Ethics and Boundaries: When Culture Affects Decision Making

NASW-WA Live Webinar

February 26, 2027, 9:00 am - 12:00 am, PST
via Zoom

3 CE Credits - Ethics

Presented by Lara Okoloko, LICSW 

Register Now: https://tinyurl.com/ycywehj3

Price: $75/NASW Members, $120/Non-Members

Webinar Summary:
This course examines how one’s culture impacts decision making in various treatment settings. Providers are constantly faced with ethical choices resulting in ambiguous outcomes and difficult decisions that may be morally confusing. Understanding cultural concepts enables providers to bridge the difference between themselves and diverse populations. Participants will acquire a better understanding of the ethical decision-making process when cross-cultural conflicts occur while addressing implications of unconscious biases. The workshop will address these issues through a combination of interactive dialogue, focused discussion, applied. practice exercises, and small group work

Objectives:

• Examine personal attitudes, values, beliefs and culture.
• Recognize and respond to appropriately to cultural differences in conflict resolution.
• Identify professional and ethical obligations within social work, clinical and human services settings.
• Utilize James Rest’s four components model in ethical decision-making.

About the Presenter:
Sheng Lee Yang, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C possesses extensive experience in teaching, curriculum development, and professional training, with a strong emphasis on adult learning principles, applied skill development, and culturally responsive pedagogy. At the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Sheng taught a wide range of undergraduate social work courses addressing foundational knowledge, clinical and macro practice, program evaluation, policy, ethics, and advanced practice competencies. This academic experience reflects a depth of instructional expertise across multiple levels of social work education and practice. Beyond higher education, Sheng has developed and delivered numerous professional workshops and trainings for social workers, clinicians, supervisors, nonprofit leaders, and allied professionals. These trainings draw on deep subject‑matter expertise in ethical decision‑making, equity‑centered practice, leadership accountability, trauma‑informed and crisis‑responsive approaches, culturally responsive service delivery, and work with diverse and historically marginalized populations across settings. Sheng is also an experienced keynote speaker, having delivered keynote addresses at regional and national conferences, including professional gatherings hosted by NASW chapters, higher education institutions, nonprofit leadership conferences, and maternal and child health organizations. These engagements demonstrate Sheng’s ability to translate complex clinical, ethical, and social justice concepts into engaging, accessible, and actionable learning experiences for large and diverse professional audiences. Across all teaching, training, and presentation contexts, Sheng is recognized for an interactive, reflective, and practice‑focused instructional style that integrates real‑world case examples, ethical frameworks, and culturally responsive strategies to support meaningful learning and professional growth.