Open help menu
Live Webinar

Honoring the Dignity of Risk: How Autonomy Drives Growth and Healing in Clinical Care

Ross Ellenhorn, MSW, PhD
|

Information

Date & Time

Description

In our work, dignity has always been more than a value—it’s the foundation of our clinical mission, guiding us to build environments where individuals are supported rather than controlled, and invited into relationships that honor their autonomy. In this talk, Dr. Ellenhorn explores how dignity is not just an ethical principle, but a clinical necessity. People don’t change unless they have the space and support to exercise self-determination, which lies at the heart of what we mean by human dignity. Dr. Ellenhorn will focus especially on the “dignity of risk”—the idea that the ability to take meaningful risks is essential to living a full life. Too often, mental health care undermines the healing power of dignity in the name of safety, even though reams of theory and research show that growth and recovery depend on trusting people to navigate life’s uncertainties. Supporting that navigation through collaboration and community isn’t just humane—it’s the most effective path toward real and lasting change.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Explain the concept of dignity as both an ethical principle and clinical necessity in mental health care, including its relationship to self-determination.

  • Describe the principle of the “dignity of risk” and its importance in supporting individuals’ growth outside of controlled or sequestered environments.

  • Identify strategies for fostering environments and relationships that prioritize collaboration, autonomy, and trust over surveillance and control to promote lasting recovery.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is for participants to deepen their understanding of dignity as a core clinical principle and learn actionable approaches to promote self-determination and the dignity of risk, creating treatment environments that balance safety with autonomy and support meaningful, lasting growth.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Ross Ellenhorn, MSW, PhD
Dr. Ellenhorn is trained as a sociologist, psychotherapist and social worker. He has spent the last two decades helping individuals suffering psychiatric symptoms find the psychological and social means for remaining outside institutional settings. He created the first fully-operating intensive hospital diversion and wrap-around program in Massachusetts, later creating and leading, one of the first Programs for Assertive Community Treatment teams in the Commonwealth. His book, which addresses psychiatric hospital recidivism and techniques for diverting hospital use, was published by Springer Publishing in 2007. Dr. Ellenhorn has given talks and seminars throughout the country, and has provided consultation to numerous mental health agencies and psychiatric hospitals on the subjects of hospital diversion, psychosocial rehabilitation, patient careerism and the PACT model. Dr. Ellenhorn is trained in Open Dialogue, a method for helping individuals experiencing extreme psychiatric states, and which has documented success in minimizing the need for psychotropic medications. A graduate of the UCLA School of Social Welfare, Dr. Ellenhorn is the first person to receive a joint Ph.D. from the prestigious Florence Heller School for Social Welfare Policy and Management and the Department of Sociology at Brandeis University.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Ellenhorn