Using the Law

Every day mental health professionals are faced with making practice decisions involving cultural, ethical, moral, regional, personal, and legal considerations. Using the Law: Practical Decision Making in Mental Health shows readers how to resolve practice problems efficiently through a structured application of legal principles. Writing for the various disciplines that face such complex decisions, Israel pulls from the codes of ethics of the American PsychologicalAssociation, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Board of Certified Counselors. Using the Law presents a unique unified perspective that stresses the integration of the fundamental legal, ethical, cultural, and pragmatic factors influencing practice.Written in a clear and direct style, this book is ideal for both instructors of law and ethics classes in social work, psychology, counseling, and other mental health academic programs as well as private practitioners, agency personnel, and administrators in mental health professions.

Using the Law moves us one step closer to resolving practice dilemmas with much greater confidence. This book establishes the need for a usable application of laws for human service practice and provides a critical context beyond the human service profession's call for evidence-based practice. It correctly points out the lack of uniformity in managing professional dilemmas across the wide array of human service professions. The legal discourse reflects flexible and adaptive qualities that will benefit any professional human service practitioner or students pursuing a career in human services. It is well written, easy to read, and well organized." - Robert Ortega, University of Michigan

Andrew B. Israel (JD, Syracuse University College of Law; MSW, New Mexico Highlands University) is associate professor at New Mexico Highlands University School of Social Work and served as associate dean from 2005-2010. Prior to his teaching career, he practiced law in New Mexico mainly in the areas of civil rights, child welfare, and domestic relations, and is a past director of the State Bar of New Mexico Section on Public Law.He is both a licensed attorney and social worker and is active as a researcher, lecturer, and consultant in the areas of forensic mental health issues and law-based decision making in the mental health professions. Israel maintains a website dedicated to the interrelationship of ethics and law in practice aThttp://www.mentalhealthlaw.us/.