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Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in Social Work: When Religion and Spirituality Enter the Room

FRIDAY, May 23, 2025
10:00 am – 1:00 pm (eastern time)
Live Webinar on Zoom
(You will need to register to receive login information)

Registration: 3 CEU Credit Hours
General:  Through May 12, $75; May 13-May 22, $90
Wurzweiler Alumni and Current WSSW Field Instructors: Through May 12, $60; May 13-May 22, $75
All Current Students: $15
Registration closes on 05/22/25 at 5:00 Eastern Time (EST)

Social workers sometimes face challenging boundary and dual relationship issues involving religion and spirituality. 

How should social workers respond to clients' questions about their religiosity? Is it appropriate for social workers to pray with clients? How should social workers manage boundaries when they and their clients are active in the same faith community? How should social workers navigate ethical dilemmas that arise when their religious beliefs and values clash with those of their clients on clinically relevant issues? 

Join us for a dynamic discussion of these and related issues as we explore their complex clinical and ethical dimensions.

This program meets New York State licensing requirements for 3 hours of training in maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
 

Learning Objectives

Participants will be better equipped to:

1. Identify boundary and dual relationship issues related to their and their clients' religious and spiritual beliefs.
    
2. Apply social work ethics’ standards and values when managing boundary and dual relationship issues related to their and their clients’ religious and spiritual beliefs.
    
3. Evaluate the role of spirituality as a potential resource in client well-being, and assess the possible negative psychological effects associated with certain religious beliefs or practices.
    
4. Understand the root causes of violence contributing to gun violence in Black communities.

Presenters

Frederic Reamer, PhD has been on the faculty of the School of Social Work, Rhode Island College since 1983. His teaching and research focus on professional ethics, criminal justice, mental health, health care, and public policy. He chaired the national task force that wrote the Code of Ethics adopted by the National Association of Social Workers and served on the code revision task force. 

Dr. Reamer also chaired the national task force sponsored by NASW and other leading social work associations that developed standards governing social workers’ use of technology in professional practice. He has lectured widely on social work and professional ethics. His many books include Artificial Intelligence in the Behavioral Health Professions; and Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services. 

Dr. Reamer has served as an expert witness in many court and licensing board cases throughout the U.S. In 2016, Dr. Reamer was named a Social Work Pioneer by NASW for his “commitment and dedication to the social work profession.”

Mary Ragan, PhD, LCSW is a clinician and supervisor at the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute, a multidisciplinary organization of mental health professionals dedicated to integrating spiritual wisdom with clinical expertise. 

Dr. Ragan’s clinical work is deeply enriched by her extensive experience as a consultant and educator, guiding executives and leadership teams across both faith-based and secular organizations. She has worked with hospitals, secondary schools, houses of worship, and religious communities, bringing a thoughtful, multidisciplinary approach to her practice. 

Dr. Ragan has served as a teacher and facilitator for the congregation and staff at Trinity Church Wall Street. She has held many adjunct faculty positions, where she focused on the intersection of spirituality and psychotherapy, equipping both clinicians and pastoral workers with the tools to integrate these disciplines into their practice. She is a proud graduate of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.

Podcast

Rabbis, chaplains, and social workers are often called on to provide spiritual care near life’s end. Whether in response to serious illness, advanced cognitive or physical decline in old age, or unexpected, tragic violence, health care professionals and clergy need to respond compassionately and effectively with families facing spiritual, emotional, and existential crises. Clips from Wurzweiler School of Social Work’s “Spirituality Near the End of Life” Conference in July 2019 include leading clergy, chaplains, and social workers offering their knowledge, skills, and wisdom to assist professionals seeking to better integrate spiritual care into their professional and community work.

Episode 1

Episode 2