You don’t have to break the law to lose your license. Sometimes it only takes one late-night text, a well-meaning boundary crossing, or an impulsive reply to a negative online review. Today’s clinicians are one complex interaction away from a board complaint—and many don’t even see it coming.
In this dynamic and eye-opening course, you’ll learn practical and immediate strategies to protect yourself and your practice while continuing to offer meaningful, ethical care to clients in an increasingly digital world.
Dr. Ofer Zur, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized authority in ethics and psychotherapy. As a licensed psychologist, expert witness, and founder of the Zur Institute, he brings decades of experience in forensic consultation, boundary and dual relationship research, and teaching ethics in clinical practice. His real-world expertise and academic rigor ground this course in both psychological science and practical application.
In this self-paced online training, Dr. Zur presents 26 concrete, memorable ways clinicians can protect their licenses—lessons drawn from his 30+ years of consulting with boards and defending therapists nationwide. He focuses on helping practitioners avoid common pitfalls by understanding context-sensitive standards of care, not just rote risk management.
Topics include dual relationships, documentation pitfalls, responding to negative online reviews, maintaining digital boundaries, handling custody evaluations, consulting wisely, managing disinhibition in telemental health, the risks of texting and sexting, and more. Dr. Zur also addresses how clinicians can navigate challenges specific to small communities, digital natives, and the evolving ethics of virtual care.
Key Takeaways:
Know what triggers complaints: Learn how small missteps like casual texting or minor documentation errors can lead to major licensing consequences.
Navigate ethical gray zones: Understand how to engage ethically in dual relationships, touch, bartering, or digital communication without crossing into violations.
Protect yourself legally and ethically: Gain strategies for establishing clear policies, documenting wisely, consulting effectively, and responding appropriately to board inquiries.
Why This Course?
Real-world defense strategies: Based on decades of real licensing board defense cases—not just theory.
Instructor is the authority: Dr. Zur is a renowned expert in ethics and boundaries, trusted by therapists, attorneys, and licensing boards alike.
Practical + empowering: Provides actionable solutions to real challenges clinicians face—not just a list of prohibitions or worst-case scenarios.
Learning Objectives:
Identify common behaviors/decisions that lead to complaints being filed against their state license(s).
Utilize telemental health services in safe and ethical ways.
Establish boundaries with clients on various electronic platforms (e.g., social media, email communication, text)
If you hold a clinical license—or plan to—this course offers essential tools to help you practice with confidence, clarity, and integrity. Join us in learning how to do what you love while safeguarding your career.
Add this course to your cart to begin learning instantly.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 2 hours of video instruction and a post-test.
Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
How to Attend: Instructions for attending and completing a course can be found here.
Ofer Zur, Ph.D., is the founder of the Zur Institute. He is a licensed psychologist, instructor, forensic and ethics consultant, and expert witness in Sebastopol, CA. His writing and teaching in the US and abroad focus on ethics, critical thinking, boundaries, dual relationships, managed-care-free private practices, victims, psychology of war, and psychology of gender. For many years he taught at graduate schools, such as the CSPP (Alameda, CA) and CIIS (San Francisco, CA). His books include Dual Relationships and Psychotherapy (2002, co-edited with Arnold Lazarus) and HIPAA Compliance Kit (2003, Revised 2016, 2018). His book, Boundaries In Psychotherapy, was published in 2007 by APA Books. His latest book (2017) is Multiple Relationships in Psychotherapy and Counseling: Unavoidable, Common and Mandatory Dual Relations in Therapy, published by Routledge.
Disclosure Statement: The instructor for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.
Credit Hours: This course consists of 2 continuing education hours of credit.
Counselors:
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Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.
Marriage and Family Therapists: Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations. You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.
Social Workers:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2 clinical continuing education credits.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.
Addiction Professionals:
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This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.
Psychologists:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.
Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.
Other Professionals: This course qualifies for 120 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course.
