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Telehealth Law and Ethics
Three hours on running telehealth defensibly: consent that covers the medium, emergency planning when the client is not in your city, verifying location every session, cross-state practice rules, and choosing technology you can stand behind. Module 5 includes the California edition of the state supplement, for BBS licensees.
BySeph Fontane Pennock
Reviewed byMichael Callans, MSWCurriculum and outcomes
After this course you will be able to
- Verify the jurisdictional facts and practice authority needed before a telehealth encounter
- Construct an accessible consent and communication agreement for remote behavioral health care
- Document a telehealth decision and apply a profession-specific state supplement without overstating its reach
- Evaluate a technology arrangement for confidentiality, security, accessibility and contractual risks
- Develop a location-specific emergency and disconnection plan
What the course covers
- 01Where practice occurs
- 02Consent and clinical fit
- 03Emergencies at a distance
- 04Technology selection and operation
- 05State supplement and documentation lab
Who this course is for
- Clinicians seeing any clients by video or phone
- Multistate practitioners and PSYPACT participants
- California BBS licensees and applicants who still need the one-time telehealth coursework (acceptance depends on the provider route)
State rules that name this topic
These state rules name the topic this course teaches. Two things to check before you rely on it: this course is self-paced and asynchronous, so it cannot be used where a rule requires live or synchronous training, and it is not yet CE-approved for any license. Each requirement guide shows the current rule, the hours required, and the source.
California
Telehealth, including law and ethics
How it works
This is a self-paced, asynchronous course (home study), not a live webinar or scheduled class. Reading with optional audio, case material worked in full, and short knowledge checks along the way. The course ends with a final exam (30 questions, retake allowed) and a course evaluation. Your certificate of completion issues immediately and stays downloadable from your private course link.
Common questions
Does it cover my state?
The core course is national: practice authority, consent, emergencies, technology and documentation. Module 5 includes the California edition of the state supplement, worked in full, and short supplements for Florida, Georgia and Texas. Check your own board and provider requirements before relying on any course for credit.
What about the counseling compact and PSYPACT?
Both are covered, current to October 7, 2026: what each permits, what it does not, and how to confirm your own authorization on each commission’s site before relying on it.
Is a telehealth emergency plan really necessary?
Yes. Federal telehealth guidance and professional guidelines call for one, and California’s BBS rule requires documented efforts to find local emergency resources. The course builds the plan: location checks, local numbers and a disconnection plan.
Our promise
Take the course. Work the cases. If it is not what you needed and you have not yet passed the final exam, one email within 30 days gets you a full refund. No forms, no questions, no partial credit games.
Three ways to take it
This course
$39
- 3 hours of instruction
- Final exam and certificate of completion
- 12 months of access
- Courses that are not open yet offer a waitlist
Secure checkout by Stripe. Invoice included automatically. Full refund within 30 days if you have not yet passed a final exam. Email us to request it.
Saves $48 against buying the three separately
The Launch Bundle
$99
- Three flagship courses, 12 hours
- Ethics, suicide assessment, AI in practice
- $147 bought separately
- Each with exam and certificate
Annual CE Membership
$149/year
Saves $371 against buying the 11 open courses separately
- Every course we have open
- Every course we release this year
- Certificates stay yours if you cancel
The Psychology.com standard
How our courses are developed and delivered.
Development
Built to a specification written by licensed clinicians, first-drafted with generative AI, and reviewed by our editorial board before release. The development disclosure appears on each course page. We disclose the AI drafting because you deserve to know how the material was made, and because a course you rely on professionally should never hide its method.
The exam
The final exam opens after you mark every reading module complete. Question and answer order are randomized for each attempt; retakes are allowed.
Sources and dates
The course reader includes a bibliography. Our state requirement guides identify board sources and show a last-verified date.
Credit
Our courses are not CE-approved and carry no license-renewal credit. Completion earns a certificate of completion.
Eligibility
This course is self-paced and asynchronous, so it does not satisfy any requirement for live or synchronous training. CE credit approvals for this course are in progress with our accreditation partners. Until an approval is confirmed for your license type and state, treat this course as professional development. This page will list the exact approvals the course carries; we do not claim approvals we do not have.
Crisis resources
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) in the US. Our courses train professionals and are not a crisis service.