Setting Ethical Limits: For Caring and Competent Professionals

The purpose of this course is to educate helping professionals on how to provide compassionate care ethically to those they serve without causing burnout. In addition, members of the public may use this course to enhance their personal knowledge of the subject matter presented.


Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:


1. Define professional competence.

2. Describe the importance of cultural competence.

3. Outline components of the therapeutic relationship.

4. Define empathy and describe the difference between empathy and sympathy.

5. Identify compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout and describe their impact on mental health professionals.

6. Define transference and countertransference and discuss their implications for the mental health professional.

7. Identify the functions of professional boundaries in the therapeutic relationship and multiple relationships.

8. Discuss the guidance on giving and receiving gifts provided by professional ethics codes.

9. Discuss the legal and ethical considerations of providing distance therapy.


This 6-hour continuing education course is available for download for professional development; if continuing education credit is desired, please see instructions included in eBook.