Why Take This Course

Ethical challenges are an inevitable part of behavioral health practice. Whether navigating competing responsibilities, interpreting professional standards, or responding to complex clinical situations, practitioners need a thoughtful, systematic approach to ethical decision-making. In this course, you will:

  • Explore established ethical decision-making models and professional codes of ethics.

  • Learn to evaluate dilemmas, consider legal and ethical obligations, and document decisions.

  • Strengthen your ability to approach ethical challenges with greater clarity, confidence, and accountability.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this course, you will be better able to:

  • recognize similarities and differences among ethical decision-making models;

  • identify major professional ethics codes relevant to behavioral health providers; and

  • apply a structured ethical decision-making approach that integrates legal requirements, professional ethics, client welfare, consultation, documentation, and ongoing professional responsibility.

Who Developed This Course

Senior Instructor Teresa McDowell

Teresa McDowell, EdD, LMFT is professor emerita at Lewis & Clark, where she served as department chair and co-founded the college’s Problem Gambling Services. With over 40 years of experience as a clinician, educator, administrator, and consultant, Teresa focuses on workforce development, equity-based clinical practice, integrated treatment for problem gambling, and clinical supervision. She is a social researcher, program evaluator, and consultant with Partners in Social Research and Senior Instructor for ACORN. Dr. McDowell has authored more than 50 scholarly publications and is lead author of Socioculturally Attuned Family Therapy: Applying Third Order Thinking to Theory and Practice (3rd Ed., 2026).

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What About CE Hours

A certificate of completion will be available on the Student Dashboard after you complete all required course activities and the course evaluation survey.

ACORN is approved by the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO), Provider ID: 26-0044, to provide continuing education courses. Additionally, ACORN is approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7274. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. ACORN is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Who This Course Is For

This course is designed for behavioral health professionals who want to strengthen their ethical decision-making skills and navigate complex professional responsibilities with greater confidence. It is relevant to a wide range of practitioners, including:

  • mental health counselors (MHC / LPC), marriage and family therapists (MFT / LMFT), art therapists (AT / LAT), social workers (SW / LSW / LCSW), psychologists;

  • Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADCs) and Certified Gambling Addiction Counselors (CGACs);

  • Qualified Mental Health Associates (QMHAs) and Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHPs);

  • peers and behavioral health supervisors.

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Important Disclaimer

The information provided in this course is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Laws, rules, regulations, and professional codes may change, and information presented in this course may not reflect the most current requirements at the time it is reviewed. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based solely on information provided in this course without reviewing current laws, administrative rules, professional codes, and board guidance, and seeking legal advice from qualified counsel in the relevant jurisdiction when appropriate.
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