Description:
Has a client ever told you they love you? Or said it might be nice to get to know each other better outside the therapy setting? Attraction between client and counselor is not unusual – but it must always be addressed with care and understanding of underlying meaning and potential consequences. State laws and regulations as well as ethical codes explicitly prohibit sexual relationships between counselors and clients, as they can cause harm, exploit power dynamics, and undermine treatment. Even so, you do not want to be caught unawares, at a loss for words, contemplating what to say for the first time as a client awaits your response. Sexual dynamics under any circumstances can be complicated. Counselor /client sexual dynamics are particularly complicated because they can put your job at risk, with your career hanging in the balance.
In this webinar, Frances Schopick, JD, MSW invites attendees to an interactive presentation to learn about how some dynamics may heighten or mitigate risk, so that you can protect yourself and the client’s therapy with informed choices. We will consider boundaries and role clarity, as well as the unintentional sexualization of the therapy space, hormonal responses to gratitude, client responses to authority, sexual attraction that feels like “true love,” and predation.
Anyone can be at risk for these dynamics. In fact, your greatest risk may be thinking you’re not at risk! This is a conversation that many counselors say they wish they had had in graduate school or early in their careers. Give yourself the opportunity to participate in this important discussion sooner rather than later so that the counseling session is preserved as a safe space for one and all.
This program meets Washington State's Ethics CE requirement.
Objectives: Participants will:
- Gain awareness of WA State laws, regulations, and sanctions pertaining to sexual misconduct.
- Gain familiarity with relevant Codes of Ethics and ethical implications of sexual relations with current and former clients.
- Be able to identify risk factors correlated with counselor/client sexual interactions.
- Be able to identify safeguards correlated with protective factors.
Frances Schopick, JD, MSW is an attorney with an extensive background in clinical Social Work and psychiatric research. She served on the Psychiatry Faculties at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NYC and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA to research mood disorders, personality disorders, and psychotic illness. Personality disorders focused mainly on narcissistic, borderline, anti-social, and schizotypal personalities.
Now an attorney in WA State, Fran represents health care providers undergoing licensing board investigations. To help licensees avoid such complaints, Fran develops Disclosure and Informed Consent resources tailored to individual practice, so that providers can simultaneously minimize counselor risk and maximize client care. Fran provides legal consultation to counselors and psychologists working with individual adults, children, couples, and families, often in “high conflict” situations. Fran speaks nationally on the importance of well-administered Informed Consent as well as the many factors that can affect and complicate clinical care.
This course is approved for 4 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State.
Washington Mental Health Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
WMHCA Cancellation Policy
To receive a refund, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date. Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting.
