Keeping healthy boundaries in therapy sounds “easy.” But in practice, doing so consistently can be extremely difficult, especially when client-therapist feelings of attraction (and other forms of transference) develop. Actively setting protective boundaries can be stressful and at times, and downright awkward as we balance this process with building a solid alliance! Providers may not always admit or discuss situations in which they may be attracted to a client or when a client may flirt with them, but romantic attraction is an involuntary emotional process that can and absolutely does sometimes occur within the therapeutic relationship. Successfully recognizing and managing these feelings and situations is vital to ensure therapy is delivered effectively and ethically. Setting professional boundaries is the cornerstone of success in all therapy relationships, and the absence of consistent boundaries is at the heart of the most common and destructive ethical violations we see.

Please join us to increase your knowledge and insight into appropriately setting ethical boundaries in challenging (sexual, romantic, and other) situations with clients. Jodi Geis-Crowder brings 26 years of experience in the field and will draw on that experience to increase your knowledge of how the behavioral health care industry is commonly reflected in our traditional media, social media, and broader culture. These influences impact expectations of clients, resulting in some unrealistic expectations regarding what therapy is and isn’t. Jodi will also provide a checklist that can be used in mandatory disclosure to artfully deploy ethical boundaries to help you manage expectations throughout the therapeutic relationship. She will share case examples to challenge your ethical decision-making and help you navigate ethical dilemmas when they arise. Finally, she will review specific diagnoses such as personality disorders and clients challenged by chronic suicidal ideation – learn ethically-informed strategies to safely work with these clients.

Attendance and Location Details

Date and Time

Friday, July 12, 2024

10:00am – 1:00pm CST 

11:00am – 2:00pm EST 

8:00am – 11:00am PST

*Zoom link will be made available to you 24-48 hours prior to event date.

Objectives:

This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:

a). Identify three reasons why mandatory disclosure is one of the most important aspects of client care and setting the stage for healthy boundaries from the first session.

b). Define ethical client boundaries and identify at least three approaches that assist a therapist to manage clients that push boundaries while preserving the therapeutic relationship.

c). Define transference and countertransference and two approaches that you can take to manage it in a therapeutic relationship.

d). Identify two approaches to managing flirting and sexual attraction in the therapeutic relationship.

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.

Featured Materials :

Course materials (including the link to view live events) are made available to webinar and in-person attendees 24-48 hours before the event start time. Course materials for online asynchronous courses are found in the Lesson module after a course is purchased.