SEFBHN Event Calendar

Webinar Downloads:

Coming soon!

Date:   Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Time:   10:00am-12:00pm (EST)

Description:

Florida’s Marchman Act provides a civil legal process for assessing, stabilizing, and treating individuals with a substance use disorder. It is designed for individuals who have significantly impaired their judgment, functioning, and ability to recognize the need for care. This webinar examines the history and purpose of the Marchman Act, statutory eligibility criteria, petition and court procedures, assessment requirements, treatment orders, and the responsibilities of licensed treatment providers and qualified clinical professionals. Participants will explore how the law balances individual autonomy and due-process protections against the need to intervene when substance use creates a substantial risk of harm. The presentation will also address treatment system limitations, ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) informed level of care recommendations, and clinical documentation. Ethical dilemmas, potential liability associated with action or inaction, and the available research regarding the benefits and limitations of involuntary treatment will be discussed. Practical case scenarios will help participants apply Marchman Act criteria to complex situations involving repeated overdose, treatment refusal, impaired judgment, co-occurring mental health symptoms, and substance use related consequences.

Objectives:

1. Describe the legal framework, purpose, and eligibility criteria for involuntary assessment and treatment under Florida’s Marchman Act.
2. Identify the petition, assessment, court, and treatment processes involved in a Marchman Act proceeding.
3. Apply Marchman Act criteria and ASAM-informed treatment principles to clinical case scenarios involving substance use disorders.
4. Evaluate the ethical, clinical, and legal considerations associated with involuntary treatment, including provider responsibilities and potential liability.

This webinar is designed for substance use and prevention professionals, certified addiction professionals, health care providers, law enforcement officers, other professionals involved with the crisis system of care under Baker Act and Marchman Act, and executives in behavioral health agencies, Managing Entities, and Department of Children and Families program staff.

Presented by:

John Puls, LCSW, MCAP, is a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and Master’s Certified Addiction Professional (MCAP). He has more than 13 years of experience working with individuals and families affected by substance use disorders, severe mental illness, co-occurring psychiatric conditions, and behavioral health crises. He serves as an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Sandler School of Social Work. Through his forensic practice, John provides consultation and expert-witness services in matters involving the Marchman Act, Baker Act, addiction treatment standards, behavioral health facility operations, suicide prevention, discharge planning, wrongful death, and professional negligence. He has served as a qualified expert in over 100 Marchman Act proceedings and conducts comprehensive substance-use evaluations. John regularly presents to universities, professional associations, behavioral health organizations, clinicians, and community groups. His teaching emphasizes the practical intersection of addiction, ethics, civil commitment law, patient safety, and individual rights.

CEUs:

Up to 2 Continuing Education Units/Contact Hours are provided for this event
Florida Certification Board Recognized Education Provider
Florida Board of Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling Provider #50-676
Florida Board of Nursing Provider #50-676