Ethics of Managing Collaterals and Interested Parties in Therapy

Date course created: May 2023

Very few ethics trainings specifically address working with a therapy client’s collaterals and interested parties within complex family and societal systems. This aspect of professional practice is extremely important for all of us, no matter the treatment setting or area of practice. Virtually any client case, even if it starts out otherwise, might at some point move into the school system, child welfare system, family courts, or simply begin to pull in other family members, emergency contacts, medical providers, etc.

Treating individuals as a part of the various systems within which they operate presents a number of ethical challenges. Cases involving children in the school system and/or the child welfare system require therapists to engage in complex interactions with various parties including: family members, teachers, school social workers and counselors, department of family services case workers, and even guardian ad litems. With mandated clients, multiple third party payers (e.g. DHS, DOC, etc.) may seek information from you regarding your client’s case. Working within these systems as a mental health provider requires constant vigilance around professional ethics, mandated reporting requirements, and compliance with the law and court orders, all while establishing the conditions for success in therapy.

**This is a 3-CE noninteractive, self-paced online video course delivered in home study format via an industry-standard online learning platform**

Agenda:

00:00 – 01:00: Understanding Moral Ethical Principles

01:00 – 02:00: Managing Alliances & Maintaining Therapeutic Relationships

02:00 – 02:40: Tools for Ethical Practice

Objectives:

This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:

a). After completing this training, participants will be able to identify three aspects of mandatory disclosure specific to working with individuals in complex societal systems (family, legal, medical, etc.).

b). After completing this training, participants will be able to identify two specifics regarding releases of information when working with individuals, collaterals, and interested parties within these systems.

c). After completing this training, participants will be able to describe two ways to manage alliances drawn between family members, while maintaining the therapeutic relationship with the primary client.

d). After completing this training, participants will be able to identify three significant areas of ethics that apply to these types of cases from the general ethics review offered in this training.

e). After completing this training, participants will be able to name two strategies to deal effectively with payer sources often involved with Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and mandated clients.

Target Audience:

Clinical Mental Health Professionals such as Counselors, Psychologists, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers.

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Instructor(s): Jodi Ann Geis-Crowder, MS, LPC, ACS

Material Author(s): Jodi Ann Geis-Crowder, MS, LPC, ACS  

Jodi Geis-Crowder has a passion for the helping profession to ensureaccess to care for all. She is also passionate about mentoring, supervising and training others to reach their professional potential. Jodi has spent the past 25 years dedicating her professional efforts to ensuring that individuals in rural, frontier areas in Northeast Colorado and Southeast Wyoming have access to quality, culturally meaningful behavioral health care and substance use disorder services, delivered by trained, competent providers. A native of Wyoming, Jodi holds an Associate of Science Degree in Education from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Sciences with areas of emphasis in psychology, economics, political science and anthropology, and a Master of Science Degree in Counselor Education and Human Development with an emphasis in Leadership from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. She holds professional counseling licenses in good standing in Colorado (LPC-2476, March 2000) and Wyoming (LPC-1602, September 2016), is an Approved Clinical Supervisor, a certified Solution Focused Brief Therapy practitioner, holds a certificate in the Human/Animal Bond from the Denver University Graduate School of Social Work, has studied and gained numerous continuing education credits in the area of the human/animal bond, has been registered with four previous therapy dogs (2005, 2010, 2019 and 2021) and recently passed her test and credentialing with her Border Collie, Shay River, through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Jodi’s passion for culturally appropriate human/animal bond and agriculture related services in rural areas resulted in her developing animal assisted therapy programs and therapeutic horticulture for two community mental health centers: Centennial Mental Health Center in Northeast Colorado and Peak Wellness Center in Southeast Wyoming. Jodi states, “I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to bring my passion for the natural world and rural culture into my professional work by developing programs that are culturally meaningful and support the rural culture.” She further states, “My original therapy dog, Mr. Big, taught me more about patience and unconditional love than any other relationship in my life. It is astounding to me how much he continues to teach me about grief and loss through his passing.”

Jodi has held positions as a clinician, clinical coordinator, clinical supervisor, regional clinical director and telehealth clinical supervisor, and education and training coordinator in her years at Centennial Mental Health Center and Peak Wellness Center. Jodi developed animal assisted therapy, therapeutic horticulture and peer specialist programs during her tenure at Centennial Mental Health Center and was the architect for and developed a centralized, telehealth clinical supervision model for Peak Wellness Center. Jodi has extensive training and experience in working in the telehealth model. She authored an article regarding transitioning to working remotely and provided support to others transitioning to remote work during the Covid 19 Pandemic shut down in March, 2020. This article was used internally at Peak Wellness Center to support staff during this transition. Jodi also served as secretary of the Iliff Head Start Advisory Board for six years in Iliff, CO and is currently on the Absaroka Head Start Advisory Board in Worland, WY.

Jodi currently works full time as a telehealth clinical supervisor and trainer for Volunteers of America Norther Rockies (VOANR). Volunteers of America Northern Rockies merged with Peak Wellness Center in July of 2020 and serves the needs of individuals with behavior health care and substance use disorder challenges, as well as specializing in services for veterans in Montana, Wyoming and Western South Dakota. She enjoys teaching webinars and assisting others in their professional development under her private company JGC Enterprises, LLC in the areas of Ethics, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, working in the telehealth model and the human/animal bond. Jodi is also a professional mixed media and water color artist and hopes to volunteer at the Washakie County Library in Worland, WY, developing an animal assisted reading program for youth.

For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.

Course Materials & Delivery Method:

• Course materials – The course is composed of a recorded presentation and written materials (e.g. a slide deck and/or other worksheets, manuals, or handouts as provided by the instructor). The slide deck and any additional worksheets or handouts (as provided by the instructor) are made available inside the Lesson module after a course is purchased.
• Delivery Method – this course is a recorded asynchronous, self-paced webinar training, and there is no access time limit or due date to complete it once enrolled. The enrolled learner will stream the recorded presentation and view the materials from their internet connected device via an industry-standard online learning platform.

CE Approvals:

Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not quality for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, 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: July 23, 2024 – July 23, 2025. Social workers completing this course receive [see advertisement] asynchronous distance learning continuing education credits.

Other Helpful Information:

• Refund & Cancellation Policy – you may review this policy at any time by clicking here.
• Accessibility Accommodations – if you require a reasonable accommodation for any reason, please email your request to cc@onlinececredits.com
• Course Completion Requirements – 1.) View the entire Lesson module (accessible from the main course page), to include the embedded and/or linked presentation video(s), slide deck, additional materials, and/or links to any shared video clip(s) that may have been edited from the presentation video(s) to comply with copyright laws. 2.) Click into the Quiz module accessible from either the main course page or the Lesson page and complete the Quiz with an 80% or better pass rate. 3.) Complete the course evaluation – you’ll be sent to the evaluation automatically once you successfully pass the Quiz.
• Posttest Requirements – you must answer 80% or more of the Quiz questions correctly to pass. If you fail to pass the first time, you may attempt the quiz again until you are able to pass with a score of 80% or better. Quizzes are graded instantly and automatically by the learning management system once your attempt is submitted.
• Certificate of Completion – certificates of completion are automatically generated – downloadable from your Dashboard and emailed to you – once you view the Lesson materials and complete the Quiz and the course evaluation.
• How to Enroll – Login to the website first if you already have a user account. If not, you will create your permanent user account login information during course enrollment. Select the appropriate course library using the top menu of the website. Once inside your chosen course library, find and select your desired course to be taken to the main course page. Click the button on the top banner to enroll. When the order window pops up, enter your details and place your order. You will be emailed an enrollment confirmation message, and you’ll be sent to a landing page instructing you how to begin your newly enrolled course.
• System Requirements –
  • Recommended Devices: Desktop, Laptop, or Tablet computer. (Note: Our platform is mobile responsive and may be fully accessed from a connected smartphone).
  • Suggested Browsers: Updated version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari.
  • Recommended Network: Home wifi, ethernet, or a public wifi with VPN (Note: agency or corporate networks are often equipped with restrictive firewalls that may adversely impact your experience on our platform).
  • Recommended speed/bandwidth: Minimum download speed > 20Mbps and minimum upload speed > 6Mbps.