Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Ethics and Professional Issues in MFT (Face-to-Face)

MFT 6010-01

Course: MFT 6010-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Family Life & Human Develop
CRN: 33866

Course Description

This course examines the legal, ethical, and pragmatic concerns that arise in the professional practice of working with families, couples, adolescents, and children. Graduate students will engage with common ethical dilemmas encountered in clinical and educational settings while developing a strong sense of professional identity. Emphasis is placed on clarifying personal values, biases, and worldviews, as well as applying professional codes of ethics to practice. Students will critically analyze real-world scenarios and develop frameworks to guide ethical decision-making within diverse and complex contexts. (Fall - Even Years) [Graded Letter] Registration Restriction(s): MMFT students only

Required Texts

  • ·      Brown, K.S. (2024). Systemic Ethics Textbook

    ●      Additional required readings/videos will be provided via Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

By faithfully completing the course requirements (readings, class discussions, written assignments, presentations and the final exam) by the end of the semester you should be able to obtain the following outcomes:
    1. Critical Thinking – Apply ethical decision-making frameworks to analyze complex professional dilemmas, including confidentiality, informed consent, duty to warn, and boundary issues.
    2. Communication – Clearly articulate ethical reasoning, professional responsibilities, and values in both oral discussions and written analyses of case scenarios.
    3. Information Literacy – Access, interpret, and apply professional codes of ethics, case law, and scholarly resources to inform ethical decision-making.
    4. Quantitative/Analytical Reasoning – Evaluate risks, responsibilities, and potential outcomes of ethical and legal decisions in professional practice.
    5. Ethical Reasoning / Professional Responsibility – Demonstrate adherence to professional codes of ethics, legal standards, and culturally responsive practice while reflecting on personal values and professional identity.

Course Requirements


1.  Professional Preparations
(5 reflections × 10 points each = 50 points)
●      These brief assignments are designed to prepare you for employment in the professional community.
●      Typical length: One page, double-spaced, 12 pt. font

2. Group Presentation: Therapist in the News (50 Points)
●      Select a news article/video of a professional acting unethically, illegally, or facing an ethical/legal dilemma.
●      Class Presentation: After explaining the case, identify the ethics that were broken, explain why you think the clinician did what they did, and finally identify how           you would address this issue as a clinician.
●      Cite at least two peer-reviewed sources.
●      Group Size: Two students (one group will have three)
●      Length: Approximately 30 minutes

3. Self-of-the-Therapist / Position Paper
(100 Points)
●      Using the AAMFT Code of Ethics, explore your personal values and how they align with professional ethics and potential clinical issues.
●      Discuss your preferred ethical decision-making model and reflect on areas of strength or concern when applying it in practice.
●      Length: 3–5 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt. font

4. Ethical Application Paper
(200 Points)
●      Select two ethical dilemmas and describe your approach to addressing them. Incorporate your profession’s code of ethics, your ethical decision-making model, and self-of-the-therapist reflections. Include reporting requirements and consider potential personal biases or values that could influence your decisions.
●      Length: 4-5 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt. font


Course Outline

 | Week 1 | Introduction to Ethics ●      Syllabus Review and Course ●      Personal Ethics vs. Professional Ethics ●      Defining your values ●      AAMFT Code of Ethics | Systemic Ethics, Chpt.1 & 5  AAMFT Code of Ethics, Preamble | 
| Week 2 | Ethical Decision Making ●      Ethical decision-making from a relational perspective ●      Tenets of Ethics ●      Law vs. Ethics | Ethics, Chpt. 2 & 3    | PP#1: Personal Values
| Week 3 | Confidentiality & Privilege ●      Confidentiality limits, including mandated reporting ●      Informed consent | Ethics, Chpt. 7, 11 & 12    | 
| Week 4 | Ethics in Documentation ·      HIPPA ·      Dealing with the court system   | Ethics, Chpt. 13  | PP#2: Consent Form
| Week 5 | Boundaries and Dual Relationships ●      Secrets policy ●      Risk Management ●      Sexual misconduct   | Ethics, Chpt. 9 & 10 | 
| Week 6 | Ethics in Clinical Risk management & Termination ·      Addressing suicide risk ·      Termination  | Ethics, Chpt. 24 & 25 |  
 | Week 7 | Ethics in working with Children and Adolescents & Clients with Disabilities ●      Sexual consent in youth  | Ethics, Chpt. 22 & 29   | 
| Week 8 | Cultural Humility and Diversity ●      Cultural responsiveness ●      Power, privilege, and ethics   | Ethics, Chpt. 6 & 8 | 
| Week 9 | Ethics with Spirituality & Religion  | Ethics, Chpt. 27 | 
| Week 10 | Technology and Telehealth ·      Teletherapy ethics ·      AI and clinical practice ·      Social media   | Ethics, Chpt. 17 & 21 | Group One Presentation
| Week 11 | Ethics in Running a Practice ·      Scope of practice ·      Advertising ·      Working with insurance ·      Financial Arrangements | Ethics, Chpt. 19 & 20 | Group Two Presentation
| Week 12 | Ethics in the Court System ·      Custody evaluations ·      When to seek legal counsel  | Ethics, Chpt. 18  | Group Three Presentation
| Week 13 | Professional Competence ·      Self-Care ·      Consulting with colleagues ·      CEU  | Ethics, Chpt. 14 & 26 | Group Four Presentation
| Week 14 | Supervision and Professional Practice ·      Ethical considerations in clinical supervision, dual roles, and professional responsibilities.   | Ethics, Chpt. 15 | Group Five Presentation

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late assignments will be accepted one week after the assignment is due, after which no assignments will be accepted. Ten percent will be deducted for each day an assignment is late, up to 50%.  In the event of an emergency, students need to contact the professor before the assignment is due, and an extension might be granted. However, such an extension will only be granted once per semester.

If the wrong assignment or the wrong draft is submitted in Canvas, 10% will be deducted from the final grade.

Attendance Policy

Each of you is important to the success of this class and have something to offer.  To encourage attendance, daily attendance will be taken at some point during the class. Students are allowed three absences without any penalty to their grade.  With a few exceptions, any additional absences will hurt your grade. Please note that this class will not be broadcast or filmed for later viewing.   

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Religious / Conscience Belief Accommodation

RELIGIOUS / CONSCIENCE BELIEF ACCOMMODATION: In accordance with SUU Policy 6.7 Student Belief Accommodation, students may request, in writing, that their faculty accommodate their sincerely held religious or conscience beliefs. Students should provide their faculty with sufficient advanced notice, if possible within the first five (5) business days of the semester or session, or thereafter with good cause for requesting an accommodation after the first five (5) business days.

Faculty must provide a schedule accommodation or excuse an absence, in any course, for students to observe or participate in religious holidays or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of the student’s religious tradition or religious organization.

In courses that are required for graduation or for an academic major, a faculty member may accommodate a religious or conscience belief by modifying an assignment or examination if its content conflicts with the student’s belief. Faculty may decline the accommodation if it would fundamentally alter the course requirements. If declined, the student may request review by a neutral arbiter using the Belief Accommodation Request Form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv&layout_id=5

Questions go to Assistant Provost Jake Johnson at johnsonj@suu.edu.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.