Keeping Ethics in Clinical Practice: Everyday Issues and Dilemmas

• • Stimulate your thinking about "grey areas" of ethics
• • Examine your core ethical values
• • Apply practical ethics to everyday practice
• • Examine how personal values determine professional conduct
• • Identify why cultural competence is an important aspect of ethics
• • Discuss what therapy has to do with power
• • Determine how to make ethical decisions in difficult situations
• • Describe what steps to take in resolving countertransference issues
• • Identify why it is important to report unethical behaviors

Not the Usual Ethics Course

Behavioral health clinicians in all disciplines are confronted almost daily with ethical situations. Some may be more clearly defined than others. It may be situations such as accepting a gift from a client or encountering a client in a social situation. More serious issues are dual relationships, countertransference, or other issues that interfere with direct client care. Often the "grey areas" are the most confusing when making ethical decisions. When clinicians lack sufficient training, do not stay current on ethics or become complacent in their practice, they may find they have put themselves at risk of losing their professional license and reputation, and encountering legal difficulties because of inappropriate behaviors. As a result, clients are harmed, the profession as a whole loses credibility, and insurance rates go up.

During this seminar, participants will address some complex ethical situations that they encounter in everyday practice when working with mental illness and addictions. Much discussion will center on ethical situations and challenges in order to offer a clearer understanding of appropriate and inappropriate responses when ethical dilemmas arise. Some of the issues that will guide the discussions in this seminar are clarification of values, managing dual relationships, results of cultural incompetence, living in smaller communities and confronting sexual attraction. Dr. Patterson will instruct through the use of didactic, electronic media, and experiential learning techniques, allowing participants to explore the dangers of ignoring personal feelings and not addressing issues that arise during sessions with clients. Through discussion and experiential activities, participants will be able to learn how to maintain high ethical standards while providing quality client care.