This live event takes place Tuesday, January 20, 5:15 pm-7:15 pm EDT (2:15 pm-4:15 pm PDT).
This course explores the critical role of boundaries in ethical and effective psychotherapy. While most therapists understand the importance of maintaining professional boundaries, many report challenges navigating boundary decisions in complex clinical situations. Through a blend of theory, clinical case examples, and discussion of ethical principles, participants will learn to recognize subtle signs of boundary shifts, assess their own internal responses, and apply structured strategies for maintaining therapeutic integrity. Emphasis will be placed on flexible, relational, and culturally responsive boundary-setting practices, as well as when and how to seek consultation. The course includes experiential exercises and clinical reflection prompts to strengthen confidence and competence in this essential area of practice.
This live webinar is designed for mental and behavioral health professionals involved in counseling challenging clients.
The purpose of this course is to provide applied strategies and discussion of common challenges to behavioral health professionals who may encounter boundary challenges.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify four types of professional boundaries in therapy (psychological, physical, containing, and executed) and their clinical applications.
- Describe at least three indicators of being at risk of compromised boundaries and the therapist's ethical responsibility in addressing them.
- Analyze a clinical case example to evaluate appropriate boundary-setting strategies using ethical guidelines and self-of-therapist reflection.
- Apply at least two consultation or decision-making frameworks for responding to boundary dilemmas in clinical practice.
Michal (Michelle) Goldman, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and clinical therapist who is passionate about helping therapists cultivate secure, ethical boundaries and deepen their self-of-therapist awareness to provide effective, compassionate care. She specializes in work with adults and couples navigating relational challenges and holds extensive training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and discernment counseling. In addition to her clinical practice, she writes a biweekly mental health column for a local newspaper.
Contributing faculty, Michal (Michelle) Goldman, LCSW, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Kimberly Byrd, EdD, PMSW
Scott Deatherage, PhD
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.
#9735L: Maintaining Professional Boundaries in Challenging Client Situations
The maintenance of professional boundaries is a cornerstone of therapeutic effectiveness and ethical practice. Yet, even seasoned therapists encounter moments where boundaries feel unclear, particularly in emotionally charged or relationally complex situations. Research suggests that therapists who struggle with boundary-setting are more vulnerable to burnout, ethical missteps, and ruptures in the therapeutic alliance. At the same time, rigid or overly cautious boundaries can hinder emotional attunement and growth within the therapeutic relationship.
This course was developed in response to a recognized gap in therapist training: While ethical codes emphasize the importance of boundaries, they often fall short of providing guidance for the nuanced, real-world dilemmas therapists face. Many clinicians are left without practical tools or structured frameworks to navigate the gray areas where professional judgment, self-awareness, and clinical intuition intersect. This course helps to bridge that gap by offering applied strategies and discussion of common challenges such as client crises, boundary-testing behavior, fee negotiations, therapist self-disclosure, and countertransference.
The workbook discussed in this webinar is available here.
1. Barnett JE. Setting boundaries in psychotherapy: essential skills for maintaining therapeutic integrity. Psychotherapy Bull. 2014;49(2):4-10.
2. Gabbard GO. Boundaries and Boundary Violations in Psychoanalysis. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2017.
4. . Pope KS, Keith-Spiegel P. A practical approach to boundaries in psychotherapy: making decisions, bypassing blunders, and transforming therapist-client relationships. J Clin Psychol. 2008;64(5):638-652.
5. Prasko J, Ociskova M, Vanek J, Burkauskas J, Slepecky M, Bite I, et al. Managing transference and countertransference in cognitive behavioral supervision: theoretical framework and clinical application. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2022;15:2129-2155.
6. Shore JT. The neurobiology of feeling safe: working with boundaries inside and out [webinar]. Academy of Therapy Wisdom; April 27, 2021.
7. Trueman D. Avoiding and preventing claims of therapist unethical or unprofessional conduct [webinar]. Nachas Consulting; April 1, 2025.
Mention of commercial products does not indicate endorsement.