Law and Ethics September 2025 - Working with Minor Clients: Prepare for Success and Avoid the Pitfalls via CAMFT

Working with minors requires an understanding of the laws and ethical standards that pertain to minor consent and the authority that minors, and/or others, have over the minor’s clinical information. Additionally, working with minors may involve the need to interact and share information with third parties. During this three (3) hour presentation, CAMFT Staff Attorney Alain Montgomery will review California minor consent laws and common issues related to the confidentiality of the minor’s healthcare information.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the ethical standards relevant to a therapist’s duty to determine who has the legal authority to provide consent and treatment for a minor.
2. Explain the rights of minors to control the right of access to their information. 
3. Distinguish when parents and other non-parental adults have the legal authority to consent treatment for a minor and exercise control over a minor’s healthcare information.
4. Understand how to manage the varied roles that third parties may play during the course of the minor’s treatment.

Alain Montgomery, Esq., CAMFT Staff Attorney is a member of the State Bar of California. Alain received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a Juris Doctor degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Prior to joining the CAMFT legal department, Alain worked in public interest law as a legal advisor for the Superior Court of California where he helped self-represented parties navigate the complexities of small claims litigation.

As a member of the CAMFT legal department, Alain has served as part of the support staff for the CAMFT Ethics Committee and has represented the Association at various state regulatory board meetings. After graduating from college and before attending law school, Alain worked as a ski instructor at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort.