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When Client becomes Colleague: The Peer Movement and Ethical Considerations

Room Paradise A

Speaker(s): 

Cooley-Bennett, Terri, BSW, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, CCDP-D, TTS

Description: 

Individuals who are former or current clients are obtaining jobs or roles as peers on a more regular basis (Krumm et al., 2022). As clinicians, educators, and supervisors, it is important to be aware of ethical considerations regarding peers in the workplace, who may be former clients. Ethical dilemmas may arise due to the potential for dual relationships. As clinicians, it is important to be compliant with applicable laws and ethical codes, cooperate with agencies and boards, and be ethically responsible. A critical aspect is being client-centered and not harming clients. This workshop will provide an overview of ethical obligations as they pertain to colleagues or peers, ethics, boundaries, and confidentiality. Issues such as vicarious liability will be discussed and potential ethical conflicts that may occur will be examined. Finally, strategic ways of managing ethical conflicts will be examined.

Objectives

1. Provide a brief overview of ethical codes and considerations that pertain to Dual Relationships, Boundaries, and Confidentiality
2. Examine the current research regarding peer support services
3. Define Vicarious Liability

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Behavioral Health Ethics for Agency Settings

Room Paradise Ballroom B

Speaker(s): 

Terri Cooley-Bennett, LCSW, LSCSW, CCDP-D, TTS

Description: 

Providing clinical services to vulnerable populations is a common responsibility for practitioners in agency settings. Agency practice increases the potential for vicarious liability and other ethical considerations that may not be present in private practice. “Imputed Negligence” or the “doctrine of respondeat superior” means that practioners can be held accountable for the unethical behaviors of colleagues, in the workplace (Houston-Vega; Nuehring; & Daguio, 1997). When an employee, supervisee, or colleague displays improper conduct toward a client, visitor, or student; supervisors, leaders, colleagues, and supervisees may be held accountable. Vicarious Liability means that practitioners are liable and ethically responsible and obligated to ensure that clients not harmed. If a colleague is unethical, practitioners are obligated to address the situation.
Adequately managing ethical dilemmas and preventing ethical violations is an important aspect of practice and aides in providing best customer service to clients, patients, guests, colleagues, and others.

Objectives

  • Provide overview of common ethical principles related to behavioral health practice in an agency setting
  • Define Vicarious Liability and discuss the variety of ways that professionals and clinicians can be held accountable for Vicarious Liability or “imputed negligence”
  • Consider potential ethical dilemmas that arise from Vicarious Liability and introduce options for managing the dilemma
  • Examine strategies and best practices for preventing and managing complaints and ethical dilemma in practice
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Behavioral Health Ethics for Private Practice

Room Paradise Ballroom B

Speaker(s): 

Terri Cooley-Bennett, LCSW, LSCSW, CCDP-D, TTS

Description: 

Providing clinical services to vulnerable populations is a common responsibility for practitioners in private practice. Because of the unique challenges experienced, opportunities for ethical dilemmas and even ethical complaints are not uncommon. It is of utmost importance that professionals abide by ethics codes, practice ethically, and apply models of decision making when ethical dilemmas and complaints arise in practice.
This workshop will provide an overview of common ethical principles and will examine the current trends and research regarding ethical complaints and dilemmas in practice and will discuss strategies for preventing and managing these. This workshop meets the ethics requirements for licensure.

Objectives

  • Provide overview of common ethical principles related to behavioral health practice
  • Discuss trends and current research regarding ethical complaints in counseling practice and behavioral health with a focus on private practice
  • Examine strategies and best practices for preventing and managing complaints and ethical dilemmas in practice
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Contemporary Ethical Issues: Personal Worldview and Professional Acculturation

Paradise Ballroom C

 

Speaker(s):

Larkin, Nicole, MS, CDAC, SMFT

Likcani, Adriatik, PhD, LMFT

Woolery, Amber, BSW, CRADC

Description

This presentation on ethics is beyond the ‘typical’ topics of dual relationships and abuse of power with clients. It is about us as professionals and our personal worldview and professional acculturation. Why do ethical codes exist? What to do when my values and morals conflict with ethical codes? How to deal with ethical dilemmas? Can I talk about faith and spirituality with my clients? How do I apply evidence-based treatment with diverse populations? This session will help you find the answers to any of those questions and address other questions you may have. This is a session about ethics, values, morals, personal worldview and professional acculturation in the practice of treatment and recovery support for mental health and substance use disorders. Participants will learn about the ecology of substance use treatment and recovery support and issues that arise with scientific discovery such as evidence-based practices and effective interventions, medication assisted treatment/recovery, integration of faith-based approaches, etc. Such contemporary issues tend to challenge the stability of any professional and require of them to affirm or resist change. They will learn models of working through dissonance and finding a new stability. They will identify external and internal influences that impact their emerging worldview, personal and professional acculturation. Discussion with participants will be based on morals, values, sources of power and influence in the acculturation process, and the ethics of providing value-sensitive care and due care to individuals and families.

Objectives

1. Discuss how participants can use existing Codes of Ethics, including AAMFT, NBCC and NASW, to inform and reflect upon their personal worldview and professional acculturation
2. Identify personal lenses that cause dissonance among professionals in their practice
3. Recognize professional acculturation process through the ecology of substance use treatment and recovery support approaches
4. Identify issues that threaten status quo of the helper, prompt resistance or create dissonance, and require them to find a new professional stability