What happens when your duty to protect a child threatens to harm your therapeutic relationship—or even exposes your client to a system that might do more harm than good? Clinicians are not just rule-followers—they're moral agents navigating a minefield of legal mandates, ethical dilemmas, and broken systems. This course dives deep into those hard calls, helping you align your ethics with your legal obligations while safeguarding your clients and your integrity.
Understanding the nuances of mandated reporting isn't just about legal compliance—it's about ethical integrity, cultural awareness, and responsible advocacy. This course invites you to deepen your practice and become more prepared for one of the most challenging aspects of clinical work.
Kathryn Krase, Ph.D., J.D., M.S.W., is a nationally recognized authority on mandated reporting and child maltreatment. As Principal Consultant at Krase Consulting, she has authored multiple books and articles and brings decades of experience as a clinician, academic, attorney, and policy consultant. Her real-world insight and multidisciplinary expertise make her the ideal guide for professionals navigating the ethical complexities of reporting.
Dr. Krase approaches this topic with a rare blend of clinical wisdom, legal expertise, and systemic critique. She provides practical tools, compelling case examples, and decision-making frameworks grounded in ethical codes and real-world application.
This course explores the legal requirements and ethical obligations of mandated reporting, the historical and systemic context of child protective services, and the unintended consequences of over-reporting. Clinicians will gain actionable strategies for client communication before and after a report, methods for advocating within flawed systems, and techniques for collaborating with CPS while preserving therapeutic relationships.
Key Takeaways:
Clarity in Complex Decisions: Learn how to assess whether and when a report is legally required and ethically justified.
Client-Centered Frameworks: Build skills to manage the clinical relationship before and after making a report.
Collaborative Advocacy: Develop practical tools for working with CPS and advocating for system improvements.
Why This Course?
Addressing Real-World Challenges: Gain strategies to handle ethically complex situations that are often minimized in basic mandated reporting trainings.
Led by a True Expert: Learn from a rare combination of legal, clinical, and policy perspectives from a single instructor.
Mission-Driven Education: Presented by Telehealth Certification Institute, whose sole focus is on equipping clinicians with the most relevant and responsible continuing education available.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the ethical/ moral and legal conundrums faced when making the decision to report.
Apply a framework to guide the process of working with clients before making a report.
Apply a framework to guide the process of working with clients after making a report.
Demonstrate skills at collaborating with child protective services for the benefit of clients.
Demonstrate ways to advocate for improved child protective services systems.
This self-study course empowers clinicians to protect children while protecting the therapeutic alliance. Take this opportunity to strengthen your confidence and competence in making some of the most critical decisions of your professional role.
Add this course to your cart to begin learning instantly.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 3 hours of video instruction and a post-test.
Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
How to Attend: Instructions for attending and completing a course can be found here.
Kathryn Krase, Ph.D., J.D., M.S.W., Principal Consultant with Krase Consultant, is an expert on the professional reporting of suspected child maltreatment. She has authored multiple books and articles on the subject. She has years of experience consulting with government and community based organizations to develop policy & practice standards.
“Making the Tough Call” is a project of Krase Consulting. Kathryn S. Krase is the sole proprietor of both initiatives. Both Making the Tough Call and Krase Consulting are registered entities in New York State.
Disclosure Statement: The instructor for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.
Credit Hours: This course consists of 3 ethics continuing education hours of credit.
Counselors:
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Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.
Marriage and Family Therapists: Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations. You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.
Social Workers:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 ethics continuing education credits.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.
Addiction Professionals:
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This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.
Psychologists:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.
Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.
Other Professionals: This course qualifies for 180 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course.
