Self-Disclosures and Supervision: Ethical Considerations

Credits:

• 6 Hours of Continuing Education Units for California MFTs and LCSWs
• Meet two requirements in one course!

This course meets the 6 CEU Law & Ethics requirement mandated every 2 years by the California BBS for all licensed MFTs and LCSWs.

       AND

This course meets the BBS requirements for 6 CEU hours of Supervision training mandated every 2 years for supervisors of unlicensed MFTs and can be applied to the one time, 15 hour supervision training CE requirement for supervisors of Associate Social Workers (ASWs).

Who should take this course:

• MFTs or LCSWs who need to meet the BBS 6 CEU Law & Ethics course required every two year license renewal period
• MFTs or LCSWs who are supervising graduate students, unlicensed therapists in agency or private practice settings or those supervising agency staff
• Potential supervisors
• MFTs or LCSWs accruing the 36 CEUs required by the BBS every license renewal period
• MFTs or LCSWs who receive supervision or consultation

Fee:

$62, with unlimited retries until course has been passed. Additionally, you may save your answers at any time during the exam and return to it later by logging back in.

Course Description:

The first section of this course describes views of self-disclosure from different theoretical and contextual perspectives. The following section identifies types of professional and personal self-disclosures, differentiating between elective and unconscious disclosures. Detailed examples of self-disclosures are described. Ethical considerations of self-disclosure are explored from the perspectives of informed consent, beneficence and boundary crossings and violations.

The next three sections focus on self-disclosure from different vantage points: teaching self-disclosure to supervisees, supervisees self-disclosures within supervision and supervisors self-disclosures to supervisees. Supervisors will have the opportunity to identify their own style of self-disclosing. The course differentiates personal and professional authenticity, and develops guidelines for teaching strategic self-disclosure using a Self-disclosure Concept Map. A focus on ethical considerations is reflected throughout each section. Case examples illustrate the use of self-disclosure in a variety of situations.

Course Outline:

1. Part I: Views on Self-Disclosure
   • Theoretical orientation
   • Setting
   • Client characteristics
2. Part II: Types of Self-Disclosure
   • Elective self-disclosures - professional information
   • Elective self-disclosures - personal information
   • Attitudes about treatment
   • Approval or reassurance
   • Disclosures of feelings
   • Disclosures of insights
   • Admissions of mistakes
   • Unconscious self-disclosures
   • Transference and countertransference
3. Part III: Ethical Considerations
   • Informed consent
   • Beneficence
   • Boundary crossings and violations
   • Clinician risk factors for misuse of self-disclosure
4. Part IV: Teaching Self-Disclosures to Supervisees
   • Supervisors' style of self-disclosure
   • Guidelines for teaching self-disclosure
   • Personal and Professional authenticity
   • Strategic self-disclosure
   • Self-disclosure Concept Map
5. Part V: Supervisees' Self-Disclosure Within Supervision
   • Ethical considerations
   • Overexposure of supervisees
6. Part VI: Supervisors' Self-Disclosures to Supervisees
   • Constructive use of supervisors' self-disclosure
   • Ethical considerations
   • Contraindications for supervisor self-disclosure

Course Objectives:

• Discuss the influence of theoretical orientation, setting, client characteristics, transference and countertransference on decisions to disclose or not disclose
• Identify types of self-disclosures differentiating elective and unconscious disclosures
• Present descriptions of personal self-disclosures including, feelings about clients, strategies, approval, reassurance and mistakes
• Describe ethical considerations of self-disclosures, including informed consent, beneficence and wrong reasons to disclose
• Define boundary crossings and boundary violations within therapy and within supervision, including identification of clinician risk factors
• Develop guidelines for teaching self-disclosure to supervisees using concepts of professional authenticity, strategic self-disclosure and a Self-disclosure Concept Map
• Provide an ethical framework for supervisees self-disclosures in supervision
• Identify supervisors' constructive use of self-disclosure to supervisees and when self-disclosure is contraindicated