About the instructor

Frederic G. Reamer is Professor in the graduate program of the School of Social Work, Rhode Island College, where he has been on the faculty since 1983.  His research and teaching have addressed a wide range of human service issues, including mental health, health care, criminal justice, public welfare, and professional ethics.  Dr. Reamer received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1978) and has served as a social worker in correctional and mental health settings.  He has also taught at the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration (1978-1981), and the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Social Work (1981-1983).  Dr. Reamer has served as Director of the National Juvenile Justice Assessment Center of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1979-1981); as Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor of Rhode Island (1987-1990); and as a Commissioner of the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation, the state housing finance agency (1987-1995). Dr. Reamer served on the State of Rhode Island Parole Board from 1992 to 2016.  He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Social Work Education (1990-1994).  He serves as Associate Editor of the National Association of Social Workers Encyclopedia of Social Work (Oxford University Press and National Association of Social Workers).

Dr. Reamer has conducted extensive research on professional ethics.  He has been involved in several national research projects sponsored by The Hastings Center, the Carnegie Corporation, the Haas Foundation, and the Scattergood Program for the Applied Ethics of Behavioral Healthcare at the Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania.  He has published 23 books and more than 170 journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia articles.  His books include:

• On the Parole Board: Reflections on Crime, Punishment, Redemption, and Justice (Columbia University Press)
• Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Behavioral Health (Cognella Academic Publishing)
• Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Social Work (Cognella Academic Publishing)
• Risk Management in Social Work: Preventing Professional Malpractice, Liability, and Disciplinary Action (Columbia University Press)
• Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services (Columbia University Press)
• Heinous Crime: Cases, Causes, and Consequences (Columbia University Press)
• The Social Work Ethics Casebook: Cases and Commentary (NASW Press)
• A Guide to Essential Human Services (NASW Press)
• Criminal Lessons: Case Studies and Commentary on Crime and Justice (Columbia University Press)
• Social Work Values and Ethics (Columbia University Press)
• Tangled Relationships: Managing Boundary Issues in the Human Services (Columbia University Press)
• Ethical Standards in Social Work: A Review of the NASW Code of Ethics (NASW Press)
• The Social Work Ethics Audit: A Risk Management Tool (NASW Press)
• Ethics Education in Social Work (Council on Social Work Education)
• The Foundations of Social Work Knowledge (Columbia University Press; editor and contributor)
• Social Work Malpractice and Liability (Columbia University Press)
• Social Work Research and Evaluation Skills (Columbia University Press)
• The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work (Columbia University Press)
• AIDS and Ethics (Columbia University Press; editor and contributor)
• Ethical Dilemmas in Social Service (Columbia University Press)
• Rehabilitating Juvenile Justice (Columbia University Press; co-author, Charles H. Shireman)
• The Teaching of Social Work Ethics (The Hastings Center; co-author, Marcia Abramson).
• Finding Help for Struggling Teens: A Guide for Parents and the Professionals Who Work with Them (NASW Press; co-author, Deborah H. Siegel)
• Teens in Crisis: How the Industry Serving Struggling Teens Helps and Hurts Our Kids (Columbia University Press; co-author, Deborah H. Siegel)

Dr. Reamer is also the author of chapters on professional ethics in the Encyclopedia of Social Work, Encyclopedia of Bioethics, Encyclopedia of Global Ethics, Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics, Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development, Encyclopedia of Higher Education, and Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion. He has been an essayist on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition (“This I Believe” series), a commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, and a guest on various radio and television broadcasts.  Since 2007 Dr. Reamer has served as host and producer of the National Public Radio series This I Believe—New England, broadcast weekly.  He is featured in the Yahoo News national series Unfiltered and as a commentator in the video documentaries America’s Serial Killers: Portraits in Evil and Rampage: Killing without Reason.  He is also a featured expert on the PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) series This Emotional Life.

Dr. Reamer has lectured extensively nationally and internationally (including India, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Djibouti, Bahrain, Indonesia, Diego Garcia, Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, and Canada) on the subjects of professional ethics and professional malpractice and liability.  He has served as an adjunct professor and visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, Tulane University, Simmons College, Smith College, University of Oklahoma, and Augsburg University.  Dr. Reamer chaired the national task force that wrote the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and served on the code revision task force.  He chaired the international commission sponsored by the Association of Social Work Boards to develop Model Regulatory Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice.  Dr. Reamer also chaired the national task force sponsored jointly by the National Association of Social Workers, Association of Social Work Boards, Council on Social Work Education, and Clinical Social Work Association to develop Technology Standards in Social Work Practice. He has served as an expert witness and consultant in 117 court and licensing board cases addressing professional ethics.

Dr. Reamer received the “Distinguished Contributions to Social Work Education” award from the Council on Social Work Education (1995); Presidential Award from the National Association of Social Workers (1997); Richard Lodge Prize from Adelphi University for “outstanding contributions to the development of social work theory” (2005); Edith Abbott Award from the University of Chicago for “distinguished service to society and outstanding contributions at the local, national or international levels” (2005); Neil J. Houston, Jr. Memorial Award for “dedicated service and citizen contribution toward the criminal justice profession and the public interest” (2009); International Rhoda G. Sarnat Award from the National Association of Social Workers for significantly advancing “the public image of social work” (2012); Excellence in Ethics Award from the National Association of Social Workers (2015); and inaugural Contributor Award from the Association of Social Work Boards (2019). 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.”