Ethics and Boundaries – Avoiding Pitfalls and Preserving the Alliance
Let’s face it, boundaries in therapy are icky! It’s uncomfortable, it’s awkward, and it is entirely OUR job to manage them in order to ensure therapy is successful, both parties are protected, and our clients get value from our services. They can determine whether you get paid, they can determine whether your client shows up for a session, they can determine whether you keep a caseload or not, and they can even determine whether or not you keep your license and your career. So many considerations, such an important topic for all of us!
Please join us to increase your knowledge and insight into appropriately setting ethical boundaries in challenging situations with clients. Jodi Geis-Crowder will shed light on how the behavioral health care industry is reflected in our media, social media and culture, and how that reflection impacts expectations of clients. Jodi will also provide a checklist you can use in mandatory disclosure to easily begin artfully deploying ethical boundaries to help you manage expectations throughout the therapeutic relationship. She will also share a number of juicy case examples to challenge your ethical decision-making and help you navigate ethical dilemmas when they arise. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to be fully engaged, challenged, and entertained as you knock out some of your ethics CE requirements, explore the art of boundaries in therapy, and further develop your ethical decision-making expertise!
Learning Objectives:
This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:
a). Identify three reasons why mandatory disclosure is one of the most important aspects of client care and setting the stage for boundaries from the first session.
b). Develop your own checklist/script for mandatory disclosure and identify three areas that are crucial to include to protect your professional liability.
c). Define ethical client boundaries and identify at least three approaches that assist a therapist to manage clients that push boundaries while preserving the therapeutic relationship.
d). Define transference and countertransference and two approaches that you can take to manage it in a therapeutic relationship.
e). Define suicidal blackmail and identify two risk management approaches to keep clients safe and limit your professional liability.
f). Identify two situations in which social media and the media impact how clients perceive the therapeutic relationship.
g). Identify three ways that you can safely market your practice while maintaining professional boundaries with marketing and social media.
h). Identify two reasons why a clear fee schedule is a necessity and how to manage monetary challenges without contaminating the therapeutic relationship.
i). Define your own ethical decision-making model and identify three points that should be part of your model.
j). Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of obtaining a supervisor or consultant by identifying two ways that consulting with another professional can assist you to set clear boundaries and protect your professional liability.
CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Pay once for lifetime access.
Course Duration: 3 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Lifetime Access: Your access to the course does not expire, so you can revisit key concepts anytime you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
Rural and underserved communities struggling with limited access to quality behavioral health care - and clinicians working in isolation without adequate supervision or training - can need more than standard therapy approaches to create meaningful change. Jodi Ann Geis-Crowder has dedicated 27 years of her career to ensuring vulnerable populations receive innovative, culturally meaningful mental health services while mentoring the next generation of practitioners to work effectively in challenging settings.
As a Wyoming native and dual-licensed professional counselor in both Wyoming and Colorado, Geis-Crowder brings deep understanding of rural behavioral health challenges combined with innovative solutions that bridge traditional therapy with community resources. Her pioneering work developing animal-assisted therapy programs at Centennial Mental Health Center in Colorado and therapeutic horticulture programs at Peak Wellness Center in Wyoming demonstrates her commitment to culturally responsive, nature-based interventions that resonate with rural populations.
Geis-Crowder's expertise spans Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), clinical supervision, ethics, telehealth service delivery, trauma-informed care, substance use disorders, Polyvagal Theory, and the human-animal bond. Her approach recognises that effective rural mental health care must integrate community strengths, natural resources, and innovative service delivery models to overcome geographic and cultural barriers. She specialises in training clinicians to work effectively with limited resources, providing ethical supervision via telehealth, and developing programs that leverage the healing power of animals and nature.
What sets her training apart is authentic rural wisdom combined with innovative program development. Geis-Crowder doesn't just teach from textbooks - she shows practitioners how to create effective treatment programs in resource-limited settings while maintaining ethical standards. Her passion for mentoring reflects her understanding that sustainable rural mental health depends on developing local expertise and maintaining professional support networks across vast geographic areas.
For your practice, expect to gain specific SFBT techniques for resource-limited settings, tools for providing ethical telehealth supervision, and frameworks for developing innovative therapy programs using community resources. Her approach particularly benefits rural practitioners, clinical supervisors, or clinicians interested in animal-assisted or nature-based interventions.
Quick Win: Geis-Crowder's "solution-focused scaling" technique helps clients in crisis identify their existing strengths and coping resources - which can create hope and momentum for change even in the most challenging rural circumstances where traditional resources may be unavailable.
Qualifications
- MS, Counselor Education with emphasis in Leadership, University of Wyoming, 1994–1997
- Bachelor's Degree, Diversified Major in Psychology, Economics, Anthropology and Political Science, University of Wyoming, 1992–1994
- Associate of Science, Education, Northwest College, Wyoming
- Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado and Wyoming)
- Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) through Center for Credentialing and Education
- SFBT Certified
- Professional Coach, Co-Creative Leadership: Human Capital Coach Training Alliance
Leadership & Training
- Clinical Supervisor & Professional Trainer, Volunteers of America Northern Rockies, current
- Owner & Operator, JGC Enterprises, LLC (webinars, professional training, consultation, coaching, speaking), current
- Professional Speaker & Trainer
Professional Experience
- Clinical Supervisor/Education and Training Coordinator, Peak Wellness Center, Cheyenne, WY, October 2016–July 2021
- Northeast Regional Clinical Director, Centennial Mental Health Center, Inc., Colorado, December 1998–November 2017 (19 years)
- Adjunct Faculty, Colorado Christian University, August 2010–September 2011
- Program Manager, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program
- Regional Clinical Director, various organisations
Training & Speaking Expertise
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
- Clinical supervision training, including telehealth supervision
- Ethics training specialist with focus on rural practice challenges
- Trauma-informed care
- Substance use disorder ethics and treatment approaches
- Telehealth service delivery best practices
- Human-animal bond therapeutic applications
- Professional coaching and consultation services
Philosophy & Mission
"I am grateful and humbled by the opportunities I have to mentor and nurture professionals on their journey. I am passionate about behavioral health care and ensuring service delivery for some of the most vulnerable in our society. My goal is to focus on solutions, hope, gratitude, identifying and instilling resilience, and finding glimmers in daily lives to facilitate positive change, individually and organizationally."
Ready to serve rural and underserved populations with innovative, culturally responsive approaches? Discover how Jodi Geis-Crowder's solution-focused methods can help you create effective treatment programs while building the professional support networks essential for sustainable rural mental health care.
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 2
- Topics 0
- Duration 3 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English