Professional Boundaries & Ethics addresses the relationships and ethical decisions at the center of behavioral health work. Staff build trusting, often intense relationships with clients who may be vulnerable, and clear boundaries and ethical principles protect both the client and the worker. Minnesota's 245I training standards specifically require training on professional boundaries. This course defines professional boundaries, the therapeutic relationship, dual relationships and conflicts of interest, gifts and money, confidentiality, social media, the use of self-disclosure, and the ethical principles that guide the work. It connects boundaries to client rights and to your own integrity and longevity in the field. The throughline: you can build genuine, healing relationships while holding the boundaries that keep them therapeutic, ethical, and safe.

Learning Objectives

• Define professional boundaries and the therapeutic relationship
• Avoid dual relationships and conflicts of interest
• Apply rules on gifts, money, and confidentiality
• Use self-disclosure appropriately, if at all
• Recognize and address boundary crossings