Attorney Articles | Ann Tran Lien, JD, Managing Director Legal Affairs

Articles by Legal Department Staff



In this article, Ann Tran-Lien, JD discusses a patient’s right to access their confidential mental health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.



Understanding the purpose and structure of a marriage and family therapy professional corporation may help marriage and family therapists decide
whether, and when to form a professional corporation in their own circumstance. This article is intended to provide a general overview of the marriage and 
family therapy professional corporation in California.

Effective January 1, 2018, the title for a Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Intern was changed to Associate Marriage and Family Therapist” (or “Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist,” if preferred). This article will discuss the new advertising guidelines for BBS registrants.

How Does the Exam Restructure Affect You

Members often ask this question or ask for a resource to guide them in understanding what is insurance fraud and what is not insurance fraud.  The information you need is in this article.

This article discusses a recent Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) case related to animal assisted therapy and the legal and ethical issues therapists should consider when practicing animal assisted therapy, or when therapists simply bring their own dog to the therapy office.

Therapists have the legal and ethical duty to maintain patient confidentiality and take reasonable steps to ensure patient confidential information maintained. This article discusses how to comply with HIPAA’s Security Rule when communicating with patients via e-mail and text messaging.

This article offers an overview on how LMFTs and Registered Interns can provide services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the situations in which LMFTs can
provide services to Medicare beneficiaries in California, and CAMFT’s recent advocacy efforts with respect to Medicare.