Most clinicians aspire to have a fairly good record-keeping system, as well as procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of those records. As a profession, therapists tend to be quite concerned about record-keeping. This concern is appropriate. Unlike some businesses, the information contained in...

Dealing with attorneys is often discussed among mental health professionals as one of the more unpleasant activities one can engage in. I’m not too happy about this, especially considering that I am an attorney. However, I must admit that I understand the dread many therapists feel about talking to...

In the course of legal proceedings, subpoenas are often issued as a means of gathering information. When they are received by clinicians, they are often accompanied by considerable anxiety about how to respond. Indeed, some clinicians wonder whether to respond at all. Many clinicians are under the impression...

Psychotherapists frequently have questions about choosing a business structure, especially when opening a private practice. “Business structures” doesn’t refer to the type of building in which your practice is housed. Rather, it refers to the type of business association you choose. For example,...

If you have questions about mental health practice in California, please feel free to post them here. Chances are that other people have the same question, so don’t be shy. You can post your questions as comments to this website, or you can email me directly at alban@clinicallawyer.com.

The four most common psychotherapy professions in California are marriage and family therapists (MFT), psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists. Each of these professions are covered under at least four different, but interrelated, sections of statute. Note, however, that though there are different...

The question about what color ink to use in charts or for record-keeping is one of the more persistent myths in mental health practice. Most clinicians have heard an admonishment to use blue ink or black ink, purportedly for “legal reasons.” But no one seems to know which color is preferred. I am...

This website is intended as a source of information for mental health professionals in California. The information posted here will hopefully be of use to clinicians throughout the state who are seeking some basic information about mental health practice. I will be posting original content, as well as...