SOWK 1020

Professional Values and Ethics

This introductory course provides a forum for examining personal, professional, and societal values and for developing the skills needed to make ethical decisions in social work and in other helping professions. The course examines core professional values, principles, and ethical standards that are the bases for identifying ethical issues, for examining all possible resolutions and their potential outcomes or possible repercussions, and for reaching thoughtfully reasoned conclusions to complex ethical dilemmas. Boundary issues as a specific type of ethical concern are highlighted, as related to the roles of student, client, professional helper, and supervisor. This course introduces students to the practicalities of malpractice risk and liability.

Units: 3.0