Therapeutic Boundaries: The Ethics of Creating Clarity, Safety, & Trust in Clinical Work
Presented by
Dreya Blume, LCSWMeets the new Mandatory Professional Roles & Boundaries requirement for Washington State
Overview
3 Law and Ethics CEs Recorded: Winter, 2025
Therapeutic boundaries are the cornerstone of ethical and effective clinical practice, providing a framework for clarity, safety, and trust within the therapeutic relationship. In this engaging workshop, participants will explore the multifaceted role of boundaries in fostering healthy client interactions while safeguarding their professional integrity.
This training will address key themes such as boundary setting in diverse contexts, navigating boundary crossings versus violations, and handling potential ethical dilemmas with confidence and compassion.
Specific topics will include self-disclosure, outside of office contact, gift-giving, dual relationships, time management (beginning and ending sessions on time), sexual attraction, and physical touch, as well as social media policies and technology issues. In addition, we will explore how a person’s cultural background can influence boundaries.
Participants will leave with practical tools to enhance self-awareness, manage countertransference, and ensure that their professional boundaries serve as a foundation for trust and transformation in their work. Whether you are a seasoned clinician or just beginning your career, this workshop will provide valuable insights and actionable strategies to strengthen your practice.
Objectives:
Explain the difference between boundary crossings and boundary violations Understand the ethical importance of creating and maintaining healthy professional and personal boundaries in the therapeutic relationship Identify how to communicate healthy boundaries to clients
About the Presenter
Dreya Blume (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, author, and educator. Dreya began working in the mental health field in 2004 in southwest Virginia, where she spent almost two decades serving the local transgender community as a gender therapist. She recently moved to Durham, NC, where she focuses on offering continuing education training to therapists and coaching for private practice clinicians who want to expand their business uniquely. Dreya loves to write and is the author of several books, including, “The Tarot Activity Book: A Collection of Creative and Therapeutic Ideas for the Cards,” “Journaling the Tarot,” “Everyone Has a Story: Using the Hero’s Journey and Narrative Therapy to Reframe the Struggle of Mental Illness,” and “Tarot for Transformation: Using the Major Arcana to Discover Your Best Self and Create a Life Worth Living.” All of Dreya’s books (under her former name, Andy Matzner) are available here: https://dreyablume.com/books. Dreya is also passionate about teaching. Before becoming a mental health clinician, she spent many years teaching English as a Second Language in places such as Japan, Australia, Thailand, and Hawaii. Once in Virginia, Dreya worked as an adjunct professor for almost twenty years at Hollins University, teaching gender studies and sociology in their Master of Liberal Studies program. In addition, she spent twelve years teaching future social workers in the human services program at Virginia Western Community College. Learn more about Dreya on her website: https://dreyablume.com/.