Putting Ethics into Practice: Case Discussions
Friday, April 11, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Live Webinar
Workshop Description
This webinar will focus on how the widely-used multi-bin model can be applied to specific scenarios. The presenter will facilitate a discussion of ethical quandaries encountered by psychologists, professional counselors, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and certified addiction counselors. He will share practical experiences and a simple and systematic approach to ethics acquired from providing advisory consultations and adjudicating ethics complaints on a state ethics committee.
Dr. Doverspike will not be discussing any cases, rules, regulations, adjudications, or other matters related to the Georgia licensing board for psychologists. He is not an attorney and cannot provide any legal advice for any specific question or jurisdiction.
Ethics Code: This workshop will include discussion and integration of aspirational principles and enforceable standards of the following (listed alphabetically) professional associations: ACA (2014) ACA Code of Ethics, APA (2017) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, APA (2024) Revised Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct [Draft], the NASW
(2017) Code of Ethics, and the NBCC (2023) Code of Ethics. Case scenarios will illustrate the application of ethical Standards.
Presenter: William F. Doverspike, Ph.D.
Dr. Doverspike has taught classes, webinars, and workshops in Ethical, Legal, and Professional Standards at Richmont Graduate University since 2003. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Emory University. He is also an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Mercer
University College of Health Professions. He is author of Risk Management (2015), the first edition of which evolved out of his 12 years of experience as a member of the Ethics Committee of the Georgia Psychological Association (GPA). Dr. Doverspike is a former President of GPA. He served on the Georgia Board of Examiners of Psychologists (licensing board) for 16 years. He holds board certification Diplomates in Clinical Psychology (ABPP) and Neuropsychology (ABPN). He maintains a practice at the Atlanta Counseling Center, which has long been known as the oldest multidisciplinary Christian counseling center in Atlanta.
Learning Objectives: Participants in the workshop will learn to:
1. Define seven basic concepts in ethics.
2. Describe five steps of ethical decision making.
3. Explain four components of the multi-bin model.
4. Analyze three case scenarios using the multi-bin model.
Continuing Education: 3 CE Hours Available
Target Audience: psychologists; professional counselors; clinical social workers; marriage and family therapists; certified addiction counselors
Instruction Level: Advanced
Schedule of the Day
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Introduction and Overview
9:15 – 9:30 a.m. Ethical concepts and terms
9:30 – 9:45 a.m. Ethical decision-making model
9:45 – 10:00 a.m. Multi-bin model
10:00 – 10:15 a.m. Application: Case #1 Discussion
10:15-10:30 a.m. Application: Case #2 Discussion
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Q&A Discussion and Feedback
10:45 – 11:00 a.m. BREAK
11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Follow-up Q&A (from break)
11:15 – 11:30 a.m. Application: Case #3 Discussion
11:30 – 11:45 a.m. Application: Case #4 Discussion
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Application: Case #5 Discussion
12:00 – 12:15 p.m. Q&A Discussion and Feedback
Refund policy: In order to receive a refund, requests must be submitted prior to April 4, 2025.
For questions, please contact Amy Estes at ContinuingEd@Richmont.edu or 404-835-6128.
There is no known commercial support for this program.
Richmont Graduate University has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 4534. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Richmont Graduate University is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Presentation References:
References include at least two books, which are listed below in APA (2020) 7th edition style.
Presentation handouts include a link to 150+ references and resources, including the following books:
Campbell, L. F., Millán, F., & Martin, J. N. (2018). A telepsychology casebook: Using technology ethically and effectively in
your professional practice. American Psychological Association.
Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Corey, C. (2023, March 20). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (11th ed.). Cengage
Learning. Note: This book shows a copyright date of 2024 and publication date of March 20, 2023.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2023, May). Telehealth for providers: What you need to know (Publication
#12121). https://www.cms.gov/files/document/telehealth-toolkit-providers.pdf
Doverspike, W. F. (2012). Ethical risk management (2nd ed.). Professional Resource Press.
Doverspike, W. F. (2015). Risk management: Clinical, ethical, and legal guidelines for successful practice (2nd ed.).
Professional Resource Press.
Fisher, C. B. (2022, January 7). Decoding the ethics code: A practical guide for psychologists (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Homan, M. S. (2016). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Litton, S. C. (2021). Telehealth for the mental health professions: Constructive and evidence-based tips for practicing safely,
efficiently, and legally. Professional Resource Press.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights. (2020, June 17). Business Associate Agreement.
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/model-business-associate-agreement.pdf
Research Component:
Research component includes at least two peer-reviewed journal articles published within past 10 years.
Presentation handouts include a link to 150+ references and resources, including the following articles:
American Psychological Association. (2024, December 18). Revised APA Revised Ethical Principles of Psychologists and
Code of Conduct [Draft]. https://apps.apa.org/CommentingPortal/
Barnett, J. E., & Kolmes, K. (2016). The practice of tele-mental health: Ethical, legal, and clinical Issues for practitioners.
Practice Innovations, 1(1), 53–66.
Barnett, J. E. (2015, Winter). Essential clinical practice strategies for the prevention of disciplinary complaints. Independent
Practitioner, 35(2), 47–50.
Braun, S. A., & Cox, J. A. (2005). Managed mental health care: Intentional misdiagnosis of mental disorders. Journal of
Counseling and Development, 83(4), 425–433.
Behnke, S. (2014, February). What kind of issue is it? A “four-bin” approach to ethics consultation is helpful in practice
settings. Monitor on Psychology, 45(2), 62.
Dwyer, A., de Almeida Neto, A., Estival, D., Li, W., Lam-Cassettari, C., & Antoniou, M. (2021, February 24). Suitability of
text-based communications for the delivery of psychological therapeutic services to rural and remote communities: Scoping
review. JMIR Ment Health, 8(2),e19478. https://doi.org/10.2196/19478
Harris, S. E., & Kurpius, S. E. R. (2014, February). Social networking and professional ethics: Client searches, informed
consent, and disclosure. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 45(1), 11–19.
Kolmes, K., & Taube, D. O. (2016). Client discovery of psychotherapist personal information online. Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 47(2), 147–154.
Lannin, D. G., & Scott, N. A. (2014). Social networking ethics: Developing best practices for the new small world.
Professional Psychology: Research, and Practice, 44(3), 135–141.
Miu, A. S., Joseph, A., Hakim, E., Cox, E. D., & Greenwald, E. (2022). Peer consultation: An enriching necessity rather than
a luxury for psychologists during and beyond the pandemic. Journal of Health Service Psychology, 48(1), 13–19.
Novotney, A. (2020, March). Common ethical missteps and how to avoid them. Monitor on Psychology, 51(2), 37–40.
Stringer, H. (2023, March). Steering clear of ethical pitfalls in consulting. Monitor on Psychology, 54(2), 64–67.
Zimmerman, J., Hess, A. K., McGarrah, N. A., Benjamin, G. A. H., Ally, G. A., Gollan, J. K., & Boyd, N. K. (2009,
December 1). Ethical and professional considerations in divorce and child custody cases. Professional Psychology: Research
and Practice, 40(6), 539–549. https://doi.org/10.1037/a001785
