Continuing Education & Professional Development
Ethical Social Work Practice: Shades of Gray
The complexity of contemporary society has created challenging ethical issues for today’s social workers. Fueled by technological advances, diminishing resources, a managed care environment, and conflicting legal mandates within the context of a litigious society, practitioners are confronted with myriad ethical perplexities in the conduct of their daily work. This presentation will identify prevalent ethical concerns and approaches to enhancing ethical competence in these demanding times.
Objectives: At the conclusion of this program, participants will: 1) demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of ethics to competent professional social work practice; 2) appreciate the moral responsibility of practitioners to ensure the rights of clients and the provision of ethical social services; 3) become aware of the most pressing legal and ethical challenges in contemporary social work practice including those related to confidentiality, and boundary issues; and 4) explore approaches to enhancing ethical competence including: a) self-awareness; b) multi-cultural sensitivity; c) applying the NASW Code of Ethics; d) understand the relationship between law and ethics and the challenges inherent in pursuing a practice approach that is both risk management oriented and ethical; and e) ethical resolution paradigms.
Method(s) of Instruction: Interactive powerpoint presentation with handouts, group exercises and role play.
Fee: $125
CE Contact Hours: 5
Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Time: 9:30am–3:30pm
Instructor(s): Dr. Phyllis N. Black
Phyllis Black, PhD, ACSW, LSW is Professor and Director of the Lehigh Valley Program of Marywood University School of Social Work in Center Valley, PA. A co-author of a teaching resource on ethical issues in social work, Dr. Black has conducted research in the area of professional ethics and is a frequent presenter on this topic.