When I Need Clinical or Risk Management Advice I Should Ask for It on a Listserv

Every mental health clinician will at times need clinical or risk management advice to assist in responding to challenges and to provide the best possible care to clients. How and where to best obtain this advice may seem unclear and be quite challenging for some. This chapter explains the reasons for seeking input and advice from colleagues, options for accessing or obtaining needed guidance when faced with challenges and dilemmas, and risks of which to be aware. Although listservs may be valuable for obtaining general information and for maintaining a community of supportive colleagues, when obtaining clinical consultations that include confidential information, a number of risks are present. This chapter explains these risks, to include confidentiality issues and an inability to share enough information on a listserv to obtain meaningful consultations. How best to obtain needed consultations and how to do so ethically and legally is explained.