Being Targeted Without Doing Anything “Wrong”

In high-conflict systems, therapists can become symbolic opponents. Complaints, threats, or hostile correspondence often reflect system dynamics and not clinical incompetence. This course helps you recognize when you’re being targeted and why.

Not Knowing How to Respond When Things Escalate

Many clinicians freeze when a client threatens a complaint or legal action. Responding too quickly, too much, or too defensively can increase risk. You’ll learn how to respond skillfully and when to pause.

Carrying Fear Alone

Regulatory language, legal correspondence, and insurance questions can feel overwhelming. This course clarifies what can actually happen, who to call, and how consultation, documentation, and legal support reduce long-term stress.

About the Course

When a Therapist Becomes the Target is a 120-minute continuing education course for clinicians working in family therapy, separation/divorce, and other high-conflict contexts. The course explores what happens when the therapist becomes the focus, and not necessarily because of wrongdoing, but because of power struggles, grief, adversarial processes, and system dynamics. Drawing from both clinical and legal perspectives, participants learn how to anticipate risk, respond appropriately, protect themselves ethically and legally, and remain regulated under scrutiny. While the content is BC-specific, the principles apply across Canadian clinical counselling contexts. *Available now for Pre-order Will be released April 2026 Course content subject to change and adapt.

About the Creators

Becky Palmer, RCC Becky is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with extensive experience in group private practice, family systems, and professional ethics. She brings a grounded, developmentally informed lens to complaints, documentation, de-escalation, and clinician nervous system regulation. Betti White, Family Lawyer Betti is a BC family lawyer with deep experience in high-conflict separation and divorce. She brings the legal perspective therapists rarely get access to; explaining how complaints, subpoenas, letters, and therapist records are actually used in legal contexts.

Course Curriculum

8 Chapters · 22 Lessons

  1. 1

    Welcome & Course Orientation

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Welcome + Course Orientation (Becky + Betti)

    2. Learning Outcomes Free preview
  2. 2

    Why Therapists Become Targets

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      High-Conflict Systems & Therapist Vulnerability

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      When the Therapist Becomes the Target

  3. 3

    De-Escalation Before Things Escalate

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      How Complaints Actually Happen

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      The Complaint Process Clarification

  4. 4

    Effective Responses and De-Escalation

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Language That De-Escalates Without Collapsing

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Documentation as Protection

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Techniques for De-escalating Conflict

  5. 5

    What Therapists Want to Ask a Family Lawyer

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      “Am I in Trouble?”

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      "What do I say back?"

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      “What Happens to My Notes?”

  6. 6

    Subpoenas, Notes, and What Lawyers Actually Read

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Subpoena Panic vs Reality

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      How a Lawyer Actually Helps

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      When to Call Insurance

  7. 7

    If a Complaint Is Threatened Tomorrow

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      The First 72 Hours

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      To Do Checklist

  8. 8

    Integration, Resilience & Ethical Leadership

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Staying Grounded When You’re Under Scrutiny

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Closing Reflections

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Quiz for CE

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Course Reflection & Learning Feedback

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      CE Credits: Instructions for certificate, self-reflection question, and CE logging

This Is Real-World Practice

This course gives you clarity, language, and containment for the moments that test you. WHAT’S INCLUDED • 120 minutes of videos, text and tools • 2 CE credits • Downloadable resources • BC-specific resource list • Certificate of completion for CE *Available now for Pre-order Will be released April 2026 Course content subject to change and adapt.

$175.00

Enroll Now Free preview

Disclaimer

This course is provided for educational and reflective purposes only. The content is intended to support professional learning, ethical awareness, and general understanding of clinical, regulatory, and legal processes. It does not constitute legal advice, clinical supervision, therapeutic treatment, or regulatory guidance. Case examples presented in this course are fictional and are used solely for illustrative and educational purposes. Any resemblance to real individuals or situations is coincidental. Participation in this course does not create a lawyer–client, supervisor–supervisee, or therapeutic relationship between participants and the facilitators. Clinicians are responsible for applying the material in a manner consistent with their own professional judgment, scope of practice, regulatory requirements, and applicable laws within their jurisdiction. While the course includes BC-specific references, the content is not a substitute for consulting a qualified lawyer, professional liability insurer, clinical supervisor, or regulatory body regarding individual circumstances. We are not affiliated with any regulatory body.