Behavioral Health Ethics and AI Clinical Documentation Tools

Description

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant idea—it’s in the therapy room, shaping the notes we write and the trust we build. With AI documentation tools now listening, transcribing, and summarizing clinical sessions, every clinician faces a defining question: How do we balance efficiency with ethics?
Client privacy, informed consent, and therapeutic integrity are at stake—and so is your professional liability.

This course cuts through the hype and uncertainty with clear, evidence-informed guidance for behavioral health professionals evaluating or already using AI-powered documentation tools. It helps clinicians navigate this new landscape where “time-saving” can quickly become “ethically risky.”

Dr. Sofia Georgiadou, LPC-S, LMFT-S, NCC, brings her expertise as a clinical supervisor, professor, and researcher to this essential topic. Drawing on her study of six major AI note-taking platforms, she exposes what really happens under the hood—how data are stored, retained, and sometimes reused—and what clinicians must know before relying on these tools. As an educator deeply committed to ethical and culturally responsive care, Dr. Georgiadou translates complex legal and technical standards into practical actions that uphold both client welfare and clinician protection.

With her comparative, critical analysis style, Dr. Georgiadou guides participants through real-world examples, showing how informed consent, autonomy, and transparency can easily be compromised without careful review. Using excerpts from the study’s mock sessions (in both English and Spanish), she demonstrates the gaps, inaccuracies, and subtle biases found in popular AI platforms—revealing why “HIPAA compliant” claims often aren’t enough. Her teaching combines warmth, humor, and sharp ethical reasoning, making even the densest regulatory material engaging and immediately useful in practice.

Participants will learn to interpret vendor language, identify red flags in “terms and conditions,” and understand how data retention and opt-out features impact client confidentiality. You’ll also explore the limits of de-identification, consent fatigue, algorithmic bias, and how these systems can unintentionally affect therapeutic rapport—especially for marginalized clients.

Key Takeaways:

• Recognize ethical and legal risks of AI note-taking tools, including hidden data use, storage, and retention practices.

• Lead transparent, empowering informed-consent conversations that preserve client autonomy and trust.

• Evaluate vendor claims critically to ensure your chosen AI tool aligns with HIPAA, board codes, and your professional ethics.

Why this course?

• AI documentation tools are advancing faster than our ethical frameworks—this course closes that gap.

• You’ll gain research-based insights from one of the first comparative analyses of real AI note-taking platforms used by clinicians.

• Telehealth Certification Institute provides the clear, ethics-centered training clinicians need to integrate innovation with integrity.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key legal and ethical risks when using AI clinical documentation tools.

• Demonstrate how to conduct meaningful informed-consent conversations about AI note-taking.

• Evaluate AI vendor claims regarding HIPAA compliance, data handling, and client privacy.

Are AI tools truly helping—or quietly reshaping your ethical boundaries?
This course gives you the clarity to decide, the framework to act responsibly, and the confidence to lead your practice with integrity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Enroll today to safeguard your clients’ trust and your professional standards in a rapidly changing digital era.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study program and consists of over 1.5 hours of video instruction and a post-test.

Course Details

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: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Sofia Georgiadou, PhD, LMFT-S, LPC-S (Texas)

Dr. Sofia Georgiadou is an Assistant Professor and Internship Coordinator at the University of Houston at Clear Lake’s MA in Family Therapy Program. Additionally, she teaches as an Adjunct for the Family Institute at Northwestern University and Capella University's fully online Master's in Family Therapy program. She is also the administrator of COAST’s Educators Division, the Society for the Teaching of Marriage and Family Therapy (www.stmft.coastmft.org).

Originally from Greece, Sofia develops culturally responsive MFT and Counseling courses, using an intersectional approach in her teaching and supervision. Her research experience centers on qualitative/mixed methods and survey design. Sofia seeks to understand the lived experiences of diverse groups to better support international students, immigrants, and individuals from equity-deserving communities.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 1.5 ethis continuing education hours of credit.

Counselors:

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:

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 1.5 ethics clinical 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:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, effective 10/15/2025. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

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 90 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 course is a non-interactive, online self-study.

Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of completion to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement