Ethics Category

Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple Therapy

2 CE Hours
1,877 members have taken this course

This course has been retired. We regularly update our course catalog to ensure relevance.

Try these categories:

About the Course

This course addresses legal and ethical issues related to providing couple therapy. The course material is specifically geared to address existing gaps in clearly defined ethical decision-making strategies. The material covers topics ranging from documentation to theoretical underpinnings of couple therapy.

This course is based on the reading online article, Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple Therapy created by Michael C. Gotlieb, Jon Lasser, & Georganna L. Simpson

Publication Details

Journal/Publisher: Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, The Guilford Press
Publication Date: 4th edition (2008)

Course Material Author

Michael C. Gotlieb, Jon Lasser, & Georganna L. Simpson

Michael C. Gotlieb, Jon Lasser, & Georganna L. Simpson authored the material only, and was not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Course Creator

Maximillian Schwanekamp

Target Audience

This intermediate course material is designed for Licensed Professional Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, and Marriage and Family Counselors seeking updated knowledge of ethical and legal issues related to couple therapy.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Identify legal and ethical complexities of providing couple therapy.
  2. 2 Assist the couple therapist in understanding key therapeutic concepts of couple therapy.
  3. 3 Discuss concepts for dealing with legal and ethical issues in couple therapy.
  4. 4 Provide case examples of common legal and ethical dilemmas with couple therapy.
  5. 5 Discuss the role of live supervision and documentation in couple therapy.
  6. 6 Offer strategies for working with couples when legal and ethical dilemmas arise.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Material Authors

Any relevant financial disclosures for course material authors can be found in the article.

Course Creator

Maximillian Schwanekamp – There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (FL CSW, MFT, MHC)

2 CE credit hours
Eligible until Mar 27th, 2027
Impact CE, a service of CE Learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (Provider # 50-315).
More Info

Florida Board of Psychology

2 CE credit hours
Eligible until Mar 31st, 2031
Impact CE, a service of CE Learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Board of Psychology (Provider # 50-315).
More Info

Article: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couples Therapy

Republished with permission of Guilford Press, from Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, Fourth Edition 2008; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.

Please note that this article may not be printed as a hard copy; it must be read on-screen. While this is not ideal for some users, we felt this material sufficiently valuable to accept that copyright limitation.

Article: Legal and Ethical Issues in Couples Therapy

Access Course Material

Viewing External Material

This course material is hosted by , a web site separate from Impact CE. When you're done, just close the tab/window to return to this course page.

Exam Questions

All exam questions for the course are visible on this page for members of Impact CE.

Membership is free, and you can register today! You'll only pay when you're ready to purchase a course, or if you take advantage of the Unlimited Package.

If you're already a member, please sign in to see the exam questions for this and all other courses.

Discuss this course

You can share your thoughts about this course after you pass the exam.

Sign In or Register to get started.
$18

Course Details

2 CE Hours
Reading Online
Course 101857

Profession Group

  • Behavioral Health

Availability

This course is retired. It is no longer available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, most likely. Look Up Your State Board for more detailed information. Logged-in site members will see the relevant approval information displayed in the Approvals tab for every course.

If you are having trouble using Impact CE, please contact us! We would be happy to accommodate your needs right away, and your input will help us make Impact CE more accessible for future users too.

Use the Enroll In This Course button and just follow the instructions! You don't pay anything until you're ready to take an exam.

To complete the course, review the course objectives, then review the material, and then pass the exam with a score of 75% or greater and lastly complete an evaluation.

Most of our self-paced courses are based on online articles available for free to the public. Some courses, such as those based on books, require that you purchase the material. Use the Materials tab for more info. Live courses simply require that you attend.

Your certificate(s) will be available to download or email immediately when you pass the course exam and complete the evaluation.

Yes! Use the Help widget at the bottom-right of the screen anywhere on Impact CE to search our help docs, or to ask our support team for help. Unlike most of our competitors, Impact CE has live US-based support reps to help you by email, chat, or phone.

Start your CE Journey now - complete your first course today, on us.

Try for free - no commitment required.

Start a Free Trial Course

Continuing Education

Copyright © 2026 CE Learning Systems LLC

Please Confirm