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Many states afford minors legal autonomy for decision-making in some areas of health (e.g., reproductive or mental health care). However, there are other situations where clinicians need to determine how much to include minors in decision-making, and work with families where parents and minors do not agree on their role in decision-making or the decisions themselves. Minors’ capacity for decision-making is situation-specific, and not all medical and mental health decisions are alike. Moreover, health care decision-making itself should be viewed on a continuum of involvement, ranging from information and preparation for treatment - to shared decision-making with parents - to autonomous decision-making. Developmental competencies, ethical principles (i.e., autonomy, self-determination), and opportunities to promote development and treatment adherence provide impetus for involving minors to the greatest extent possible in health care decisions. This workshop will review the legal, ethical, developmental, and clinical considerations for involving minors in decision-making. Developmental considerations draw upon the growing body of science in adolescent decision-making, risk-taking and brain development. Clinical considerations span situation, individual, and family factors, including cultural considerations. The scant research on cultural differences in decision-making for minors will be reviewed, and the pressing need for more research will be acknowledged. The presenter will pose (and invite) clinical case examples for interaction with participants to illustrate the utility of this original framework in everyday practice.
Registration closes April 19, 2023 at 12pm EST. Non-refundable fees: Students or NO CE Credits – FREE; 1 CE Credit - $15 (Division 37 members)/$35 (non-Div 37 members). Please note credit card payments will be processed through PayPal. For questions, please contact the Division 37 CE Chair, Dr. Joaquín Borrego, Jr, at Div37CE@gmail.com