FREE Law & Ethics Practice Question: Professional Wills

One of the subjects that could be tested on your California Law and Ethics Exam is the topic of Professional Wills. This is a difficult topic to broach as it touches on our personal vulnerabilities. As a consequence, many therapists avoid it altogether. However, it is a critically important part of client care. If you have clients, you must have a clear plan in place for planned or unplanned absences. If a professional will, clients can suffer greatly.

Regardless of how much or how little you already know about the topic of professional will, the Therapist Development Center’s exam prep will ensure you know everything you need to answer questions on this topic correctly.

There are several ways this topic could appear on your exam. Questions may test your knowledge of:

Let’s see how you do on this month’s FREE practice Law and Ethics question.

A therapist in private practice has a caseload of 10 individual clients, 2 families, and 3 couples. The therapist suffered a stroke, is abruptly unable to meet with clients and cannot communicate with them due to medical complications. Which of the following answers indicates the therapist acted in accordance with their ethical responsibilities?

(scroll down for answer and rationale)

The correct answer is B.
Answers C and D can easily be eliminated since they do not fully address the needs of clients when the therapist is incapacitated and unable to provide support. It is important for therapists to engage in consultation groups and to provide referrals to clients; however, these steps are insufficient in meeting clients’ needs when the therapist is suddenly unavailable.

The first part of answer A is strong. It is our ethical responsibility to develop and maintain a professional will. However, the second part of this answer is incorrect. It’s possible to provide a family member with access to the professional will, but it would be illegal and unethical to allow a family member access to confidential client records.

The best answer is B. This answer includes the creation of a professional will and includes other mental health professionals in executing the will and ensuring an appropriate level of client care.

How did you do on this question? Does the correct answer and its rationale align with your understanding of professional wills, or did you learn something new? If you have any additional questions, you can connect with your personal exam coach anytime by submitting questions through the Ask a Coach form (located at the bottom of each step of your study program). Our coaches are here to answer your questions and provide support and guidance as you prepare to PASS your California law and ethics exam with confidence!

If you aren’t already signed up for one of our excellent exam preparation programs, check out our social work and MFT customer testimonials and sign up today! See Reviews on Product pages. Our structured, straightforward approach will provide you with exactly what you need to succeed!