Play Therapy Institute of NM

DESCRIPTION:

Professional board complaints are on the rise. The evolution of mental health treatment includes changes in how we engage in our professional mission; how we relate to clients/colleagues and society; the intervention methods we use and the resolution of ethical dilemmas in practice. (Reamer) Additionally we have an “ongoing obligation to demonstrate competence in the provision of service that are sensitive to clients’ cultures and to difference among people and cultural groups” (NASW Code of Ethics 2017)

Clinical treatment and play therapy professional competence includes the regular review of ethics (most state licensing boards require ethics training with each renewal period) in mental health treatment with providers practicing the 8- point process of mitigating complaints. The rationale for ongoing clinical and play therapy training in ethics include the: contemporary challenges (digital age); the history of ethics; ongoing ethical dilemmas for review and the need to understand the core elements of why we place importance on ethical standards.

Included in this presentation will be the ethics of professional self-care. Prior to 2021 most professional Code of Ethics made no explicit references to self-care. While there were standards that encouraged mental health providers to seek consultation when they were faced with psychological distress, legal problems, etc., they were reactive in nature, dealing with issues after they arise. There was little in the guidance of proactive professional self-care.

In 2021, many mental health professions revised their code of ethics to include the importance of self-care emphasizing that self-care is not an add on but integral to all mental health practice.

This webinar will include instruction supporting self-care expression as it relates to emotional wellness of the clinician and the play therapist. Professional self-care challenges will be addressed through candid discussion, education, and the practice of stress management activities. Personal and professional competence will be reviewed within the context of strength-based review, promoting self-regulation, professional boundaries, and personal resiliency.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this course participants, through a clinical and play therapy lens,

will be able to:

1. Describe the differences between ethics, values, morals, and law as it is experienced by the clinician and play therapist.

2. Describe specific clinical and play therapy ethical issues that could arise in treatment.

3. Analyze professional forms useful in clinical and play therapy treatment to reduce the potential of the ethical complaints.

4. Describe clinical and play therapy ethical dilemmas that could arise related to the internet, social media and telepractice.

5. Explain the history and current self-care standards of the play therapist while considering the possible influences of vicarious trauma, challenging work environments and overwhelming societal expectations.

6. Discuss and demonstrate ethical self-care practices that support the emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual health of the clinician and play therapist, highlighting how these practices could have a positive influence on professional performance.