Traditional ethical codes provide essential guidance, yet real-world dilemmas require a nuanced, behaviorally grounded approach. This workshop offers an innovative perspective on ethics through the lens of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), equipping clinicians with practical, evidence-based strategies to navigate boundary-setting, therapist accountability, and ethical decision-making.
Rooted in the foundational ethical codes for psychologists, social workers, and counselors, this session maintains the broader ethical frameworks as the guiding structure for exploring a DBT-informed approach. Participants will examine how DBT principles—such as Consultation Agreements, Assumptions, and limit-setting—can enhance transparency, mutual respect, and sustainable therapeutic relationships while staying aligned with ethical standards. The workshop will address the challenges of maintaining professional boundaries, recognizing and managing the potential subtleties of avoiding dual relationships, and upholding confidentiality in a way that integrates DBT strategies without compromising ethical obligations.
A key focus will be recognizing and addressing Therapy-Interfering Behaviors (TIBs) in both clients and therapists, ensuring that ethical resilience is maintained while preventing burnout. Participants will engage in interactive discussions, case studies, and role-plays to explore how DBT strategies—such as dialectical thinking, radical acceptance, and consultation agreements—can help navigate ethical gray areas, power dynamics, and the complexities of dual relationships, including when boundary-setting must be proactive rather than reactive.
Clinicians specializing in behavioral therapies will leave with an actionable toolkit for ethical decision-making that aligns with the ethical codes of their respective professions. By bridging behavioral therapy principles with ethical practice, this workshop empowers psychologists, social workers, and counselors to navigate ethical challenges with confidence while upholding the highest standards of professional integrity.
Recommended Reading 1: Chalker, S. A., Carmel, A., Atkins, D. C., Landes, S. J., & Kerbrat, A. H. (2015). Examining Challenging Behaviors of Clients with Borderline Personality Disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 74, 60–71.
Recommended Reading 2: Rizvi, S. L., & Sayrs, J. H. R. (2017). Initiating a DBT Consultation Team: Conceptual and Practical Considerations. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 11(4), 229–234.
Recommended Reading 3: Swales, M. A., & Thompson, S. J. (2014). Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Training and Implementation in the UK: A Survey of Team Leaders. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 42(4), 436–447.
Recommended Reading 4: Landes, S. J., Thielke, S., & Linehan, M. M. (2019). Managing Therapy-Interfering Behavior in DBT: Strategies for Clinicians. American Psychological Association.
Outline: I. Introduction • Overview of workshop goals and objectives • The role of ethical codes (APA, ACA, NASW) as the foundation for ethical decision-making • Why DBT principles offer a practical framework for ethical challenges II. Core Ethical Principles and DBT • Ethics as a behavioral practice: moving beyond compliance • DBT’s foundational assumptions and their ethical relevance • The therapist-client relationship in DBT: balancing validation with accountability III. DBT Consultation Agreements and Ethical Safeguards • The function of consultation agreements in preventing ethical drift and burnout • Case study: Addressing therapist therapy-interfering behaviors (TIBs) • Applying consultation agreements to maintain ethical accountability IV. Setting and Maintaining Boundaries • Strategies for ethical boundary-setting in DBT • The subtleties of avoiding dual relationships: gray areas and decision-making models • Confidentiality considerations within a DBT framework V. Recognizing and Managing Therapy-Interfering Behaviors • TIBs in clients: balancing compassion with effectiveness • TIBs in therapists: self-awareness, consultation, and professional accountability • Role-play: Applying DBT strategies to real-world ethical dilemmas VI. Ethical Gray Areas and Complex Cases • Navigating dual relationships, power dynamics, and confidentiality dilemmas • Ethical considerations in phone coaching and digital communication • Interactive discussion: Identifying effective responses to ethical ambiguity VII. Practical Application and Takeaways • Key ethical decision-making strategies using DBT principles • How to integrate DBT consultation agreements into existing ethical practices • Final reflections and Q&A
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
Apply DBT techniques to establish clear, sustainable boundaries that foster respect, transparency, and collaboration in therapeutic relationships, regardless of theoretical orientation.
Identify and address therapy-interfering behaviors in both clients and therapists while maintaining ethical standards and therapeutic effectiveness across modalities.
Utilize DBT consultation agreements to prevent burnout, maintain accountability, reducing ethical drift, supporting ethical decision-making in any treatment approach.
Apply DBT-informed strategies to navigate ethical dilemmas involving dual relationships, confidentiality, and power dynamics within any therapeutic framework.
Integrate DBT principles, such as dialectical thinking and radical acceptance, to make sound ethical decisions in complex clinical situations.
Recognize and manage the subtleties of avoiding dual relationships, proactively setting limits to maintain professional integrity.
Apply these DBT-based ethical tools within the ethical frameworks of the APA, ACA, and NASW codes, enhancing ethical practice across all modalities.
Long-term Goal: Clinicians will leave with an understanding of their own therapy interfering behaviors and solutions.
Long-term Goal: Clinicians will gain perspective on their working assumptions about clients and learn tools to shift those perspectives.
Long-term: Goal: These tools will provide Clinicians with new ways of engaging in ethical practice with their clients.
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