Mental Health Records Made Easy" © and Treatment Planning Made Easy" © -- Publications for Mental Health Clinicians Now Available for the General Market

Publications describing the content and writing of standard of care Mental health records and creating mental health treatment plans are now available from http://www.FGrosso.com. These publications are based on the authors experience as an expert witness in mental health malpractice cases and are intented to help clinicians avoid malpractice actions against them. The publications are practical and easy-to-use for all mental health clinicians, whether licensed or not.

SANTA BARBARA, CA (PRWEB) April 12, 2004 -- The president of FGrosso.com, a leading publisher of practice resources for mental health clinicians, Federico C. Grosso, DDS, PhD, MFT, BCFE announced that the company has introduced a groundbreaking series of publications for mental health clinicians and attorneys that help to clarify the standard of care in the content and the writing of confidential mental health records and treatment plans. In a recent interview, Dr. Grosso explained that these publications can be critical for clinicians not only in meeting evolving professional and state standards in care, but also in helping them reduce liability exposure by documenting the therapeutic duty owed to clients. Speaking on the issue of liability, Dr. Grosso stated that, for attorneys, these publications serve as a critical resource and guide when holding clinicians accountable in malpractice and administrative legal actions.

Dr. Grossos continuing experience as a forensic expert in malpractice cases led to the concept of these publications. These cases have involved marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, drug and alcohol counselors, and certified addictions treatment specialists. Dr. Grosso commented in a recent lecture, Many clinicians are unable to defend their clinical actions because they lack the appropriate mental health records. They often write little or no clinical information about the patient because of improper training. In other cases, they write too much information and when the mental health records are subpoenaed, the opposing attorney uses this excessive information to discredit the client and/or the treating clinician."

An increasing number of states are moving toward requiring mental health clinicians to maintain appropriate records. It is generally recognized that patients can be injured in a variety of ways when their mental health treatment cannot be verified or supported by the clinician due to lack of appropriate documentation. Experts are recognizing that confidential mental health records must accurately document the reasonable and prudent assessment, diagnosis, and treatment and must conform to the standard of care. This is also known as the therapeutic or counseling duty and not documenting this duty only accentuates that the clinician acted below the standard of care and will most likely not prevail in any legal action.

Dr. Grossos earlier publications on psychotherapy standards of care have become benchmark guided to defending or litigating malpractice actions involving the above mental health clinicians. Attorneys find that the concepts presented in these publications are easily applicable to all mental health clinicians, whether licensed or unlicensed, and that these concepts, as presented in these publications, are easily understood by juries. Many universities continue to use these publications in their classes to help students develop a safe structure of documenting both mental health records and progress notes to avoid potential malpractice and administrative actions. These publications are available at http://www.fgrosso.com >> Publications.

BACKGROUND ON FGrosso.com. FGrosso.com provides mental health clinicians with practical and easy-to-use clinical resources including practice enhancement workbooks, online and self-study continuing education, software, consultation as an expert witness, lectures, and academic publications. Dr. Grosso also provides expert witness services in malpractice actions involving marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, alcohol and drug abuse counselors, certified addictions treatment specialists, and health care clinicians accused of child abuse in the workplace. He also lectures for and consults with mental health organizations. He is an official lecturer on law and ethics and other subjects for the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.