Fundamentals of Ethical Clinical Practice

Live Interactive Webinar 
Instructor: Cathleen Morey, M.S.W., Ph.D., LICSW
Level: Intermediate 
CEs: 2.5
Target Audience: Social workers and other social service providers who are thinking of becoming supervisors or recently have started providing supervision.
Course Delivery Method, Format and Instructor Interaction: Live interactive webinar with discussion and small group activities. Instructor will use chat and verbal discussions for Q and A as well as break out rooms. Attendees are visible to one another in Zoom meeting and are encouraged to be active participants with their camera and/or microphone in order take part in discussion. Login information will be emailed to all program participants in January at the start of the program.
System Requirements: Attendees will need access to a computer with working camera and microphone. All courses are offered using Zoom conferencing software.

It is important to establish and monitor fundamental ethical practices in the supervisory relationship. The impact of power, authority, and difference as it relates to practice in a context of cultural humility, professional boundaries, and the infusion of technology in practice are the ethical areas where the supervisory dyad and client interaction can be greatly impacted. This course will examine these areas to facilitate positive and safe therapeutic engagement.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Define professional boundaries
  2. Describe the importance of preparing for ethical supervision by becoming familiar with all state laws regulating your practice
  3. Summarize relevant professional codes of ethics in relation to supervision
  4. Identify how to recognize boundary violations/crossings 
  5. List at least two ways to respond to boundary violations/crossings
  6. Explain the impact of countertransference on the maintenance of appropriate and ethical boundaries
  7. Apply a cultural humility lens to examine the influence of difference, culture and ethnicity in relationship to power and authority in the supervisory relationship
  8. Describe the impact of technology/telemedicine on the ethics of informed consent, confidentiality, emergencies and standard operating procedures

Outline:

Part I: 1 - 2:15 p.m. ET

  • Exploration of what constitutes a boundary crossing vs. violation
  • Understanding countertransference influence on boundaries
  • The ethics of the use of the cultural humility lens in supervision

Break: 2:15 - 2:25 p.m. ET

Part II: 2:25 - 3:45 p.m. ET

  • The impact of technology on practice
  • The ethical pitfalls created by the use of technology: What to look for in the supervisor-supervisee dyad and the supervisee-client dyad (parallels)
Delores Hendrix-Giles smiles at the camera wearing a pink collared shirt and black blazer.

Delores Hendrix-Giles, LCSW-S, CGP

Professional Education Instructor
Delores Hendrix-Giles is a licensed clinical social worker and University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work alumna with more than 20 years of…
Portrait of Cathleen Morey wearing a blue blazer and black top.

Cathleen Morey, M.S.W., Ph.D., LICSW

Adjunct Assistant Professor and Professional Education Instructor
Cathleen Morey is the director of clinical social work at the Austen Riggs Center, an open setting psychiatric hospital and residential treatment center for…
Completion Requirements

In order to be awarded the Foundations of Clinical Supervision Certificate, it is the expectation that students attend all scheduled sessions of the program. However, Smith understands that emergencies or unexpected events may interfere with a student attending a particular session or a part of a session. Aside from CE credits, the policy of the SSW Certificate programs is that students who miss significant portions of a seminar or a full session will be required to complete a make-up assignment. Assignments will be devised by the course instructor/certificate director to cover both missed content and learning time. Students who miss more than sessions of the program will not be awarded the Foundations of Clinical Supervision Certificate.

Earning CE Credits

Smith certificate programs are comprised of a number of different courses often over a number of days. Many courses are standalone sessions but some courses may have two or three sessions. The total number of CE contact hours that a student may earn will be calculated based on the number of hours of fully attended courses. Partial credit may not be awarded to those who attend only a portion of a course. It is the attendees’ responsibility to contact their licensing board to determine eligibility to meet continuing education requirements. Please see individual course pages for the CE completion requirements and how the certificate is awarded.

How will a certificate be awarded?

Upon completing the evaluation for the in-person seminar, participants will be emailed their online certificate​ within 30 days of seminar completion​. ​Participants should save and/or print ​the certificate upon receipt for ​their records. Receiving the CE certificate is contingent on completion of the evaluation and signing in and out of the seminar.