PPsychology.com

Continuing education / 3 hours · Intermediate

Ethics and Professional Boundaries

Three hours on the boundary questions that fill licensing board caseloads: dual relationships and community overlap, confidentiality in couples and family work, digital presence and availability, and how to consult, document, and repair when something slips. Built around three fully worked cases.

What the course covers

  1. A defensible decision process
  2. Power, roles, and contextual boundaries
  3. Confidentiality and consent in complex systems
  4. Digital presence and availability
  5. Consultation, repair, and local requirements

After this course you will be able to

  • Differentiate a contextual boundary crossing from an exploitative relationship
  • Select confidentiality responses that distinguish consent, legal authority, and scope
  • Draft a technology and communication boundary agreement
  • Construct a consultation and documentation record that survives review

Who this course is for

  • Social workers, counselors, and MFTs with a recurring ethics requirement
  • Clinicians in small communities where client overlap is daily reality
  • Practice owners writing technology and communication policies

Requirements this course is built for

These state rules name the topic this course teaches. Credit approvals are in progress; each requirement guide shows the current rule and source.

California law and ethics
California social workers requirement guide Read → California law and ethics
California counselors requirement guide Read → California law and ethics
California marriage and family therapists requirement guide Read → California psychology laws and ethics
California psychologists requirement guide Read → Professional ethics
Texas counselors requirement guide Read → Professional ethics
Texas social workers requirement guide Read → Professional ethics
Texas marriage and family therapists requirement guide Read → Professional ethics
Texas psychologists requirement guide Read → Ethics and boundaries
Florida counselors requirement guide Read → Ethics and boundaries
Florida social workers requirement guide Read → Ethics and boundaries
Florida marriage and family therapists requirement guide Read → Professional ethics and Florida psychology laws
Florida psychologists requirement guide Read → Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
New York social workers requirement guide Read → Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
New York counselors requirement guide Read → Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
New York marriage and family therapists requirement guide Read → Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
New York psychologists requirement guide Read →

How it works

Self-paced reading with optional audio, case material worked in full, and short knowledge checks along the way. The course ends with a final exam (30 questions, retake allowed) and a course evaluation. Your certificate of completion issues immediately and stays downloadable in your account.

Common questions

Which renewal requirements does 3 hours of ethics typically address?
Most boards require ethics hours each cycle: for example Texas LPCs and social workers need 6 ethics hours per renewal, and Florida requires 3 hours of ethics or telehealth each cycle. Check your state page for the exact rule.
Is this a lecture or case work?
Case work. Three fully worked situations, a decision worksheet you keep, and an exam that tests judgment rather than recall.
Is it specific to my profession?
It teaches from the NASW, ACA, and AAMFT codes side by side and flags where they differ, with state callouts for California, Texas, and New York.
Eligibility. CE credit approvals for this course are in progress with our accreditation partners. Until an approval is confirmed for your license type and state, treat this course as professional development. This page will list the exact approvals the course carries; we do not claim approvals we do not have.

Authorship. This course is authored by a named, licensed clinician and independently reviewed before release. Faculty name, credentials, and disclosures appear here at release.

Refunds. Full refund within 30 days if you have not yet passed the final exam.

Crisis resources. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) in the US. Our courses train professionals and are not a crisis service.