Maintaining Appropriate Professional Boundaries: Exploring Ethical Obligations of Mental Health Professionals
Credit Available - See CEs/Contact Hours tab below.
Total Credits: 3 NYSED LMSW & LCSW CEs/Contact Hours, 3 NYSED LMHC CEs/Contact Hours, 3 NYSED LMFT CEs/Contact Hours, 3 NYSED LCAT CEs/Contact Hours, 3 NYSED PSY CEs/Contact Hours, 2.5 ASWB ACE approved continuing education, 3 UBSW - NYS OASAS, 3 NYSED Required Boundaries & PSY Ethics Laws, Rules, and Regulations
- Average Rating:
- 56
- Categories:
- Boundaries & Ethics | Professional Development | Social Media
- Trainer:
- Kathryn Krase, Ph.D., J.D., M.S.W
- Course Levels:
- Beginning and Intermediate
- Duration:
- 2 Hours 35 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Original Recording Date:
- Apr 03, 2025
- Format:
- Self-Study
Description
Recorded webinar.
Mental health professionals are charged with the legal and ethical responsibility to maintain professional boundaries, but the obligation isn’t always so easy to discern. This course brings real-world context to ethical concerns often experienced by professionals in practice in maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. This course will provide a framework to contemplate ethical dilemmas and make informed decisions that insulate professionals from legal liability while protecting clients from harm.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the ethical and legal responsibility of mental health professionals to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with their clients.
- Define dual relationships.
- Apply a framework to avoid dual relationships whenever possible.
- Apply a framework to minimize potential harm to clients and the professional whenever dual relationships are not avoidable.
- Describe how to demonstrate that a client has not been exploited or coerced, intentionally or unintentionally.
Research: Research information about this program can be found on the following websites:
- American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
- American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-ofethics-finaladdress.pdf
- National Association of Social Workers. (2020). NASW code of ethics. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English
- Nordesjö, K., Scaramuzzino, G., & Ulmestig, R. (2022). The social worker-client relationship in the digital era: a configurative literature review. European Journal of Social Work, 25(2), 303-315.
- Reamer, F. G. (2020). Boundary issues and dual relationships in the human services. In Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services. Columbia University Press.
Target Audience: social workers, mental health practitioners, creative arts therapists, marriage and facility therapists, psychologists, addiction professionals, case managers, and other interested individuals.
Customer ServiceWe are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.
ADA Accommodations: If you require any support for your ADA needs in the United States, please contact us by email at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.
CEs/Contact Hours
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education 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-0001. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education 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-0008. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education 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 marriage and family therapists #MFT-0007. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education 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 creative arts therapists #CAT-0003. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education 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-0062. Continuing education contact hours: 3 Self-Study
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education, #1773, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 02/23/2022 - 02/23/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 2.5 continuing education credits.
NYS OASAS Provider #0045: 3 hours for CPP & CPS Initial Hours in Section 1; CASAC, CPP & CPS Renewal Hours.
This course includes 3 content hours that meets the NYSED requirement for boundaries continuing education for social workers (LMSW/LCSW), mental health professionals (LMHC, LMFT, LCAT), and Psychologists (PSY) AND the NYSED requirements for Psychologists (PSY) of coursework in professional ethics, including the laws, rules and regulations for practice in New York State.
Handouts
| SS Boundaries and Ethics Agenda (509.3 KB) | Download | ||
| MAPB-NYS-Krase PPT 3 per page (1.88 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| MAPB-NYS-Krase PPT 1 per page (1.91 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| 4.3.25 Boundaries and Ethics References (0.11 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service | Available after Purchase | ||
| NYSED Enforcement Actions | Available after Purchase | ||
| APA: Practitioner Pointer: Patient referral fees raise red flags | Available after Purchase | ||
| APA: Taking charge of online reviews | Available after Purchase | ||
| Professional Organizations' Codes of Ethics On Bartering in Psychotherapy, Counseling and Mental Health Services | Available after Purchase | ||
| CENTER~1 (0.10 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| ipcinformedconsentfortherapy (0.05 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| InformedConsentExample (1.14 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
Trainer
Kathryn Krase, Ph.D., J.D., M.S.W Related Seminars and Products
Kathryn Krase, Ph.D., J.D., M.S.W., Principal Consultant with Krase Consultant, is an expert on the professional ethics, and the intersection of ethics with legal responsibilities. She has years of experience consulting with government and community based organizations to develop policy & practice standards.
Agenda
Program Agenda
Introductions
Revisiting Ethics in Professional Practice
Professional education introduces future practitioners to relevant Codes of Ethics. This portion of the program will revisit what professionals should already know about ethics, so that we are all on the same page as we explore further. What do we mean by “ethical”? How is “ethical” related to “legal”?
Understanding Professional Boundaries
Working closely with clients can challenge the boundaries of professionalism, but setting and maintaining boundaries is important both personally, and professionally. This portion of the program will explore guidance from ethical codes on how to define appropriate boundaries with clients, highlighting the obligations of mental health professionals.
Drawing the Lines
Using case examples, this portion of the program will explore various types of relationships between professional and client that can make maintaining professional boundaries complicated.
- Physical Contact with Clients
- Conflict of interests
- Dual Relationships
- Family Relationships
- Sexual Relationships
- Other Relationships
- Complicated Financial Interactions
- Bartering for services
- Other financial interactions
Protecting Yourself from Ethical & Legal Liability
This section will outline the framework that professionals can use to prevent ethical conundrums, and protect themselves from legal liability when maintaining professional boundaries is most complicated.
Conclusions/Questions
Note: All New York State licensees are responsible for complying with New York State laws, rules and regulations. Learn more at https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/psychology/lawsrules-regulations
Self-Study Equipment Requirements
Required Hardware
- A computer (desktop/laptop) or mobile device (smartphone/tablet).
- Speakers/headphones/earbuds
Internet Connection
- A stable Internet connection of 56K or greater is required. (However, please note that a 56K connection may degrade the quality of your experience.)
Any questions about these requirements or other technical questions can be directed to sw-ce@buffalo.edu.
Self-Study Course Access
Upon successful registration of the course, including receipt of payment, you will be able to access the course materials.
How do I test my system / access the online training?
To access the program, please log into your account. Click on the Launch Viewer button next to your program title.
How do I access the course materials
To download course materials, log into your account. Under the seminar name click on the Handouts button.
Completion Requirements
No partial credit is given for partial attendance.
Self-Study Completion Requirements
In order to receive a certificate of completion for this course participants must complete the following.
Please note all requirements can be found in your UBCE21 portal
- Watch the video(s) in it's entirety.
- After the training, take and pass the quiz with a score of 80% or higher. Participants have three chances to pass the quiz. You can access the quiz by clicking on the "Evaluation and Certificate" button for this course.
- After the training, complete the evaluation by clicking on the "Evaluation and Certificate" button for this course.
The certificate of completion will be immediately generated in your account upon completion of all course requirements. Certificates may be downloaded, printed, or left in your account.
Self-Study Cancellation Policy
Self-Study Courses: Participants have up to 72 hours from purchase to contact the Office of Continuing Education by email and request a refund.