Course Overview
Via live interactive webinar
Course Description:
NOTE: Course awards 3 CE Ethics per COMAR 10.42.06
Consider this scenario: A client tells their therapist that they wish someone was dead. How does a therapist ethically and legally handle this situation? Therapists have legal and ethical responsibilities to both their clients and greater society. Many mental health professionals face challenges determining the best course of action when clients make threats towards others. This training will empower mental health therapists to be aware of their responsibilities and ways to address ethical and legal questions regarding duty to warn and protect.
This workshop will present a history of duty to warn laws and an examination of Tarasoff Rule. We will build skills of suicide assessment as well as homicide assessment. Implicit bias will also be addressed. Case vignettes will illustrate various situations that therapists may encounter when clients are expressing threats, violence, or harm to others. Learners will be provided with concrete and ethically sound practices to increase their confidence in managing duty to warn dilemmas.
Learning Objectives:
Upon the completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify relevant state law and professional ethics regarding duty to warn responsibilities.
- Discover methods of assessing and intervening with potential duty to warn concerns and client potential for violence.
- Apply at least 3 techniques to mitigate client violence and follow ethical and legal mandates regarding duty to warn.
Sources and Resources (click to expand):
1. Gorshkalova O, Munakomi S. Duty to Warn. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542236/
2. Lambert, & Wertheimer. (2016). What Is My Duty to Warn Psychiatric News, 51(2), 1–1. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2016.1b1
3. National Conference on State Legislatures. Mental Health Professionals' Duty to Warn. Updated March 16, 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.ncsl.org/health/mental-health-professionals-duty-to-warn
4. Grimes, T. H. (2024). Duties in Retrospect: Ethical Limitations to the Psychiatrist’s Duty to Warn (Master's thesis, University of Pittsburgh).
5. Guina, J., Dornfeld, B., & Pinals, D. A. (2022). A 20?year follow?up survey of police officers' experience with Tarasoff warnings: How law enforcement reacts to clinicians' duty to protect. Behavioral sciences & the law, 40(4), 505-513
CE Credits: 3 CE Live Online Contact Hour(s)
Note: Live interactive webinar is considered the same as live in person by most states. Please confirm with your local board.
Core Wellness, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0569 and for mental health counselors, #MHC-0167, psychologists, #PSY-0236 and for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0142. Note: This course provides 3 Ethics Contact Hour(s) live online credits (via interactive webinar) or live in person.
Core Wellness, LLC is authorized by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners to sponsor social work continuing education programs and maintains full responsibility for all programs. Our credits are accepted via reciprocity by the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Board of Psychologists. Please verify with your board.
ASWB ACE Approved
Core Wellness, LLC, #1745, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/18/2024 to 5/18/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 Ethics continuing education credits.
NBCC ACEP Approved
Core Wellness, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7094. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Core Wellness, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
APA Approved
Core Wellness, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Core Wellness, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
APT Content
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support@corewellceu.com Upon the submission of your evaluation form, the completion certificate is posted to your account
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Time Zone and Currency
All times listed are EST (New York time); All prices are in USD.
Cancellation, Policies and RefundsFee covers: Attendance, course material and CE award to those who complete the course. Registration is open until the course sells out (when this occurs, purchase option is disabled). Please contact us with any questions or for extenuating circumstance and we will try our best to help.
In person/Live webinars: Purchases made within 7 days of an in-person or live webinar are non-refundable. A full refund or site credit is available within 7 days of purchase. In person refunds incur a 10% administration fee after 24 hours pass from the time of purchase.
After the 7-day window, you may: A) Transfer your registration to a colleague B) Access the on-demand version C) Receive site credit valid for one year from purchase date.
On-Demand webinars: You have 7 days from purchase to request a refund. After 7 days—or once a completion certificate has been issued—refunds are no longer available.
Subscriptions: Are non-refundable after the initial 30-day trial, or after any videos have been completed or a single completion certificate has been issued. You may cancel at any time to avoid future renewals; access will continue through the end of the paid billing cycle.
We understand that extenuating circumstances or technical issues may arise, please contact us and we will try to find a mutual solution. For further questions, please see the
FAQ section or
contact us. In the rare event of a training cancellation, a notification and full refund (for the course fee only) will be automatically sent to you via your email on file.
Accessibility AccommodationsTo request an accommodation, please
contact us in writing with at least 30 days prior notice and we will do our best to fulfill your request.
The presenter and Core Wellness hereby declare that no conflict of interest, competing interest, or commercial support for the CE program are present. Presenter receives compensation for program delivery and sales as well as sales of his/her personal books and products.
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