Center for Adult and Continuing Studies

Course Description

This workshop meets the Michigan LARA Licensure requirement for Ethics.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers were challenged to adapt quickly and utilize various forms of technology in their efforts to maintain safety and ensure social work services were not disrupted. Using an ethical lens, this course explores how the pandemic affected social work practice and considers how social workers can become involved in future developments of technology, ensuring ethical practice is maintained. This course reviews the NASW Code of Ethics, specifically the standards that relate to a social worker's use of technology and examines best practice when using technology through a series of case scenarios. Multiple decision-making frameworks are presented. In addition, teletherapy is discussed and various podcasts and training clips are used.

Course Level: Beginner

Objectives:

1. Participants will understand the NASW Code of Ethics standards related to social work practice and technology.
2. Participants will consider how the use of technology and social media may impact social work practice.
3. Participants will recognize how a health pandemic impacts social work ethics and practice.
4. Participants will gain knowledge to navigate remote social work practice and decrease risk of non-ethical behavior.
5. Participants will identify decision-making frameworks to apply when faced with ethical dilemmas.