Continuing education
Boundary Dilemmas in Social Work Practice
A continuing education activity presented by the VCU School of Social Work. This program is designed for social workers and their community partners.
- Course description and objectives
- Agenda
- Program session
- About the facilitator
- Cost and registration
Course description and objectives
Boundaries are the overt and covert rules that social workers and clients internalize about the limits of their relationships. Appropriate boundaries help clients feels affirmed, respected and safe when sharing personal information. Still, because social workers may become emotionally invested or otherwise highly involved in their clients’ lives, boundary setting and maintenance can at times be difficult and ethically challenging. The purposes of this workshop are to explore the nature of professional boundaries, consider a range of ethical dilemmas that social workers might experience in their practice and outline principles for resolving those dilemmas.
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to articulate and understand:
- Five aspects of social worker/client boundaries
- The benefits to clients of clear boundaries
- The benefits to social workers of clear boundaries
- Eight characteristics of “ordinary therapeutic engagement”
- Three categories of boundary dilemmas and their resolutions
- The warning signs of possible boundary violations
- Nine steps for resolving boundary dilemmas
- Factors to consider when assessing one’s boundary conduct
- A five-step approach to addressing dual relationships with clients
- Guidelines for social work practitioners in addressing boundary concerns
- Guidelines for supervisors in managing boundary concerns
Category I contact hours: 6
Continuing education units: 0.6
Agenda
9-9:30 a.m.
- Role-play demonstration
- Definition of boundaries
- General discussion of boundary dilemmas
9:45-10:30 a.m.
- Five aspects of boundaries
- Benefits to clients and social workers of clear boundaries\
- Boundary crossing vs. boundary violations
10:30-10:45 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m.-noon
- Aspects of ordinary therapeutic engagement
- Warning signs of boundary violations
- Factors to assess in determining one’s boundary conduct
- Discussion of examples
Noon–1 p.m.
Lunch
1-2:30 p.m.
- Dual relationships
- Nine steps in resolving boundary dilemmas
- Management of boundary dilemmas: Guidelines for supervisors
2:30-2:45 p.m.
Break
2:45-4 p.m.
- Applications of the day’s material to practice situations
- Summary and evaluation
Program session
July 24, 2009
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
VCU University Student Commons — Richmond Salons
907 Floyd Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23284
Phone: (804) 828-1981
About the facilitator
Joseph Walsh, Ph.D., is a professor of social work and affiliate professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received his M.S.W. and Ph.D. from Ohio State University. He currently teaches courses in direct practice, human behavior and social work research and serves as a field instructor for VCU. His primary interest area is direct practice with persons who have serious mental illnesses. Walsh has authored several social work texts including “Theories for Direct Social Work Practice” (2006), “Short-term Existential Intervention in Clinical Practice” (2007), and “Endings in Clinical Practice: Ensuring Closure Across Service Settings” (2007). He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been a practitioner in the field of mental health for many years — first, in a psychiatric hospital and later, in community mental health centers. He was the 1998 recipient of the National Mental Health Association’s George Goodman Brudney and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award, given annually to recognize significant contributions to the care and treatment of persons with mental illness. Walsh continues to provide direct services to clients at VCU’s Center for Psychological Services and Development.
Cost and registration*
Regular: $110
Student: $55 (with current I.D.)
Senior (65 and over): $85 (with current I.D.)
VCU faculty and current School of Social Work field instructor: $85
VCU School of Social Work Alumni Association member: $85
» Join the VCU Alumni Association
Agency group of three or more: $85 each
Agency group of 10 or more: Contact Linda Gupta at (804) 828-3405.
* Includes lunch.
Registration opens June 15, 2009.
Please register online at www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/conf/socialwork/register.asp?cid=94.
Registration closes on July 21, 2009 at 9 a.m.
Participants may register for CEUs by completing a CEU registration form and making a check payable to the VCU School of Social Work in the amount of $15 on the day of the event. No cash or credit cards will be accepted for this purpose.
Questions?
Contact Angela Basmajian at (804) 828-0403 or sswce@vcu.edu.