2024 Professional Continuing Education Online Webinar
Dual Relationships: Balancing Ethical Responsibilities
Friday, April 26, 2024, from 9:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Online Workshop – Three (3) CE Credits
Fee: $39/person
FREE for Active PBC Volunteer Clinicians
Featured Presenter: Veronica Cruz, LCSW-C
Session Description: This webinar will explore the importance of understanding and balancing ethical responsibilities. An emphasis will be placed on exploring dual relationships and boundary issues to enhance and improve ethical responsibilities and reduce ethical violations. This workshop will discuss common practice areas that raise ethical dilemmas and explore the code of ethics and propose various ethical decision-making models that can be utilized to resolve these ethical conflicts.
Issues explored will be code of ethics, understanding direct service situations, exploring professional relationships and limitations, ethical framework model, and best practice techniques. A focus will be on analyzing Criminal Law Article 3-301, Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners (Title 10, .03) to the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (1.06, 1.09. 1.16 & 1.17). Participants will also explore the codes of ethics from the American Psychological Association and the Association for Addiction Professionals.
Participants will be able to engage in activities that will allow them to further analyze and apply the various codes of ethics to further understand dual relationships. This is an interactive workshop where cases vignettes will be presented, and participants will work in a group setting to further maximize their understanding of the concepts presented.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, the participant will be able to:
- Explain and choose the various ethical principles and codes of ethics to further understand how to manage and/or avoid dual relationships.
- Demonstrate an understanding of issues related to dual relationships and boundary issues.
- Analyze and explain an ethical decision-making model which incorporates the codes of ethics and Comar regulations to concepts of dual relationships and boundary issues.
- Describe key elements of balancing ethical responsibilities in relationship to the concepts of dual relationships and boundary issues.
Presenter Bio: Veronica Cruz, LCSW-C
Veronica Cruz, LCSW-C, is a clinical and forensic social worker with over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents and families. She is a qualified expert witness in clinical and forensic social work in numerous jurisdictions and courts in Maryland and at the Federal level She concentrates on cases involving illegal or harsh sentences, post-conviction relief, modifications of sentences, death penalty, and juveniles charged as adults. Ms. Cruz is the founder and CEO of Cruz & Associates, LLC where she specializes in preparing comprehensive forensic psycho-social reports for criminal and civil matters. Prior to Cruz and Associates, she was employed for ten years, as a forensic social worker at the Office of the Public Defender in Montgomery County. In addition, from 2000-2014 she worked as an emergency room and psychiatric social worker. She is an avid continuing education presenter and specializes in trauma and ethics workshops. Since 2015 she has been an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work teaching graduate students Adult Trauma and Clinical Social Work Practice and Social Work and the Law.
Ms. Cruz is a graduate of the Catholic University of America earning a B.A. in psychology and received her Master of Social Work, specializing in mental health and addiction from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. In 2014 she completed an advanced two-year post graduate Forensic Social Work Certification through the University of Maryland Continuing Education Department.
Workshop registrants will receive a code prior to the webinar to log on to Zoom and participate in the online session.
IMPORTANT: Attendance will be monitored. Participants must be logged on to the meeting by the workshop start time and participate in the entire event in order to earn CE credit.
Pro Bono Counseling is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Pro Bono Counseling maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The Maryland Boards of Social Work Examiners and Professional Counselors and Therapists certify that this program meets the criteria for three (3) credit hours of continuing education for social workers (Category 1), professional counselors, and therapists (Category A) licensed in Maryland.
CE credit is granted to participants with documented attendance at individual workshops. Attendance is monitored. Credit will not be granted to registrants who log on late or depart early from a session. It is the responsibility of registrants to comply with these requirements.
Please note that upon attendance verification, you will receive your CE certificate within four weeks via email. Please add Pro Bono Counseling to your contacts and check your SPAM folder to ensure delivery.
By registering for this event, all participants agree to abide by the following code of conduct:
Workshop Code of Conduct
Pro Bono Counseling (PBC) is dedicated to providing a positive continuing education experience for everyone of all backgrounds and identities. We do not tolerate disrespectful behavior or harassment of workshop participants, facilitators, or PBC staff in any form. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of characteristics that include but are not limited to: gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, citizenship, veteran status, pregnancy status, race, ethnicity, or religion. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in unacceptable behavior, PBC may take any action it deems appropriate, including warning or expelling the offender from the event with no refund.
Workshop Views Disclaimer
The views expressed by the workshop presenter(s) and participants are their own opinions and do not represent Pro Bono Counseling, and do not imply an endorsement of them or the organizations they represent.
