This presentation will review the clinical and ethical complexities of therapeutic boundaries, such as self-disclosure, physical touch, gifts, bartering, telehealth (e-therapy), joint engagement in activities outside the office (i.e., home visits, hospital visits, or adventure therapy), length and place of sessions, and various forms of dual or multiple relationships. Also to be discussed are modern-day digital and virtual therapeutic challenges, such as telehealth or e-therapy, the appropriate use of email in therapy, therapists Googling their clients, clients Googling their therapists, and clients receiving and sending cell phone messages and texts during sessions.



Special attention will be given to dual relationships in small communities, such as church, LGBT, minority, and rural communities. The presentation will also cover issues of standard of care, risk management, and ethical decision-making. Therapists will be able to participate in discussions and pose questions and ideas during the live conference. The hope is that therapists will learn how to operate ethically and with clinical integrity rather than with fear and trepidation.



This introductory web conference is designed to help mental health professionals:




  1. Describe the potential benefits and risks of using self-disclosure in therapy.

  2. Describe the appropriate use of email with therapy clients.

  3. Define dual relationships.

  4. Explain common ethical considerations for navigating dual relationships.

  5. Outline at least two ethical considerations arising from modern-day digital and virtual therapeutic challenges.



If you have questions about this course or our grievance procedures, please contact us here.


How the Web Conference Works

In short, participants will join the teleconference by calling into the teleconference center and entering an access code. The teleconference will include lecture, interaction, and question and answer periods.


Continuing Education (CE) Information

1.5 CE credits will be provided by GoodTherapy.org for attending this web conference in its entirety.

GoodTherapy.org is also an Approved Education Provider by NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals (provider #135463). Of the eight counselor skill groups ascribed to by NAADAC, this course is classified within counseling services.

GoodTherapy.org is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEPTM) and may offer NBCC-approved clock hours for events that meet NBCC requirements. GoodTherapy.org solely is responsible for all aspects of the program. 

GoodTherapy, 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-0395. GoodTherapy, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0022 and for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0031.

Registration Information

Premium and Pro Membership with GoodTherapy includes access to this web conference at no additional cost, as well as other member benefits such as a profile listing in GoodTherapy's Therapist Directory. Not yet a member? Sign up for a Premium or Pro Membership, here.

Just want CE credits? Sign up for a monthly or annual CE Subscription with GoodTherapy to get unlimited access to our CE Program, including this event, other live CE web conferences, and hundreds of hours of homestudy courses.

Mental health professionals who are not members can access the homestudy recording for $15.50. Sign up here to purchase this CE course and earn a CE certificate.

Event Reviews from Members

Meet the Presenter

Ofer Zur, PhD

Ofer Zur, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and forensic consultant practicing in Sonoma, CA and a fellow of American Psychological Association (APA), Div. 42. He is the director of the Zur Institute, which offers over 100 online courses and is one of the most extensive online CE programs for psychologists, counselors, social workers, MFTs, and nurses. His teaching, consultations with therapists, and writings focus on private practice outside managed care, ethics, standard of care, boundaries, dual relationships, and Internet addiction. His books include Dual Relationships and Psychotherapy (Springer, 2002, co-edited with A. Lazarus), HIPPA Friendly (Norton, 2005), Private Practice Handbook (ZI, 2007), and Boundaries in Psychotherapy (APA Books, 2007). Dr. Zur is deeply concerned about the harm inflicted by dogmatic, inflexible, and ideologically rigid psychotherapeutic practices. His website provides dozens of free articles and guidelines for psychotherapists and the public.