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Ethics Continuing Education

A216 Shhh! The Ethical Dilemmas No One Talks About

Get straightforward, practical insights for dealing with the thorniest practice issues you’ll ever face: self-disclosure, sexual attraction, gifts, and dual relationships, among others.

mary_jo_barrettMary Jo Barrett, M.S.W

media-audiocourse-tn CE Credits: 4
Audio Only: MP3 Download: $39
Audio Only: CDs: $49 (+$5 Shipping)
Add 4 CE Credit Hours: $39

The ethical guidelines for therapists were once governed by simple, direct, utterly unambiguous rules. But in today's far more informal therapeutic climate, with greater latitude afforded the therapist, the old rules don't seem so clear anymore. This course will openly explore the ethical dilemmas we face around boundaries involving such issues as self-disclosure, sexuality, gifts, and dual relationships. We'll examine how to respond to a range of challenging clinical situations including handling personal questions from clients, practicing therapy in your home, meeting clients outside of the therapy office, and dealing with sexual attraction. You'll come away with clearer ideas for establishing boundary guidelines at the beginning of treatment and reestablishing them if and when boundary violations seem imminent. Note: This course fulfills many state board requirements for training in ethics and risk management.

Meet The Instructor

Mary Jo Barrett, M.S.W., is director of the Center for Contextual Change in Skokie, Illinois, and teaches at the University of Chicago. She's the author of Systemic Treatment of Incest and Treating Incest: A Multiple Systems Perspective.

Course Contents

Session 1: Historical Perspective of Ethical Boundaries in Practice • Reviewing the past with respect to professional and personal life style and practice style, and how these change impact our practice

Session 2: Compassion Fatigue • Defining and understanding the theoretical and practical impact of Compassion Fatigue in maintaining healthy personal and professional boundaries

Session 3: In-Session Boundaries • Exploring the challenges of self-disclosure, gift-giving, sexual boundaries, and safety for both client and therapist in the office and during session

Session 4: Out of Session Boundaries • Exploring the challenges of small-town practice, "client sightings" outside of the office, invitations to celebratory events, and dual-relationship struggles • Each session will include discussion and consultation in order for participants to resolve boundary dilemmas and apply material immediately to their practice


Learning Objectives

1. Discuss the history and context of the creation and possible violation of ethical boundaries.
2. Identify professional vulnerabilities with respect to boundary violation.
3. Create a workable model for maintaining healthy boundaries through consultation and self- care.
4. Describe the role of compassion fatigue with respect to healthy boundaries.
5. Receive and provide consultation on cases.

 

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Ethics Continuing Education

Psychotherapy Networker is the most trusted choice for ethics, continuing education, and current research and trends from the psychotherapy community. The magazine receives national acclaim and has been awarded many prestigious honors. Its groundbreaking website acts as a reliable online resource for all therapists.

For training in ethics and risk management, Networker's continuing education programs offer therapists many opportunities for selecting a learning format that suits their preferred style. There are diverse educational opportunities including streaming-video webinars, MP3 audio, and reading courses based on articles from the magazine as well as comment boards aimed at particular areas of study.

Psychotherapy Networker strives to foster the growth of a broad and diverse community of therapists. In addition to the variety of ethics courses, the site offers such popular topics as couples therapy, brain science and psychotherapy, and mindfulness. You can also find a database of free articles, blogs, and information. You don't have to be a member to benefit from the free resources, but online membership is free, easy, and gives an even wider range of resource choices. Click here to register now.

Making ethical choices is fundamental to the practice of psychotherapy, and the topic of proper ethics remains controversial and difficult for many therapists to navigate. You are not alone in your concern for treating clients with proper and deserved respect. The Networker encourages debate and discourse among practitioners in order to improve our community and understanding of ethical issues--particularly the impact of the changing online environment. 

If you're looking for trustworthy resources on ethics, continuing education, and other important issues, look no further than the Psychotherapy Networker, America's premier therapy publication and online community.