Boundaries, Ethics, & Confidentiality: Managing Professional Relationships

Webinar
Two people wearing masks

In this workshop, attendees will explore the importance of upholding boundaries and confidentiality to support program participants and co-workers in social service settings. Presenters will provide concrete strategies for maintaining client privacy while also noting the legal limits of confidentiality. Attendees will also define ethical dilemmas and explore how to appropriately respond by applying ethical decision-making frameworks to real-life scenarios and case studies. Attendees will be invited to reflect on their professional experiences in these areas throughout the session, as well as during a dedicated Q&A.

Schedule

12:20-12:30 PM Virtual training room opens
12:30-12:40 PM Welcome, introductions, & housekeeping
12:40-1:40 PM Defining the ethical dilemma; Stages of ethical decision-making
1:40-1:50 PM Break
1:50-2:40 PM Boundaries; Dual-relationships; Transference/Counter-transference
2:40-2:50 PM Break
2:50-3:20 PM Fundamentals of confidentiality
3:20-3:45 PM Skills practice
3:45-4:00 PM Q & A

Learning Objectives

When attendees return to the workplace, they will be able to:

  1. Name the six steps used for addressing ethical dilemmas in the workplace
  2. Define countertransference and give three examples of how it may impact client relationships
  3. Explain confidentiality and its limits in your professional role

 

Target Audience: Social service providers and helping professionals with direct client contact.

Social Work Practice Level: This course is appropriate for beginner and intermediate BSW/ MSW learners.

Course Delivery Format: Live Webinar.

Interactivity: This course will offer 15 minutes of Q&A time, as well as real-time polling, and group discussion prompts.

Social Work Continuing Education Credit: 3 CE Credits*

Fees: $30 general registration; additional $5 for registration with social work CE credit.

Registration includes access to the live event and recording, PDF of slides, and relevant training tip sheets/resources.

Session Facilitators

Ryan Villagran, LSW (he/they) joined Housing First University in June 2021 as a Training Specialist. Ryan holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University with a concentration in Communities & Policy. His clinical background includes delivering psychiatric rehabilitation services in the mental health recovery model at a Community Integrated Recovery Center. Ryan also developed and coordinated a training program in a university setting for social workers serving transitional-aged youth and later taught a Human Behavior in the Social Environment course for graduate social work students. Ryan is involved in organizing efforts around ending mass incarceration and believes in the power of our collective imagination to dream of a better future centered around the most vulnerable members of our community.

Andrew Spiers, LSW (he/him) is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Pathways to Housing PA’s Housing First University. Andrew joined Pathways in early 2018 and served as an Assistant Team Leader and Team Leader before launching Housing First University in October 2019. Andrew holds a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, where he concentrated in Community Practice, Policy, & Advocacy. He has taught Human Services and Sociology courses as an adjunct professor at Harcum College and conducted trainings and workshops all over the country on Housing First, harm reduction, and affirming care for LGBTQ+ communities.

 

ACE approval statement: Housing First University: a program of Pathways to Housing PA, provider #1759, 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: 01/12/2022 – 01/12/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 3 ethics continuing education credits.

*Housing First University, a program of Pathways to Housing PA, can provide continuing education credits to licensed social workers in 48 of the 50 U.S. states and 10 Canadian provinces. Due to current regulations, CE credits cannot be offered to social workers in the states of New Jersey or New York. If you are not a Licensed Social Worker, please check with your board of accreditation to ensure this training meets your licensing needs.