1 CE Credit - Ethical and Legal Considerations of Virtual Assessment of Seminary Candidates - Shannon Mullen

Description: Pre-seminarian evaluations have become the standard practice for dioceses in the United States and abroad. Many dioceses seek to find a Catholic psychologist trained to complete these specialized evaluations, which also require expertise in assessing sexual behavior and various dimensions of the human person understood in Catholic anthropology. Bishops also seek to employ an assessor who understands the culture of the Catholic Church and the elements and stages of formation for Catholic clergy and religious. Due to the limited number of such specialists, Catholic psychologists are being asked to take on referrals from outside their region. Virtual or remote assessment options have been utilized to address the clinical need and match an appropriately trained assessor with the candidate in need of evaluation. There are various considerations for licensure jurisdiction, data security, and validity of test results which require informed consent and adjustments to the assessment process. This workshop will explore those considerations and prepare the psychologists to make better-informed decisions while attending to the legal and ethical concerns inherent in virtual assessment approaches. Learning Objectives: List the ethical and legal considerations of virtual evaluation approaches for seminary candidates