Applied Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counselling

BCACC members have been asking for more practical ethics training that reflects real clinical practice, and we listened.

We’re pleased to introduce Applied Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counselling, a new continuing education course designed to help clinical counsellors, psychotherapists, and mental health professionals strengthen ethical decision-making, navigate complex clinical situations, and meet professional development requirements.

This course provides rich, reflective, and practical guidance on the ethical challenges practitioners face every day, from boundaries and informed consent to digital practice, working with families and youth, and supporting diverse and vulnerable populations.

What You’ll Gain:

This course will help you:

• Strengthen ethical decision-making in complex real-world scenarios
• Build confidence when faced with challenging ethical decisions
• Understand professional standards, legal obligations, and regulatory expectations
• Apply ethical principles to confidentiality, boundaries, consent, and documentation
• Integrate cultural humility and anti-oppressive practice into clinical work
• Navigate ethical issues in technology-mediated counselling and diverse practice contexts

Who This Course is For:

• Psychotherapists
• Registered Clinical Counsellors
• Practicing mental health professionals
• Professionals preparing for registration with BCACC
• Early-career practitioners and students building strong ethical foundations

About the Presenter:

This course was developed in collaboration with Dr. Simon Nuttgens, PhD, RCC, an experienced counsellor educator and ethics scholar.

Dr. Nuttgens has been teaching and researching psychotherapy ethics, supervision, and evidence-based practice for many years. He currently serves as faculty at City University in Canada’s Virtual Campus and previously held leadership roles in several graduate counselling programs. His clinical work spans nearly three decades, with a focus on counselling children, youth, and families.

Although the course is asynchronous and self-paced, Simon appears throughout the modules in short video segments, guiding participants through key ethical concepts, case examples, and practical insights drawn from his teaching and clinical experience.

These videos bring the material to life and provide the feeling of learning directly from an expert while still allowing you to complete the course on your own schedule.

Course Information:

Format: 

• Fully Asynchronous and self-paced
• 13 modules; 30 hours total; 2–5 hours per module
• Includes a robust set of resources, case studies, quizzes, and reflective exercises designed for real practice

Early Bird Pricing (March 30 – April 30)

Members: $150

Non-Members: $250

Regular Pricing (Starting May 1)

Members: $250

Non-Members: $350

Please Note:

Registrants will have access to the course for one year from the date they registered. 

This course requires the textbook, Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada, Third Edition by Derek Truscott and Kenneth H. Crook. A 20% off code is available to registrants within the course.