Boundary Issues and Dual Relationshipsin the Treatment of Addictions

Registration Open

Brown University Distance Learning Program and The Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England, are offering a credited, on-line course on boundary issues and dual relationships.

The primary purpose of this course is to provide participants with an overview of boundary and dual-relationship issues that arise in the treatment of addictions. Participants will be acquainted with key concepts (professional boundaries, dual and multiple relationships, conflicts of interest, ethical standards, ethical decision making, malpractice and liability, professional negligence, standards of care, risk management) and a typology of boundary issues that arise in the delivery of services. Major themes include: social, collegial, therapeutic, and business relationships with current and former clients; self-disclosure to clients; bartering for services; giving and receiving gifts; performing and receiving favors; and unanticipated and unavoidable dual relationships. Case illustrations will be used to discuss relevant ethical standards and risk-management issues. Emphasis will be on practical strategies designed to prevent harm to clients and to protect practitioners from ethics complaints and litigation.

Instructor

Frederic G. Reamer, Ph.D., a Professor in the graduate program of the School of Social Work, Rhode Island College, where he has been on the faculty since 1983. His research and teaching have addressed a wide range of human service issues, including mental health, health care, criminal justice, public welfare, and professional ethics. Dr. Reamer received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1978) and has served as a social worker in correctional and mental health settings. He has also served on the faculties of the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration (1978-1981), and the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Social Work (1981-1983). Dr. Reamer has served as Director of the National Juvenile Justice Assessment Center of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1979-1981); as Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor of Rhode Island (1987-1990); and as a Commissioner of the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation, the state housing finance agency (1987-1995). Since 1992 Dr. Reamer has served on the State of Rhode Island Parole Board. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Social Work Education (1990-1994). In 1995 Dr. Reamer was appointed editor of the Columbia University Press Social Work Knowledge book series.

Dr. Reamer has conducted extensive research on professional ethics. He has been involved in several national research projects sponsored by The Hastings Center, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Haas Foundation. He is the author of many books and articles. His books include: Social Work Values and Ethics (Columbia University Press); Ethical Standards in Social Work: A Critical Review of the NASW Code of Ethics (NASW Press); The Foundations of Social Work Knowledge (Columbia University Press; editor and contributor); Social Work Malpractice and Liability (Columbia University Press); Social Work Research and Evaluation Skills (Columbia University Press); The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work (Columbia University Press); AIDS and Ethics (Columbia University Press; editor and contributor); Ethical Dilemmas in Social Service (Columbia University Press); Rehabilitating Juvenile Justice (Columbia University Press; co-author, Charles H. Shireman); and The Teaching of Social Work Ethics (The Hastings Center; co-author, Marcia Abramson). Dr. Reamer is also the author of chapters on professional ethics in the Encyclopedia of Social Work, the Encyclopedia of Bioethics, and the Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics.

Dr. Reamer has lectured extensively nationally and internationally on the subjects of professional ethics and professional malpractice and liability. He chaired the national task force that wrote the Code of Ethics adopted by the National Association of Social Workers in 1996. Dr. Reamer received the “Distinguished Contributions to Social Work Education” award from the Council on Social Work Education (1995) and the Presidential Award from the National Association of Social Workers (1997).

Course Objectives

• Familiar with key concepts related to boundary issues and dual relationships in the treatment of addictions
• Acquainted with boundary and dual relationship issues that arise in the treatment of addictions
• Familiar with pertinent ethical standards in the human services
• Acquainted with practical risk-management strategies designed to protect clients, practitioners, and employers.

Course Requirements

This is a four-week course requirements are:

• Required on-line reading (one hour per week)
• Completion of pre and post test
• Completion of weekly homework assignments (one hour per week)
• Participation in the weekly course forum
• Completion of an on-line course evaluation

*Please note that there are no real time events associated with this course. Lessons will be posted on the class home page on Tuesday and responses are due the following Monday. With the exception of the first weeks lesson which will be posted Monday with the responses due the following Monday. Assignments can be accessed at the participant’s convenience.

The total cost of this course is $60.00 the course payment is due by the start date of the course. A full refund is available up until the posting of the second lesson, after which there will be no refunds.

Accredation

This four-week course, has been approved by the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) for 8 educational credits. It is being provided by the Brown Distance Learning program, which is accredited as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider (#000151). This course meets the qualifications for 8 hours of continuing education credit for MFCC’s and/or LCSW’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (PCE#1917). This course is approved by the Connecticut Certification Board (CCB) for eight Category 1 continuing education for Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC’s). The CCB is an IC&RC affiliate. The New York State OASAS does accept distance learning CEUs provided by institutions of higher learning for individuals pursuing or renewing a CASAC, CPP or CPS. Certificates will be mailed within two weeks to participants in the program for its duration who submit all required materials.

Please contact your local certification board to verify reciprocity or acceptance of Brown Distance Learning contact hours.

To participate, you must have:

• An E-mail address and the capacity to retrieve and send E-mail;
• Access to World Wide Web (the following programs provide WWW access: Netscape, Apple CyberDog, and Microsoft Explorer)
• Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher is the preferred browser for Brown DLP online courses
• The ability to navigate the World Wide Web
• A basic understanding of how to use a computer and send and receive email

PLEASE NOTE NETWORK AND COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT WILL NOT BE PROVIDED.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: The course start date or when the course limit is reached.

To register for this course please log into your account or create your account then log into your account and click the Enroll in a New Course link at the bottom of your account page. On the Enrollment page select the course you wish to register for using the pull down menu and click on the enroll button.  Having enrolled into the course you will be prompted for payment. You may make your payment online or by regular mail. To view payment information please use the payment policies.

For a list of current Brown University Distance Learning courses, please go to the following site:

https://www.browndlp.org/. Please Bookmark this site for future references. Course announcements will be made via the Brown University Online Course Announcement Listserve 6-8 weeks prior to the start of each course. If you would like to be subscribed to this list, please contact Monte Bryant, Program Administrator, at Monte Bryant, or (401) 863-6606.