Live Event

Embracing Ethical Power: Enhancing Therapeutic Practice

Sat, Aug 2nd, 2025

11:00am – 2:15pm US Eastern Time

$67 Included free with an Ignite membership!

This event has already occurred.

Check our live events page for upcoming events.

Event Details

Sat, Aug 2nd, 2025

11:00am – 2:15pm US Eastern Time

(8:00am – 11:15am US Pacific Time)

3 CE Hours

Profession Group

Behavioral Health

About the Event

In the realm of helping professions, the concept of power often carries negative connotations, stemming from personal experiences of abuse and oppression. However, what if our aversion to power inadvertently limits our ability to facilitate positive change, both for ourselves and our clients? Imagine if we were to redefine power as a force for ethical good and collective well-being. Learning to be in right relationship with power supports therapists to harness their inherent power responsibly, fostering a nurturing environment conducive to client growth and healing. Join us for an immersive workshop experience that delves into the intricacies of power dynamics, encompassing five distinct types of power and the nuances of up-power and down-power interactions. Through engaging activities and heartfelt discussions, participants will embark on a journey of self-discovery, exploring the intersection of power and compassion in therapeutic practice.

Key Workshop Highlights:

An exploration of the five types of power and their implications in therapeutic relationships.
Understanding the dynamics of up-power and down-power, and their impact on client outcomes.
Cultivating a relationship with power rooted in empathy, integrity, and ethical conduct.

Join us as we embrace the transformative potential of ethical power and embark on a journey of empowerment and healing—for ourselves, our clients, and our communities.

Live Event

This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Sarah Buino

Sarah Buino is a therapist, teacher, speaker and the founder of Head/Heart Therapy, Inc. She is a licensed clinical social worker, certified addictions counselor, NARM Therapist, and Certified Daring Way facilitator. She holds a masters degree from Loyola University in Chicago and specializes in shame, substance use disorders, and trauma. She has trained in a variety of therapy modalities including: NARM (neuro-affective relational model), sensorimotor psychotherapy, comprehensive energy psychology, psychodrama/experiential therapy, and shame-resilience. She uses each of these modalities as a framework to support resilience within her clients and create a space for self-knowledge and growth. Sarah became part of Loyola University’s School of Social Work adjunct faculty in 2015 and Fordham University’s adjunct faculty in 2019. She is committed to supporting the newest generation of social workers to become passionate about and competent in working with substance use disorders.

Target Audience

This live interactive webinar is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, MFT's and Addiction Professionals.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

1 Define the Five Types of Power.
2 Describe the differences between up-power and down-power.
3 Define the role of healing shame in the practitioner’s relationship with power.

Anicich, E. M., Fast, N. J., Halevy, N., & Galinsky, A. D. (2016). When the Bases of Social Hierarchy Collide: Power Without Status Drives Interpersonal Conflict. Organization Science (Providence, R.I.), 27(1), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2015.1019

Barstow, C. (2015). Right Use of Power: The Heart of Ethics: A Guide and Resource for Professional Relationships. Many Realms.

Blundell, P., Burke, B., Wilson, A.-M., & Jones, B. (2022). Self as a teaching tool: Exploring power and anti-oppressive practice with counselling/psychotherapy students. Psychotherapy and Politics International, 20(3), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.24135/ppi.v20i3.03

Copeland, P., Dean, R. G., & Wladkowski, S. P. (2011). The Power Dynamics of Supervision: Ethical Dilemmas. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 81(1), 26–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2011.543041

Gamboa SolísF. de M., & Migueles Pérez Abreu, A. (2023). Empowering a feminist clinic: Challenging gender system oppressions in modern female subjectivities. Psychotherapy & Politics International, 21(3 & 4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.24135/ppi.v21i3and4.06

Gunther, S. V. (2016). Questioning the Victim Status of Complainants in Professional Ethics Investigations: Questioning Victim Status. Psychotherapy and Politics International, 14(3), 173–186. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppi.1391

Johnstone, L., & Kopua, D. (2019). Crossing Cultures with the Power Threat Meaning Framework. Psychotherapy and Politics International, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ppi.1494

Sakamoto, I., & Pitner, R. O. (2005). Use of Critical Consciousness in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice: Disentangling Power Dynamics at Personal and Structural Levels. The British Journal of Social Work, 35(4), 435–452. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bch190

Sheets-Johnstone, M. (2022). Power: Its biological nature and human elaborations. Psychotherapy and Politics International, 20(4), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.24135/ppi.v20i4.10

Wilson, L. (2021). The impact of power dynamics when counselling clients with problematic substance use. Psychotherapy and Politics International, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ppi.1572

Zaretsky, E. (2015). From the Maturity Ethic to the Psychology of Power: The New Left, Feminism, and the Return to “Social Reality.” In Political Freud (pp. 148–184). Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/zare17244-006

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.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

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

California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Aug 2nd, 2025

This course has been approved by CE Learning Systems, service provider of Impact CE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #192243, CE Learning Systems is responsible for all aspects of their programming.

More Info

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Aug 2nd, 2025

More Info

Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 8:00am US Pacific Time.

11:00-11:05 am – Introduction
11:05-11:30am – Why is it important to learn about power?
11:30-12:00 pm – Five types of power
12:00-12:30 pm – Up-power and down-power
12:30-12:45 pm – Break
12:45-1:15 pm – Revisiting our previous experiences with power
1:15-1:45 pm – Power with heart
1:45-2:05 pm – Healing shame in relation to power
2:05-2:15 pm – Q&A

Policies

If a grievance arises pertaining to your participation in our continuing education activities, please contact our support team immediately. See our full grievance policy for more information.

ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law; please indicate your special needs when you register by contacting us.

Up to 30 days prior to the event, live event registrations may be canceled for a refund via the current courses tab in your member account. Less than 30 days prior to the event, live event registration purchases are not eligible for a refund, but can be transferred to a different event. Please contact our support team for assistance with changing your registration.

This is a live event, hosted via Zoom Webinar. you may be prompted to download or upgrade your Zoom app if using a mobile device. A strong WiFi/internet connection will be required for best quality.
We recommend clicking your "Join Webinar" button early and checking that your speakers are on before the event begins. Please do not worry about being seen or heard! Attendee video feeds and mics are turned off by default when entering a webinar. You will be able to ask questions via the Q&A feature. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page .
Please respect that no copying, recording, or distribution of live session content is allowed.

We report all course and event completions to CE Broker. If your licensing board uses CE Broker for CE tracking, please be sure to enter your correct license information in your account.

If you need to cancel your registration for a webinar, please contact our support team for assistance prior to the event. Please note our refund policy, above.

If the activity must be cancelled by the provider, all attendees will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. The email will also provide details about transferring the registration to another educational activity or receiving a refund of the registration fee. As always, you can contact our support team if you have questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the link and instructions to join the live event. The event will be hosted via Zoom. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page We recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to be sure your connection is ready.

Most live events are recorded and made available to registered participants for a limited time after the event. Check your event materials for specific details about recording availability.

Certificates for live events are typically available within shortly after the event concludes, as soon as attendance verification is completed. You'll receive an email notification when your certificate is ready to download.

If the event is recorded, you may be able to access the recording after the live session. Contact support for information about makeup options for your specific event.

If you need to withdraw 30 or more days before the event, you can do this your self from your current courses tab.