Koocher, G. P. & Keith-Spiegel, P. C., (1990). Children, Ethics, and the Law: Professional Issues and Cases. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln, Nebraska
This book introduces the reader to a variety of ethical and legal dilemmas that may arise for mental health professionals in the course of their everyday work with children, adolescents, and their families. Although we are not always able to offer a definitive action that will be successfully applicable in every similar instance, we aspire to give sound general advice, to aid the reader in identifying the key factors to take into account, and to help with the formulation of decision-making strategies. We have attempted to cover a broad spectrum of professional functions and work setting contexts such as counseling in the schools, psychotherapy in private practice, research in the university laboratory, and serving as an expert witness in court. We also attempted to cover a wide range of ethical-legal dilemmas reflecting the peculiar twists that unavoidably occur when children are involved. These include special considerations related to confidentiality and record keeping, consent to treatment and research, and psychological assessment of children. It was, of course, impossible to cover every conceivable topic in a single volume, so no inference about the lesser importance of uncovered materials should be made. We make frequent use of case vignettes to illustrate the ethical and legal dilemmas under discussion.