Relational Ethics - A Framework for Ethical Practice in Rural Settings
Jean Chagnon, Ph.D., LP, Anamaura, Woodbury, MN

Ethical codes of conduct are essential guidelines for professional practice.  However, rural behavioral health providers can encounter challenges as they work to apply common ethical principles, such as multiple relationships, to the nuances of small town or rural practice.  Relational Ethics is a decision-making model that outlines four core principles:  mutual respect, relational engagement, bringing knowledge back to life, and creating environment.  These principles, when applied in collaboration with professional codes of ethics, offer a framework that supports practitioners in resolving the myriad of ethical dilemmas that one can encounter as a rural behavioral health care provider.  This presentation will provide examples of the application of relational ethics to a number of rural scenarios, as well as an opportunity for small group discussion and input on one scenario.

Learning Objective 1:
Describe differences between relational ethics and prescriptive ethics
Learning Objective 2:
Outline core principles of relational ethics
Learning Objective 3:
Apply core principles of relational ethics to rural practice

Intermediate level

BIO
Jean Chagnon, Ph.D., LP, received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at The Ohio State University.  She has been a licensed psychologist since 1993.  Dr. Chagnon’s work experience includes community mental health, university college counseling, private practice, teaching, and supervision.  She has worked in small towns, larger urban areas, and medium size college towns.  She was co-owner and managing partner of Counseling Psychologists of Woodbury, a small outpatient mental health clinic for 7 years before opening a solo private practice in 2015.  Her solo practice, Anamaura, is dedicated to working with women who are survivors of abuse and offering supervision and training for those who want to offer multidimensional mind-body-spirit healing for survivors of abuse. Dr. Chagnon is a member of Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA) and currently serves as the chair of the MPA Ethics Committee.