Online course

Good Practice: Ethics for the caring professions

Essential knowledge – for counsellors, psychotherapists and anyone else working with distressed people

Course Factfile

Online Ethics course - for the caring professions

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Special offer

  • Price: £159 £127.20 per person

Price includes course notes and life-long access

Special Offer

Original price was: £159.00.Current price is: £127.20.

This new online course is designed to stimulate deeper thinking about the ethical dilemmas and professional difficulties you may encounter when working with people suffering emotional distress. It gives you sound principles to remember and realistic guidelines to follow whenever difficult ethical situations arise.

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Whilst primarily designed for counsellors and psychotherapists, anyone interested in thinking more clearly about ethical matters, including social workers, occupational therapists, mental health workers, medical and legal professionals, can complete the course.

The guidance offered is not a list of static ‘rules’ but a framework of interlocking ideas and insights through which it is possible to create clear and reasonable codes of professional conduct to help ensure we act ethically.

The discussions between the tutors raise important considerations – deriving from real case histories – and give you valuable insights about the evolution of ethical behaviour and the nature of ethical problems today.

Why this course is needed

We live in a world that, despite technological progress, seems to have lost its moral compass. It should go without saying that all therapists should act ethically with their patients, but some don’t. The consequences of this can prove distressing and even damaging for the client involved, and, for the practitioner, can mean anything from public censure, suspension from practice, or full-scale striking off.

So, in addition to following guidelines and a code of practice, therapists need to develop a sound inner intuition of what the right thing to do is in any particular circumstance. However, developing this intuition requires us to escape from our mental pigeon-holes so that we can develop richer patterns of thought, through consideration of a wide range of potential pitfalls and ethical dilemmas, to draw upon and return to throughout our professional lives.

What will you explore

  • The foundations of ethics
  • Ethics and human nature
  • The difference between ethics, morals and the law
  • The reason ethical dilemmas arise
  • The HG Code of Ethics
  • Examples of modern ethical quandaries
  • Living in a ‘victim culture’ that’s obsessed with blaming
  • Why ethical behaviour is socially conditioned
  • The importance of learning from mistakes
  • Why relying on systems can inhibit flexibility of thought and behaviour
  • Why organisational rigidity drives bureaucracies to behave unethically
  • What determines our individual nature, character and mental health
  • The assumptions we make that get in the way of ethical decision making
  • Typical case histories dealt with by the HGI’s Registration and Professional Standards Committee
  • Ethics: needs and wants
  • Ethics, tribalism and political correctness
  • Our inbuilt range of moral emotional responses
  • The illusion of shared perceptions
  • Three ethical safeguards arising from the Human Givens approach
  • The importance of spare capacity when helping others
  • The danger of patients putting therapists on a pedestal
  • Why technology, using artificial intelligence, raises ethical questions
  • Accredited CPD certificate
  • and much more…
Counts towards a Diploma

Counts towards a Diploma

By taking this course, you could be on your way to completing Part 1 of the Human Givens Diploma – a flexible, part-time psychotherapy course which will deepen your psychological knowledge and increase your ability to help people effectively and quickly.  Learn more >

Course Programme

What's included?

  • Videos
    24 Videos
  • 30 Quizzes
  • Lifetime access
    Life-long access
  • CPD Certificate
    CPD Certificate

Course format

This online ethics course is delivered by four distinguished Fellows of the HGI, Sue Saunders, Ian Thomson, Ivan Tyrrell and Denise Winn – their discussions provide much food for thought and draw on real case histories that have come before the HGI’s Registration and Professional Standards Committee.

As with all our online courses, you are required to answer multiple-choice questions designed to add to your knowledge and deepen your understanding: an enjoyable, thought-provoking part of the learning process.

Once you have completed the course, you will receive an Accredited CPD certificate, which counts towards the Human Givens Diploma.

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This course has been independently assessed by the internationally recognised CPD Standards Office for 6 hours of CPD training.

Meet your tutors

Ivan Tyrrell tutor profile picture

Ivan Tyrrell

Ivan Tyrrell worked for many years as a psychotherapist and now spends most of his time lecturing and writing.

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Sue Saunders tutor photo

Sue Saunders

Sue has worked in training, coaching and psychotherapy for over 30 years. She also has extensive experience in the corporate world.

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Ian Thompson Tutor Photo

Ian Thompson

Ian Thomson is the former deputy chair of the HGI Registration and Professional Standards Committee

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Denise Winn: Tutor and Editor of the Human Givens Journal

Denise Winn

Denise is a journalist, editor and author specialising in psychology – who has also practised as a human givens therapist since 2000.

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Reviews for this course

5/5 (15 Reviews)
  1. Judith Desbonne, Human Given psychotherapist and Supervisor

    I thoroughly enjoyed this course, the trainers managed to make a presumably dull topic interesting and enjoyable. Great CPD which encouraged me to reflect on my own practice over the past twenty plus years.

  2. Maria Saunders, Nurse manager

    I found this course very insightful and informative. I particularly enjoyed the discussions and case studies. Highly recommended this.

  3. Bethany McManus, Territory Account Manager, Diagnostic Sector

    Having decided to make the big decision to change my career this course was the perfect starting point – very clear advice and thoughts on ethics and the importance of practising ethically which is vital to any person considering work in any care capacity.

  4. Unnur Inga Jensen-Wilmot, MSc Applied Positive Psychology Practitioner

    The experience of listening to this course, conducted in a clear language, was very insightful and informative. I found the engaging discussions and sequenced quizzes very useful for reflective aspects.

  5. sue learoyd-smith, Complementary Therapist

    A thoroughly enjoyable and informative course. I particularly enjoyed the way it was set out through group talks, and the multi choice quizzes helped to embed the content. I’d definitely recommend anyone working in this field to take this course.

  6. Mariya Carr, Social Worker

    I expected to be something boring as I’m already committed to professional code of ethics in other fields of caring professions.
    A big surprise – this course is very interesting, informative, reflective and raises awareness about mistakes that can be easily made while having good intentions.

  7. Melanie Kettner-Borough, Pastor/counsellor

    Hugely informative and certainly necessary for every Therapist or student of psychotherapy. Valuable information. Very practical nd helped me align my thinking into a serious professional mode. I now have knowledge and wisdom for my career. Thank you so much.

  8. Rhonda, Counsellor

    Very informative and covers a lot. Thank you.

  9. Caroline Moodie, Clinical Hypnotherapist

    Excellent. In depth and informative Course

  10. Lise Bratton, Book editor/designer, artist.

    This course was clear, engaging and very informative. It gave me a great insight into the realities of working with clients and the careful consideration of circumstances required. Where the cultural aspect of morals may potentially confuse any client/therapist relationship, the fundamental value of ethics in the profession becomes very clear.

  11. Elizabeth McBarnet, Independent Speech and Language Therapist

    The format of this course differs from all the other online courses I have done so far. Through discussion, quizzes and case history presentations we are taught the complex and often nebulous area of ethics. Taking us step-by-step through the HG code of conduct gives us plenty to consider and questions to ask ourselves. There are some areas where HG principles differ from my profession- for example – not booking/charging sessions in advance. This course, like all the others, leaves me with plenty to think about!

  12. Lynne Burke, Human Givens Practitioner

    A very engaging course. I enjoyed the mix of reading, listening and quizzes. I took notes along the way and am much more confident now than I was before. I had the chance to think things through that have never happened to me, but they might!

  13. Gilli Gladman, Retired Embodied Relational Therapist

    Thank you. I enjoyed following the course content and completing the questionnaires. I particularly appreciate the step by step approach that enables effective learning of some complex issues.
    It is one of the most comprehensive presentations of therapeutic good practice that I have come across in my professional experience.

  14. Amanda Johns, Human Given Therapist

    A great course that is very easy to understand with lots of practical examples to help clarify all the points. I really liked the mixed format and particularly liked listening to discussions about different areas. I have previously read the Code of Conduct but this made it very real and interesting and much easier to digest. It was a thoroughly engaging course and well worth the time and money.

  15. Martin Dunlea, Human Givens Therapist (trainee).

    This course provides a clear roadmap for the practitioner on how to conduct himself/herself ethically within society, and professionally within the therapeutic environment. People who come for therapy are seeking to improve how they function mentally and physically in their lives and they place enormous trust in their therapist to act ethically and effectively in helping them meet their needs. This course clearly and comprehensively addresses these concerns taking into account the fact that the client seeks to function better in their personal lives as well as within the wider social and cultural framework. In this course we get the shared perspectives of four experts in Human Givens therapy. The dialogue format helped to clarify many of the guiding principles particularly when describing potential pitfalls as well as referencing actual case histories. It is an extremely well thought out course and essential for any intending or practicing therapist.

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Ethics for caring professions online course - multi-coloured people cut outs
Good Practice: Ethics for the caring professions
Original price was: £159.00.Current price is: £127.20.
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