Involving Minors in Decisions about Medical & Mental Health Care:
Legal, Ethical, Developmental & Clinical Considerations

October 1st from 12-3PM via Zoom.  One CE of ETHICS!  This presentation accounts for one of the three CE credits needed for Ethics for license renewal.  REGISTER HERE.

This workshop will review the legal, ethical, developmental, clinical, and cultural considerations for involving minors in decision-making, including relevant science in adolescent decision-making, risk-taking and brain development. The presenter will pose (and invite) clinical case examples for interaction with participants to illustrate the utility of this framework in everyday practice.

Learning Objectives:
1)  Participants will be able to describe the framework for determination of minors’ appropriate level of involvement in health care decisions.
2)  Participants will be able to list one adolescent competency relative to the standard for informed consent.
3)  Participants will be able to compare the relative importance of ethical, developmental and clinical considerations for involving minors in health care decisions.

Dr. Mary Ann McCabe is a clinical psychologist in independent clinical practice and Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine. She is a member of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine Forum on Promoting Children’s Wellbeing. She was previously the Director of the Office for Policy and Communications of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and Director of Training in Psychology and Director of Health Psychology at Children’s National Medical Center. She is recognized for expertise in Human Subjects issues with children and minors’ decision-making in health care. 

Dr. McCabe is an APA Fellow and currently serves on the APA Council of Representatives and Chair of the Interdivisional Task Force on Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She has just completed her term on the Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) and served previously as Chair of the Board of Professional Affairs (BPA), Member of the Workgroup on Expanded Advocacy and Chair of the Committee for Professional Practice and Standards (COPPS).

Dr. McCabe received her BA in psychology from Clark University and doctorate in clinical psychology at the Catholic University of America. She completed her clinical internship and fellowships in Child Psychology and the Law and Pediatric Psychology through Harvard Medical School at Judge Baker Children’s Center, Children’s Hospital of Boston, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.