Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 135 - RULES OF GEORGIA COMPOSITE BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS AND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS
Chapter 135-7 - CODE OF ETHICS
Rule 135-7-.01 - Responsibility to Clients
Universal Citation: GA Rules and Regs r 135-7-.01
Current through Rules and Regulations filed through March 20, 2024
(1) A licensee's primary professional responsibility is to the client. The licensee shall make every reasonable effort to promote the welfare, autonomy and best interests of families and individuals, including respecting the rights of those persons seeking assistance, obtaining informed consent, and making reasonable efforts to ensure that the licensee's services are used appropriately.
(2) Unprofessional conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(a) exploiting
relationships with clients for personal or financial advantages;
(b) using any confidence of a client to the
client's disadvantage;
(c)
participating in dual relationships with clients that create a conflict of
interest which could impair the licensee's professional judgment, harm the
client, or compromise the therapy;
(d) undertaking a course of treatment when
the client, or the client's representative, does not understand and agree with
the treatment goals;
(e) knowingly
withholding information about accepted and prevailing treatment alternatives
that differ from those provided by the licensee;
(f) failing to inform the client of any
contractual obligations, limitations, or requirements resulting from an
agreement between the licensee and a third party payer which could influence
the course of the client's treatment;
(g) when there are clear and established
risks to the client, failing to provide the client with a description of any
foreseeable negative consequences of the proposed treatment;
(h) charging a fee for anything without
having informed the client in advance of the fee;
(i) taking any action for nonpayment of fees
without first advising the client of the intended action and providing the
client with an opportunity to settle the debt;
(j) when termination or interruption of
service to the client is anticipated, failing to notify the client promptly and
failing to assist the client in seeking alternative services consistent with
the client's needs and preferences;
(k) failing to terminate a client
relationship when it is reasonably clear that the treatment no longer serves
the client's needs or interest;
(l)
delegating professional responsibilities to another person when the licensee
delegating the responsibilities knows or has reason to know that such person is
not qualified by training, by experience, or by licensure to perform them;
and
(m) failing to provide
information regarding a client's evaluation or treatment, in a timely fashion
and to the extent deemed prudent and clinically appropriate by the licensee,
when that information has been requested and released by the client.
O.C.G.A. Secs. 43-7A-5(d).
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Georgia may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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