Speaker: Steve Slough (Emeritus Senior Investigator for DSHS, Retired.) & Kathleen Mills, LPC, CEAP (Life Tree Counseling Center)
Topic: How To Properly Respond To A Complaint & Review of Chapter 611
Steve will take a candid look at Chapter 611. Both Kathleen and Steve will review how to properly respond to a complaint, how to prepare for a visit from the investigator, and how to testify before your licensing board.
YOU NEVER SAW IT COMING!
You didn’t see that complaint coming, did you? You know the one you think is frivolous and unfounded? But it happens….
You think to yourself, “Everything will be okay in a few weeks, when the Board realizes the lack of substance to the complaint, once they receive the well-crafted response letter…..”
Think again! Will everything still be okay with you if you need to wait 470 days, or more, before the Board renders its decision? This, dear colleagues, is the average time for LPC’s to hear from the Board. Whether you think there is some substance to the complaint, or absolutely no credibility to it, the answer is the same: You still have to go through the process! It is not a question of IF you will receive a complaint, but WHEN you will receive one!
SHALL/MUST/MAY
In order to prepare for the day when a complaint is rendered, it is very prudent to do an actual review of the definitions: SHALL/MUST/MAY. Pull out your Board Rules and Regulations and highlight every SHALL/MUST/MAY. Do you know how many there are? I do and during this session, I will make sure that you know as well! You will then see how powerful your licensing board(s) is over you, and what their own protocol tells them they SHALL/MUST/MAY/HAS TO/WILL/and CAN follow. The Board will not and cannot alter their guidelines just because you think the complaint is unfounded.
Convinced? Hour five will begin with my own testimony about the complaint process and how to respond properly to a complaint, followed by Steve Slough taking us through the sacred Health and Safety Code – Chapter 611. There are SHALL/MUST/MAY’s in there too! He will also fill us in on why this particular Texas document may supersede HIPPA, DOD, and any other federal jurisdiction regarding your mental health records. The LPC Board has clearly declared your knowledge of the document and all of its ramifications!
So, during this forum let’s take a walk down what could be the bitter plank of despair, rather than having you go through that endless tunnel for 470 days. Are you prepared? Do you understand the Complaint process enough to understand both Chapter 611 and how to respond properly?
Will you be ready for a complaint even if you never saw it coming??
Need to talk? Our counselors are flexible with their schedules and some even work weekends! Call us right now at 972-234-6634. We’ll return your call within 60 minutes (really!), or you can schedule an appointment using our online appointment system. We do look forward to meeting you.
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