Social Work Ethics and Professional Boundaries in an AI-Driven Practice Landscape

Frederic Reamer has been on the faculty of the School of Social Work, Rhode Island College since 1983. His teaching and research focus on professional ethics, criminal justice, mental health, health care, and public policy. Dr. Reamer received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and has served as a social worker in correctional and mental health settings. He chaired the national task force that wrote the Code of Ethics adopted by the National Association of Social Workers and served on the code revision task force. Dr. Reamer also chaired the national task force sponsored by NASW, the Association of Social Work Boards, Council on Social Work Education, and Clinical Social Work Association that developed standards governing social workers’ use of technology in professional practice. He has lectured nationally and internationally on social work and professional ethics, including in India, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, and in various European nations. His books include Artificial Intelligence in the Behavioral Health Professions: Ethical and Risk Management Issues; Risk Management in the Behavioral Health Professions: A Practical Guide to Preventing Malpractice and Licensing-Board Complaints; The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work; Social Work Values and Ethics; Risk Management in Social Work; The Social Work Ethics Casebook; Ethical Standards in Social Work; Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services; Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Social Work; Moral Distress and Injury in Human Services; Heinous Crime: Cases, Causes, and Consequences; On the Parole Board: Reflections on Crime, Punishment, Redemption, and Justice: and The Social Work Ethics Audit, among others. Dr. Reamer has served as an expert witness in many court and licensing board cases throughout the United States. In 2016 Dr. Reamer was named a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers for his "commitment and dedication to the social work profession and to the improvement of social and human conditions at the local, state, national, and international levels."

Alicia Tennenbaum, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of New York with over two decades of leadership in healthcare. She earned her B.A. from Villanova University and received her Master of Social Work from New York University. Since 2001, she held progressive leadership roles at the Mount Sinai Health System, including Associate Director of the Department of Social Work and Case Management for the Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Union Square, and Mount Sinai New York Eye and Ear campuses and as Executive Director of Social Work and Care Transitions for the Mount Sinai Health System. She is currently the VP of Care Management at Med-Metrix, a leading Revenue Cycle Management company helping healthcare providers enhance patient experience and optimize revenue. Alicia is an active board member and Secretary of the New York City chapter of the American Case Management Association (ACMA). She was featured in the New York Times Science section on June 19, 2007, in the article "In the Trenches, the Hospital Discharge Planner: Bridging Gaps Between Hospital and Home." Her academic contributions include co-authoring the chapters “Preparing for Your Discharge” in Questions Patients Need to Ask and “The Practice of Clinical Social Work in Healthcare”. She has a certification in Bioethics and is a graduate of the Cornell-HANYS Academy for Healthcare Leadership Advancement. She has been recognized with several honors, including the Mount Sinai Heart Award and the Ida M. Cannon Award from the Society for Social Work Leaders in Health Care.