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AI, Technology, and Digital Ethics for Mental Health and Substance Use Practitioners

New!
Dr. Elizabeth Ruegg
1 hour

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer on the horizon of clinical practice; it is in the consultation room. Mental health providers across almost all professional settings encounter AI tools in documentation workflows, electronic health records, transcription software, and client-facing digital platforms. Often, providers are asked to learn or use these systems without fully understanding how they work, what they can and cannot do, where they fail, and what clinicians owe their clients by way of AI use disclosure.

This course provides a grounded, clinically relevant framework for navigating the ethical, epistemic, and relational dimensions of AI integration in behavioral health care. It is organized around four core areas. First, it examines the practical and ethical dimensions of AI use in clinical documentation. Second, it addresses the consent obligations that arise when AI is used to record psychotherapy sessions, which raises unique, ongoing security and confidentiality risks. Third, it introduces practitioners to the concept of epistemic hygiene and the structural limitations of large language models, equipping clinicians to evaluate AI-generated content critically. Fourth, it examines digital boundaries in client communication, including the professional risks of AI-assisted messaging and the irreplaceable relational dimensions of human therapeutic presence.

This course is designed for licensed doctoral- and master’s-level mental health and substance use practitioners in outpatient and inpatient settings across all states. It is relevant to social workers, counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and psychiatric nurses who use or are considering using AI tools in their work. No prior technical background knowledge is required. The course draws on peer-reviewed literature from AI ethics, social work, clinical psychology, and the philosophy of technology to support evidence-informed practice.

This course will award 1 continuing education hour.

Please see the board approval box for course approvals.

Course Objectives

  1. Define key concepts related to AI in clinical practice, including LLMs, third-party servers, and business associate agreements.
  2. Distinguish between HIPAA compliance and informed consent as separate and non-equivalent obligations when using AI-assisted documentation or session recording technology.
  3. Describe the data security risks associated with ambient AI transcription and session recording, including third-party vendor storage, re-identification risk, and the limitations of business associate agreements.
  4. Apply ethical and legal principles to determine appropriate versus inappropriate uses of AI in clinical documentation and communication.
  5. Critically assess the risks associated with AI use in behavioral health, including data security, bias, and over-reliance.
  6. Develop ethically sound protocols for integrating AI into clinical workflows, including informed consent, documentation practices, and client communication strategies.

Course Author

Dr. Elizabeth Ruegg, LCSW

Dr. Elizabeth Ruegg is a faculty member in the MSW program at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida. She completed an undergraduate degree at Marymount College and earned an MSW at Fordham University. She completed her doctoral training at Simmons University in Massachusetts. Her doctoral research focused on the mechanisms of effectiveness in canine-assisted psychotherapy. She is a licensed clinical social worker, a certified addictions professional, a clinical traumatologist, a college and university suicide prevention specialist, a certified animal-assisted intervention specialist, and a certified animal-assisted psychotherapist. Dr. Ruegg authors a monthly blog on Psychology Today about animal-assisted psychotherapy.

Board Approvals

National Approvals

Approval for this course applies only to the national boards listed below.

  • American Psychological Association (APA)
    BaysideCEU is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Bayside Continuing Education maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) (ACE)
    BaysideCEU.com, #1793, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. BaysideCEU.com maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 2/4/2026-2/4/2029. This course is offered in the self-paced/distance learning format.
  • The Association For Addiction Professionals NAADAC
    Bayside Continuing Education and Development Provider Number 81892 is a NAADAC Approved Education Provider for educational credits. NAADAC Provider number 81892 is responsible for all aspects of the programming.
  • The National Board For Certified Counselors NBCC
    Bayside Continuing Education has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6088. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Bayside Continuing Education is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

State Approvals

Information

  • Relevance: This course is designed for licensed mental health and substance use professionals who use or may encounter AI tools in documentation, communication, transcription, electronic health records, or client-facing platforms. It is relevant to social workers, counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric nurses, and other behavioral health clinicians.
  • Content Level: Intermediate
  • Course Format: This course is offered as a self-paced distance learning format (reading-based online activity)
  • System Requirements: This course is offered online. Internet connection required.
  • Course Completion Information: To earn continuing education credit, professionals must register and pay the fee for the course.  They must read the content and demonstrate understanding by earning a minimum score of 70 percent on testing materials.  The certificate of completion will be able to be downloaded after the above is completed. Refunds will be granted upon request with the withdrawal of credit for the course. For questions, concerns, or to request special accommodations, please call 866-863-4225 or email ContactUs@BaysideCEU.com.
  • CEBroker Course ID: 1377167
  • Credit Hours: 1
New!
Dr. Elizabeth Ruegg
1 hour
This course is designed for licensed mental health and substance use professionals who use or may encounter AI tools in documentation, communication, transcription, electronic health records, or client-facing platforms. It is relevant to social workers, counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric nurses, and other behavioral health clinicians.
Add to cart $15.00