Course Description:

Empathy and compassion are integral components of establishing and maintaining a therapeutic alliance with clients; after all, empathy is one of the three person-centered tenets. What happens when there is too much empathy or too little compassion in the worker-client relationship? Using an ethical lens and a case study, this seminar will examine the role of empathy and compassion in a worker-client relationship and provoke discussion with the latest research to enhance the practice of both the experienced and novice social workers.  

Objectives:

• Apply ethical principles to examine the role of empathy and compassion in a therapeutic relationship

• Provoke discussion on professional boundaries and the consequences of unhealthy boundaries on the client-worker relationship

• Identify strategies and interventions to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes without hindering the worker’s empathy and compassion

Presenter:

Marina Nellius, LCSW-C, is a clinical social worker with 20 years of experience in providing intensive case management, psychotherapy, and administrative leadership in private, nonprofit, and academic settings.  Marina is currently the regional social work manager for the Mid-Atlantic South region at Landmark Health, one of the nation’s largest home-based medical providers of medically complex individuals. At Landmark Health, Marina provides regional oversight and acts as the mental health subject matter expert for the behavioral health division of its Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey markets. Beyond patient care, Marina participates on both local and national platforms to tackle systemic barriers impacting the overall health of older adults. Marina is an elected member of the board of directors for the American Academy of Home Care Medicine, a Commissioner for Howard County’s Commission on Aging, and board president of the Maryland Gerontological Association. In 2020, she was awarded the National Association of Social Workers, Social Work Month award for her exemplary work related to advocacy, service, and support of communities, programs and/or systems within the State of Maryland. Marina is a sought-out speaker on mental health-related conditions and the influence of the health care system on medically complex populations. When Marina is not advocating, she can be seen with her husband and two girls walking their beloved Boykin Spaniel in Ellicott City, Maryland.