Book excerpt: Ethical predicaments are endemic for mental health professionals working in schools. New interventions, evolving technologies, and a patchwork of ethical and legal guidelines create a constant stream of potential dilemmas. The seven-step model presented in this book allows readers to apply a practical process to complex questions while both minimizing liability and protecting students. Beginning with an introduction of the moral, legal, and clinical foundations that undergird ethical practice, James C. Raines and Nic T. Dibble present an ethical decision making model with seven steps: know yourself and your responsibilities, analyze the dilemma, seek consultation, identify courses of action, manage clinical concerns, enact the decision, and reflect on the process. Ethical Decision-Making in School Mental Health provides ethical guidelines from four different professions and addresses mental health issues in schools. This new edition includes meticulously updated chapters based on recent changes to all of the codes of ethics over the past ten years.