Received the 2001 Gradiva best book award by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis
Short description:
Provides a Course of Action That Allows Clinicians
to Practice Defensively
In this litigious age, all psychotherapists must protect themselves against
the possibility of legal action; malpractice insurance is insufficient
and does not begin to address the complexity and the enormity of this
critical problem. In this book, Dr. Lawrence E. Hedges urges clinicians
to practice defensively and provides a course of action that equips them
to do so. After working with over a hundred psycho-therapists and attorneys
who have fought unwarranted legal and ethical complaints from clients,
he has made the fruits of his work available to all therapists.
In addition, Dr. Hedges provides a series of consent forms included in
the book and on the accompanying disk.
To download a copy of the forms in MSWord or Wordperfect go to: http://psychotherapy.aronson.com/hedges/
Username: "Hedges" Password: "Psych 101"
‘Before I Was Even Halfway Through, I Was Making Changes in the Way I Conduct My Practice’
"Dr. Lawrence Hedges' latest book, the only one of its kind, is an outstandingly comprehensive and comprehensible handbook about the art of practicing defensively. Before I was even halfway through this book, I was already making changes in the way I conduct my practice. Hedges is eminently qualified to take on this task of educating mental health clinicians to the perils of practicing in these litigious times: he is not only a well–seasoned, highly respected senior psychoanalyst and teacher/supervisor but also the ‘go-to’ person for therapists in trouble with their licensing boards and/or at risk for being sued. Particularly noteworthy is the passion that fills every single page of this spellbinding volume; clearly, Hedges truly cares and is deeply committed to passing on to the reader all the wisdom that he has accumulated from his many years in the field."
—Martha Stark
Hedges Makes the Dangerous Intersection of Clinical and Legal Issues Safer
"This book is a wonderful gift to the profession, deeply educational and eminently useful. So many of us are babes in the woods concerning the intersection of the clinical, ethical, legal, and human issues in professional practice. Dr. Hedges knows these woods and, through this book, he has made them much safer. He is uniquely qualified for this task. As a depth-oriented therapist, expert on personality disorders, and longtime consultant to therapists, he appreciates the clinical and human issues as well as the risks. As a forensic expert and educator, he has helped many of us to anticipate and handle the hazards, from the most well meaning to the most malevolent. Dr. Hedges loves these woods and I can think of no more knowledgeable and friendly guide with whom to implore them."
—Stephen M. Johnson