| Testimony and Court
Cases
Testimony
ABE has conducted research on the acceptance and standing of advanced
clinical social work in the legislative, regulatory, and judicial
arenas. As a repository of information, and as an experienced provider
of testimony, ABE is willing to consider requests for assistance,
especially from representatives of state and national organizations.
ABE’s testimony and testimony-support tends to be based on the importance
of professional standards. ABE focuses primarily on the value of
advanced practice as embodied by the BCD certification. Any party
with a legitimate interest in advancing or defending clinical social
work in a regulatory or legislative setting is invited to contact
abe@abecsw.org.
Court Cases
The three court cases mentioned below resulted in strong affirmations
of the importance of clinical social work, and can be used in teaching
about practice issues as they intersect with the legal system.
To open documents, use Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Get your free copy using the link below:
Adobe Acrobat Reader
New York Court Affirms Clinical Social Work’s Bio-psychosocial
Approach (2005)
A New York Court holds that clinical social workers may provide
services to those whose mental disorders or symptoms may be organic
in nature or result from a concurrent physical ailment. The New
York State Clinical Social Work Society played a pivotal role in
the case, which cites ABE’s definition of clinical social work.
Read the case opinion and an ABE article about it:
People
v. R.R. NY 2005 case article (PDF)
Opinion
Maryland’s Highest Court Upholds Evaluation,
Diagnosis, Expert Testimony (2000)
Confronted with the contention that clinical social workers do not
have the right to assess and diagnose mental/emotional disorders
or to serve as expert witnesses, the Maryland Court of Appeals found
in favor of clinical social workers and upheld their right to perform
these services.
ABE filed a joint amicus curiae brief in the case, which was supported
by the state’s attorney general.
Read the brief and an ABE article published about this case:
MD
2000 case article (PDF)
Brief (PDF)
U.S. Supreme Court Decides in Favor of
Clinical Social Work (1996)
In the U.S. Supreme Court Case of Jaffee v. Redmond, which arose
from a clinical social worker’s refusal to turn over case notes,
the Court granted a broad federal privilege of privacy of communication
between psychotherapists (including clinical social workers) and
their clients.
ABE filed a joint amicus curiae brief that was cited by the Court
in its majority opinion.
Read it and other materials from this crucial case.
Jaffee
v. Redmond 1996 News Release (PDF)
Syllabus (PDF)
Brief (PDF)
Opinion (PDF)
Dissent (PDF)
Peter
Brody, JD article (PDF)
|
