Intentional Decision-Making

Issues in Professionalism and Ethics for Therapists

In this program we will look at selected professional and ethical challenges therapists may experience and how to manage them purposefully. Later, with a nod toward the psychology of decision-making and behavioral ethics, we will discuss why we can experience gaps between our actual behavior (“want” self) and our desired behavior (“should” self). We will explore how our reasoning can be short-circuited by systemic errors or biases and identify strategies to improve our decision-making, ethical and otherwise, both in and out of the office.

Objectives:

Compare and contrast boundary crossings and violations, including a discussion of self-disclosure and touch

Identify decision-making models for dual relationships and related risk management strategies

Examine “failures” in therapy and what therapists do and can do to avoid them

Understand behavioral ethics and strategies to improve ethical decision-making

Explore therapist wellness and how it is an essential foundation for ethical decision-making