida mental health professionals.

Course #21-68 | 2026 | 37 pages | 15 posttest questions | Mobile-Friendly