Substance Abuse Counselor Ethics, Confidentiality, and Boundaries

CE Course Description

Adhering to ethical standards is essential to the safe and effective delivery of care to individuals seeking addiction treatment.  Specific codes of ethics, as well as state and federal laws, have been developed to guide addiction professionals in their delivery of professional care to individuals seeking their services.  The purpose of this intermediate level continuing education course is to provide an overview, from several resources specific to alcohol and drug counselors, of the guidelines of ethics, confidentiality, and boundaries for their profession. The course also reviews the most essential and universal principles of health care ethics, while highlighting how to effectively resolve the ethical dilemmas that may arise while delivering care to individuals in need. 

Author: Marc Macera, PharmD

CE Course Objectives

1. Identify strategies for addiction professionals to effectively manage and resolve the various types of ethical dilemmas and challenges that may arise.
2. Describe the four cornerstones of health care ethics and discuss protective measures and safeguards to ensure these standards are adhered to.
3. Evaluate NAADAC’s Code of Ethics and determine how addition professionals use its principles to guide their delivery of professional care to individuals seeking their services.
4. Summarize state-specific ethical standards for addiction professionals.   
5. Examine laws and regulations that protect and safeguard confidentiality for clients seeking substance abuse treatment.
6. Outline the seven fundamental steps of decision-making for addiction professionals seeking to resolve ethical dilemmas.
7. Determine how addiction professionals can best maintain personal/professional boundaries as well as competency and integrity.
8. Review numerous case studies that scrutinize ethical conflicts faced by addiction professionals.

CE Course Outline

Introduction (15 mins)

1. Overview of course structure, objectives, and key themes (15 mins)

Section 1: Ethics (90 mins)

1. Overview of Ethics (10 mins)
2. Case Studies (30 mins)
   1. Case 1 (10 min)
   2. Case 2 (10 min)
   3. Case 3 (10 min)
3. Key Ethical Principles (40 min)
   1. Autonomy (10 min)
   2. Justice (10 min)
   3. Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (20 min)
4. Section Summary and Reflection (10 min)
   1. Summary (5 min)
   2. Personal Reflection Question (5 min)

Section 2: Codes of Ethics (120 minutes)

1. Overview of Codes of Ethics (10 min)
2. Principles I–IX (90 min)
   1. Principle I: The Counseling Relationship (10 min)
   2. Principle II: Confidentiality and Privileged Communication (10 min)
   3. Principle III: Professional Responsibilities and Workplace Standards (10 min)
   4. Principle IV: Working in a Culturally Diverse World (10 min)
   5. Principle V: Assessment, Evaluation, and Interpretation (10 min)
   6. Principle VI: E-Therapy, E-Supervision, and Social Media (10 min)
   7. Principle VII: Supervision and Consultation (10 min)
   8. Principle VIII: Resolving Ethical Concerns (10 min)
   9. Principle IX: Research and Publication (10 min)
3. Section Summary and Reflection (20 min)
   1. Summary (10 min)
   2. Personal Reflection Question (10 min)

Section 3: State Codes of Ethics (60 minutes)

1. Overview of State Codes of Ethics (10 min)
2. Figures (40 min)
   1. Iowa State Code of Ethics for All IBC Certified Professionals (10 min)
   2. Iowa State Code of Ethics for Prevention Specialists (10 min)
   3. California State Code of Ethics for CAADE Professionals (10 min)
   4. California State Code of Ethics for Alcohol/Drug Counselors Holding a CCAPP Endorsement (10 min)
3. Section Summary and Reflection (10 min)
   1. Summary (5 min)
   2. Personal Reflection Question (5 min)

Section 4: Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2 (120 minutes)

1. Overview of 42 CFR Part 2 (10 min)
2. The Final Rule (70 min)
   1. Final Rule Summary (20 min)
   2. Compliance Dates (10 min)
   3. Revisions to 42 CFR Part 2 (20 min)
   4. Practical Points of Interest for Addiction Professionals (20 min)
3. Figures (20 min)
   1. Figure 5: 42 CFR Part 2 (20 min)
4. Section Summary and Reflection (20 min)
   1. Summary (10 min)
   2. Personal Reflection Question (10 min)

Section 5: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas (120 minutes)

1. The Fundamental Steps of Decision-Making Models (30 min)
2. Case Studies Revisited (75 min)
   1. Case 1 (10 min)
   2. How a Decision-Making Model May Be Used to Resolve Case 1 (15 min)
   3. Case 2 (10 min)
   4. How a Decision-Making Model May Be Used to Resolve Case 2 (15 min)
   5. Case 3 (10 min)
   6. How a Decision-Making Model May Be Used to Resolve Case 3 (15 min)
3. Section Summary and Reflection (15 min)
   1. Summary (10 min)
   2. Personal Reflection Question (5 min)

Section 6: Conclusion (15 minutes)

1. Conclusion (15 min)