PRESENTER: Curt Widhalm. MA, MS, LMFT

Course meets the qualifications for 3 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.  Registrants must attend the full 3 hours to receive CEs.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the landscape of mental health care. From automated documentation and treatment planning assistants to scheduling and diagnostic tools, AI offers unprecedented efficiency. However, these powerful shortcuts introduce complex ethical challenges that demand rigorous clinical oversight. This workshop provides a comprehensive exploration of the 2025 updates to the CAMFT Code of Ethics, which explicitly address Telehealth, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Rather than viewing AI through a lens of fear or blind adoption, this course reframes technology as an extension of the clinician rather than as an authority or a peer. Through an engaging analysis of the revised standards, this presentation will highlight how technological innovation does not diminish therapist accountability. This course will dive deep into the essential guardrails of professional competence, data confidentiality, and algorithmic hallucinations. Attendees will learn how automation bias can subtly interfere with critical clinical judgment, and discover how to establish structured, transparent boundaries between assistive technologies and clinical realities.

OBJECTIVES:

In successfully completing and attending this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze the approved updates to Section 6 of the CAMFT Code of Ethics and explain their practical applications to clinical documentation, supervision, and practice management.

2. Evaluate the unique ethical risks and benefits of integrating AI tools, distinguishing clearly between administrative assistive technologies and direct client-facing applications.

3. Develop a robust, transparent framework for obtaining informed consent from clients regarding the specific ways AI tools are utilized in their care.

4. Formulate a clinical review framework to actively identify algorithmic hallucinations and mitigate automation bias, ensuring that all AI-assisted documentation and decisions remain under strict human oversight. 

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Curt Widhalm, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist dedicated to bridging the gap between evolving legal standards and the day-to-day realities of clinical practice. As the founder and owner of Real Honest Therapy, a group practice with locations in Encino and West Los Angeles, Curt specializes in working with adolescents and provides comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) alongside Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Deeply invested in professional leadership and systemic advocacy, Curt serves as the Chair of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) Ethics Committee. His background in counselor education includes serving as a former lecturer at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where he spent years teaching Law and Ethics to graduate students in the MFT program.

Beyond the therapy room and the lecture hall, Curt is widely recognized as the co-host of the popular weekly podcast, “The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide.” Through the podcast and his frequent speaking engagements nationwide, he tackles the shifting cultural, administrative, and technological landscapes impacting mental health professionals today. Known for his practical, transparent, and engaging presentation style, Curt specializes in demystifying complex regulatory changes to help therapists confidently navigate modern practice while maintaining clinical and ethical integrity.

This is an ONLINE presentation.

Inland Empire Chapter of CAMFT is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCS, AND/or LEPs. IE-CAMFT maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. CE Provider # 62278