Addressing Ethical Challenges: Social Workers

Course overview

Social workers encounter ethical dilemmas of all kinds across different practice settings. Common examples include navigating dual relationships on social media, managing countertransference, maintaining privacy and confidentiality, and balancing self-care. With the rapid growth of digital tools and software in social work practice, new and complex ethical challenges continue to emerge. No matter how difficult these situations become, social workers are expected to uphold professional ethical standards and apply them thoughtfully. This course will present ethical dilemmas and ways to navigate them with different frameworks. It does not cover every detail of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, or all relevant laws and regulations. Instead, it focuses on the most common ethical issues and decisions social workers face in everyday practice.