Dual Relationships in Clinical Practice (Ethics CE)

A five-module Ethics CE course on recognizing and managing dual / multiple relationships in clinical practice. Each module is a real-world encounter — a grocery-store run-in, a social-media follow request, a faith-community invitation, a former client at a conference, and the documentation of a decision — walked through the applicable ethics codes and decision frameworks.

Five 8–10 minute modules, each anchored on a single clinician facing a single moment, with a knowledge check inside the scenario. Codes in scope: APA Standard 3.05(a)/(b), ACA A.5 and A.6, NASW 1.06, AAMFT 1.3 and 1.4 (2026 revisions). Decision frameworks used in the cases: Gottlieb's 1993 three-axis model (power, duration, clarity of termination); Younggren & Gottlieb's risk-management questions; Reamer's 2003 typology of dual-relationship categories. Designed for LCSW, LPC, LMFT, and Psychologist licensure; especially relevant for rural, small-community, telehealth-primary, and faith-based or culturally-bounded practice contexts.

Module 1 — The Grocery Store (8:28): a rural LMFT's chance encounter with a current client; APA 3.05(a), crossing vs. violation, Gottlieb's three-axis model. Module 2 — The Instagram Follow (7:56): a social-media follow request from a current/former client; NASW 1.06 and a defensible social-media policy. Module 3 — The Faith Community Dinner (8:46): a community psychologist's invitation; Multicultural Guidelines, NASW 1.06, anti-rationalization questions. Module 4 — The Former Client at the Conference (10:02): divergent post-termination standards across the four codes and the stricter-standard-wins principle. Module 5 — The Documented Decision (8:09): AAMFT 1.3 (2026) and ACA A.6.c; the cross-code defensible-documentation template.