Ethics & Boundaries in Psychotherapy

Leo Christie, PhD, LMFT

$39.00

CE Credit Hours : 3
Intermediate Learning Level Intermediate
Online Course Online
Customer Testimonials

Course Abstract

Ethics & Boundaries in Psychotherapy is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE) course intended to give psychotherapists the tools they need to resolve ethical and boundary issues and dilemmas that may be encountered in their everyday professional practice.

Topics discussed include definitions of boundaries; resolving conflicts between ethics and the law; boundary crossings vs. boundary violations; multiple relationships; sexual misconduct; privacy and confidentiality in the age of HIPAA; ethics issues with dangerous clients; boundary issues in clinical supervision; ethics and cultural competency; ethical boundaries in use of social media; ethical practice in teletherapy; fees and financial relationships; and a model for ethical decision making.

*This course satisfies the ethics & boundaries requirement for license renewal of Florida counselors, social workers & MFTs. It also includes teachings from the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics to meet the ethics requirement of West Virginia counselors.

Course #31-30 | 2021 | 52 pages | 20 posttest questions

Learning Objectives

  1. Describe four domains in which ethical boundary guidelines may be found
  2. Distinguish between boundary crossings and boundary violations
  3. List two ways therapists can safeguard clients’ privacy under HIPAA regulations
  4. Specify four ways therapists can manage their own cultural bias in psychotherapy
  5. Name two ethical dilemmas that are presented by use of social media
  6. Identify the eight guidelines for engaging in the practice of teletherapy

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. The course is text-based (reading) and the CE test is open-book (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Successful completion of this course involves passing an online test (80% required, 3 chances to take) and we ask that you also complete a brief course evaluation.

About the Author(s)

Leo Christie, PhD, LMFT : Find out More

Leo Christie, PhD, LMFT, is a Florida-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University. Past President of the Florida Council on Family Relations, Dr. Christie is a past CEO of Professional Development Resources, a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to deliver continuing education credit courses to healthcare professionals throughout the United States. He has more than 20 years’ experience in private practice with a specialty in child behavior disorders and as an instructor for over 500 live continuing education seminars for healthcare professionals.

Disclosure

Financial: Receives a salary from Professional Development Resources, Inc.
Nonfinancial
: No relevant nonfinancial relationships exist.

CE Information

Counseling

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Approved Continuing Education Provider

Professional Development Resources (PDR) has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5590. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. PDR is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Professional Development Resources is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 - all courses are reported within two business days of completion). Professional Development Resources, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135 - Note: New York counselors will receive 3 continuing education credits for completing this self-study course).

Marriage and Family Therapy

American Psychological Association Approved Sponsor

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100 - Note: New York MFTs will receive 3 continuing education credit(s) for completing this self-study course); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 - all courses are reported within two business days of completion).

Psychology

American Psychological Association Approved Sponsor

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Professional Development Resources is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 - all courses are reported within two business days of completion). Professional Development Resources, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145).

School Psychology

American Psychological Association Approved Sponsor

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Professional Development Resources is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 - all courses are reported within two business days of completion). Professional Development Resources, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145).

Social Work

Association of Social Work Boards ACE Approved continuing education provider

Professional Development Resources, #1046, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 6/12/2022 - 6/12/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 3 ethics continuing education credits.

Professional Development Resources is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 - all courses are reported within two business days of completion). Professional Development Resources, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664 - Note: New York social workers will receive 3 continuing education credit(s) for completing this self-study course). Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Customer Testimonials

L.H. (PY)

The course included everything I can think of that might come up in 2021.

J.S. (MHC)

Great Training! I will access PDR in the future for more professional development and CEU training.

J.L. (MHC)

As a trainer on the topic myself, I say to you: Well done!

D.Y. (SW)

Great course with relevant ethical dilemma examples!

L.Z. (SW)

This is a very relevant course, particularly its information about ethical issues involved in the digital age. This area is current and dynamic and it is important for practitioners to stay up to date on developments in this area.

More Testimonials

C.S. (SW)

Very thorough and engaging I will keep the text for future reference. Thank you.

R.R. (MHC)

The information was good as a refresher and offered some developments in the field to consider (telehealth).

J.H. (MHC)

It was well organized and prepared. I found it helpful and a challenge.

K.W. (MHC)

I love this way of learning. I'm actually able to retain the information better and use it for future situations.

E.S. (PY)

I felt the program was well organized, clear, comprehensive, and both most informative and relative to the current times.

A.S. (MHC)

Very clear, concise course on ethics and a wide variety of boundary issues to consider. Very helpful.

B.B. (MHC)

Appreciate that this course is up-to-date . The mention of COVID and teletherapy were important.

E.K.S. (SS)

This course was comprised of both past and new tenets of ethics and boundaries in my profession. The information was highly worthwhile and presented clearly. I recommend this course.

B.A. (PY)

Well written module. Helpful clinical information.

J.G. (PY)

Very thorough and well written course.

R.L. (MHC)

This course was very content rich and I am glad I took it. I will keep the information for use in the future. Thanks.

M.K. (PY)

Great course! Clear and well written. Thank you.

K.B. (MHC)

This is an excellent course with way more helpful information that I was expecting.  Information was presented clearly and the course content was easy to follow.

C.K. (MHC)

Interesting and beneficial approaches poised in the questions of Ethics and Boundaries. Thank You.

C.C. (MHC)

This is the kind of well-prepared, thoughtful course I've come to expect from you all. I especially appreciated the part on ethical standards and tele-therapy. Thanks!

B.H. (SW)

I am glad you included the social media aspect including texting. A good course and good refresher also.

B.W. (PY)

For what can be an avoided topic, the content was presented in both a clear & engaging manner.

S.B. (MHC)

This is a valuable and complex course that is well researched and presented.

S.F. (MHC)

Well designed content. Felt up to date and relevant.

K.H. (SW)

 I appreciated the social media discussion, which was very detailed and helpful!

H.K.B. (MHC)

Great class, highly informative with refreshingly new material.

J.F. (PY)

This is a valuable and practical course for psychologists in private practice.

D.F. (MHC)

PDR is my go-to resource for accurate and informational CEUs.

J.M. (MHC)

Great Course! This is the only place I'll go going forward for my CEUs. Very informative.

M.D. (PY)

This was a very relevant ethics course especially with the addition of the section on teletherapy which has become more relevant during the pandemic.

N.S. (PY)

Excellent course! Thorough, detailed, and relevant. Thank you.

A.C. (MHC)

This course was extremely up to date considering the rapid change we face in the technology era of mental health counseling. Very helpful and a great resource tool.

S.F. (PY)

Great course. Clear and well written. Thank you!

G.D. (MHC)

Clear & precise presentation.

M.J. (MHC)

Excellent refresher with some new areas of focus from previous related courses. Went well as adjunct to Medical Errors course.

G.C. (SW)

This was one of the better courses on Ethics and Boundaries that I have taken and I've taken many over the years. It was very relevant and had great examples.

L.S. (SW)

Having the references was particularly helpful and valuable.

V.S. (SW)

This course was super helpful and I am excited to encourage my supervisees to take the course also. Thanks!

E.Y. (SW)

The text is clear and well written - easy to absorb and organized. I would always prefer a video presentation.

M.H. (MHC)

Information was very relevant and explained in a manner that was easy to understand.

L.M. (PY)

I found the whole course very informative, but I was also interested in clarifying the difference between "boundary violation" vs. "boundary crossing."

M.B. (MHC)

I wish I had taken this CE module before I taught a workshop on boundaries!

C.B. (MHC)

This course was very thorough, and I appreciated the information on application of ethics in a digital age.

P.D. (PY)

So glad this ethics course included social media and telecounseling. Was very infromative. Also, thanks for the recommendations for further study included in the course.

M.W. (MHC)

I appreciate how well organized and clear the information was.

L.E. (SW)

Well formulated content which was easy to digest. Thank you for offering this opportunity and an affordable cost.

K.F. (MHC)

The content of this self-paced module on ethics and boundaries is exceptionally thorough. It delves deep into the nuances of ethical principles and professional boundaries, providing comprehensive insights that will equip learners with a solid foundation for ethical decision-making and maintaining appropriate boundaries in various contexts. It leaves no stone unturned, ensuring that the reader has a well-rounded understanding of this critical subject matter.

A.M. (PY)

Thanks, Good information, reasonable price, testing was not overly time consuming or cumbersome. Thank you.

Thank you for another great course in Ethics and Boundaries in Psychotherapy. Its content has clear, concise, and therapeutically valuable information for all therapists working in this potentially high risk yet rewarding field.