ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an orientation to the legal system, and practical information and methods to help practitioners function more comfortably inside or outside of the legal system. It presents overview of what makes therapists worry about the legal system. The chapter examines the importance of practitioners’ clarifying their roles. It offers information and guidance to practitioners for handling various types of requests for patient records, such as attorneys’ calls, subpoenas, and court orders. The chapter outlines information about interactions with the legal system and how practitioners can conduct themselves appropriately. It describes the process of preparation for testimony in depositions and the courtroom. Psychotherapists understand their ethical responsibility to refrain from engaging in dual roles that could harm their clients. When therapists serve as witnesses in their patients’ court cases, they take on a dual role. Mental health practitioners are used as experts in legal matters because of their professional education, training, and experience in social sciences or medicine.
