CE Hours: 1.5 (Ethics CEU)
Audience: BCBAs / BCaBAs
Format: Asynchronous, self‑paced
Course Description
Multiple relationships and boundary issues are among the most common sources of ethical complaints, sanctions, and remediation requirements for behavior analysts. They can start with seemingly minor favors, casual social contact, or dual roles and gradually evolve into situations where objectivity is compromised, documentation is influenced, or clients and families feel pressured or harmed. Even when intentions are good, unclear boundaries can erode trust, damage professional credibility, and place clients, supervisees, and organizations at risk.
The BCBA 6th Edition Test Content Outline includes a dedicated ethics item (E-7) requiring behavior analysts to identify types of and risks associated with multiple relationships, and to implement strategies to mitigate those risks when they cannot be fully avoided. This 2-hour CEU directly targets that competency. Participants will learn how to recognize multiple relationships early, differentiate acceptable boundary crossings from clear boundary violations, and analyze complex situations that involve power differentials, conflicts of interest, and overlapping roles.
Throughout the course, you will work with realistic case vignettes drawn from clinical, school, home-based, and small-community settings. You will practice applying the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, along with 6th Edition ethics items, to determine when to decline, refer, restructure, or terminate relationships, and how to document your decision-making process. Reflection activities will help you examine your own risk points—such as social media use, gift acceptance, outside employment, and community involvement—and create a practical boundary-management plan tailored to your current role.
By the end of this CEU, participants will have a concrete, step-by-step framework they can use to: (a) identify and categorize multiple relationships; (b) evaluate risk and client welfare; (c) select appropriate safeguards when overlaps are unavoidable; and (d) supervise others around boundary issues in line with the 6th Edition ethics expectations. This framework is designed to be directly applicable across diverse settings, including clinics, schools, homes, telehealth, and rural or tightly knit communities.
