The Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England (ATTC/NE) funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), is offering  a credited, on-line course entitled "Introduction to Ethics: Managing Ethical Dilemmas and Risk-Management Issues."

This course will provide participants with a comprehensive introduction to ethical and risk-management issues related to substance abuse treatment and services. The course will focus on three key topics: (1) ethical dilemmas encountered by substance abuse professionals (focusing especially on situations where professionals' obligations conflict), (2) ethical decision-making strategies (conceptual frameworks designed to help practitioners make difficult ethical judgments), and (3) risk management (concepts and strategies designed to prevent ethics complaints and ethics-related lawsuits pertaining to professionals' handling of confidential information, informed consent, boundary issues and dual relationships, conflicts of interest, service delivery, supervision, consultation, referral, and termination of services). The course will make extensive use of case studies to accompany the conceptual material.

This course will be taught by Frederic G. Reamer, Ph.D., a Professor in the graduate program of the School of Social Work, Rhode Island College, where he has been on the faculty since 1983. His research and teaching have addressed a wide range of human service issues, including mental health, health care, criminal justice, public welfare, and professional ethics. Dr. Reamer received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1978) and has served as a social worker in correctional and mental health settings. He has also served on the faculties of the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration (1978-1981), and the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Social Work (1981-1983). Dr. Reamer has served as Director of the National Juvenile Justice Assessment Center of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1979-1981); as Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor of Rhode Island (1987-1990); and as a Commissioner of the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation, the state housing finance agency (1987-1995). Since 1992 Dr. Reamer has served on the State of Rhode Island Parole Board. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Social Work Education (1990-1994). In 1995 Dr. Reamer was appointed editor of the Columbia University Press Social Work Knowledge book series.

Dr. Reamer has conducted extensive research on professional ethics. He has been involved in several national research projects sponsored by The Hastings Center, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Haas Foundation. He is the author of many books and articles. His books include: Social Work Values and Ethics (Columbia University Press); Ethical Standards in Social Work: A Critical Review of the NASW Code of Ethics (NASW Press); The Foundations of Social Work Knowledge (Columbia University Press; editor and contributor); Social Work Malpractice and Liability (Columbia University Press); Social Work Research and Evaluation Skills (Columbia University Press); The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work (Columbia University Press); AIDS and Ethics (Columbia University Press; editor and contributor); Ethical Dilemmas in Social Service (Columbia University Press); Rehabilitating Juvenile Justice (Columbia University Press; co-author, Charles H. Shireman); and The Teaching of Social Work Ethics (The Hastings Center; co-author, Marcia Abramson). Dr. Reamer is also the author of chapters on professional ethics in the Encyclopedia of Social Work, the Encyclopedia of Bioethics, and the Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics.

Dr. Reamer has lectured extensively nationally and internationally on the subjects of professional ethics and professional malpractice and liability. He chaired the national task force that wrote the Code of Ethics adopted by the National Association of Social Workers in 1996. Dr. Reamer received the "Distinguished Contributions to Social Work Education" award from the Council on Social Work Education (1995) and the Presidential Award from the National Association of Social Workers (1997).

Course Objectives:  

• Participant will identify ethical dilemmas encountered by substance abuse professionals

• Become aware of situations where professionals' obligations conflict

• Learn ethical decision-making strategies

• Discuss risk management concepts and strategies

• Required on-line reading (one hour per week)
• Completion of pre and post test
• Completion of weekly homework assignments (one hour per week)
• Participation in the weekly forum
• Completion of an on-line course evaluation

*Please note that there are no real time events associated with this course. Lessons will be posted on the class WWW home page on Tuesdays and responses are due the following Monday. Assignments can be accessed at the participant's convenience.

The total cost of this course is $40.00 the course payment is due by May 19, 2008.  A full refund is available up until the posting of the second lesson (May 29, 2008), after which there will be no refunds.

ACCREDITATION

This four-week course, which begins May 19, 2008, has been approved by the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) for 8  educational credits. It is being provided by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England, which is accredited as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider (#000151). This course meets the qualifications for 8 hours of continuing education credit for MFCC's and/or LCSW's as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (PCE#1917).  This course is approved by the Connecticut Certification Board (CCB) for eight Category 1 continuing education for Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC's). The CCB is an IC&RC affiliate. The New York State OASAS does accept distance education CEUs provided by the Addiction Technology Transfer Network for individuals pursuing or renewing a CASAC, CPP or CPS.Certificates will be mailed within two weeks to participants in the program for its duration who submit all required materials.  Please contact your local certification board to verify reciprocity or acceptance of ATTC-NE contact hours.

To participate, you must have:

• An E-mail address and the capacity to retrieve and send E-mail;
• Access to World Wide Web (the following programs provide WWW access: Netscape, Apple CyberDog, and Microsoft Explorer)
• Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher is the preferred browser for ATTC-NE online courses
• The ability to navigate the World Wide Web
• A basic understanding of how to use a computer and send and receive email
   

PLEASE NOTE NETWORK AND COMPUTER TECHNICAL SUPPORT WILL NOT BE PROVIDED.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 19, 2008 or when the course limit is reached. 

To register for this course please go to the following WWW site and complete the "Ethics" course online registration form. YOU MUST COMPLETE THE ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COURSE
https://www.attc-ne.org/courses/341/reg.html

For a list of current ATTC-NE courses, please go to the following site:
http://www.Attc-ne.org and click on Distance Education.   Please Bookmark this site for future references. Course announcements will be made via the ATTC of New England Online Course Announcement Listserve 6-8 weeks prior to the start of each course. If you would like to be subscribed to this list, please contact Monte Bryant, Program Administrator, at (401) 863-6606.

This program is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

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