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What is the No Surprises Act (NSA)? 
The NSA was signed into law in December 2020 and was primarily intended to protect patients/clients from unexpected out-of-network bills for healthcare. The classic example is the person who obtains needed surgery at an in-network hospital, but gets a separate and unexpected (surprise) $25,000 bill from the anesthesiologist after the procedure because the provider was not in-network.


Note: Given the ambiguity of the NSA, the following is preliminary guidance to comply with its provisions. This guidance does not constitute legal advice. To obtain a legal opinion, please consult a local mental health law attorney in your jurisdiction. Please continue to check back frequently for updates and changes to this guidance.


When it comes to insurance coverage, the details of knowing exactly what you're buying can get a little fuzzy. But for psychologists, knowing the difference between claims-made and occurrence coverage is essential so that you can make the best decision about your desired coverage and how it fits into your budget.


January 27, 2021 - FAQ on Telehealth Enforcement Exceptions by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.


Dr. Jana Martin, CEO of The Trust, joins Dr. Graham Taylor to address ethics and considerations around the medium of video conferencing and how that can affect your patients and practice. They look further into the recent explosion in telehealth and how it can allow practitioners to extend their services and provide patients greater access to treatment.


We have received a large volume of calls from our insureds about how to manage the risks the corona virus pandemic poses to patients and to themselves. As risk managers, we are committed to supporting you in ethical, safe practice. We provide general risk guidance based on current knowledge and conditions. Of course, we are unable to provide medical advice. If you have specific questions about your individual situation, please feel free to schedule a call to speak with one of The Trust’s Advocate 800 Program's risk managers.

Click here for COVID-19 Guidance & Resources


Supervising trainees can be a meaningful and fulfilling part of clinical practice. However, we don’t always consider the fact that supervision requires different skills and experience than therapy or assessment. It is sometimes presumed that good clinicians are good supervisors, but this is not always the case. This article will explore some specific skills and considerations for becoming a good supervisor and can help you manage the risks that come along with taking on this important role.


Supervision is a vital part of training as a mental health provider, and some amount of supervised experience is required for almost any mental health credential. However, students and trainees don’t always have positive supervision experiences, and there is not a lot of information in our training programs about how to effectively use supervision to improve our performance as clinicians. This article will briefly discuss some basics of how to be a good supervisee and get the most out of this essential part of your education and training as well as how to help manage the risks of supervision.


This article provides an overview of several risk management practices for psychologists who work with divorced or divorcing families, particularly the children of divorcing families. It is based on the author’s 20-plus years’ experience of providing risk management consultations to those insured through the American Insurance Trust, formerly the American Psychological Association Insurance Trust.


This document provides one model for agreement between the therapist and the parents or guardians of a child undergoing treatment. Such an agreement can help establish ground rules that clarify the psychologist's role in therapy and define the limits of parental involvement.


NOTE: This information is provided as a risk management resource and is not legal advice or an individualized personal consultation. At the time this resource was prepared, all information was as current and accurate as possible; however, regulations, laws, or prevailing professional practice standards may have changed since the posting or recording of this resource. Accordingly, it is your responsibility to confirm whether regulatory or legal issues that are relevant to you have since been updated and/or to consult with your professional advisors or legal counsel for timely guidance specific to your situation. As with all professional use of material, please explicitly cite The Trust Companies as the source if you reproduce or distribute any portion of these resources. Reproduction or distribution of this resource without the express written permission of The Trust Companies is strictly prohibited.