Mental Health KC Winter Workshop
Metro Council presents:
Presentation Title:
Ethics in Practice: Carl Rogers, Care Ethics, and Self-Care
Online event
February 19, 2026
9:00 am – 12:15 pm
The training examines how burnout and compassion fatigue increase ethical risk and why self-care is a professional responsibility.
This three-hour ethics training, presented by Kenneth Vick, explores how ethical practice in helping professions is built through relationships, compassion, and professional self-care, not just rules. Grounded in Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach and the Ethics of Care, participants will learn how empathy, respect, and authenticity guide ethical decision-making in trauma-informed and recovery-oriented settings. The course also examines how burnout and compassion fatigue increase ethical risk and why self-care is a professional responsibility. Ideal for peer specialists, clinicians, and behavioral health professionals committed to ethical, human-centered care.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the core principles of Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach and explain how unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy, and congruence function as ethical foundations in helping relationships.
2. Explain the Ethics of Care framework and its relevance to trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and peer-based services.
3. Differentiate between rule-based ethics and relationship-based ethical decision-making in behavioral health and recovery settings.
4. Identify how burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma increase ethical risk, boundary violations, and impaired professional judgment.
5. Recognize personal and organizational warning signs of ethical drift, including favoritism, emotional detachment, and rule rigidity.
6. Apply a relational ethics decision-making model to common ethical dilemmas in peer support, case management, and clinical practice.
7. Demonstrate how self-care, supervision, and emotional regulation support ethical competence and professional integrity.
8. Develop at least one personal strategy to strengthen ethical resilience, professional boundaries, and compassionate care.
$25 for 3 CEUs