In the case study of Gwen, there is one major problem presented. That problem is whether it is ethical for a supervisor to counsel his supervisee. I think that Gwen is going through the grieving process after learning about her mother’s condition and is in a vulnerable spot. She feels like she cannot continue her work with hospice patients because of personal feelings. Ken thinks that Gwen is a great therapist and does not want to see her give up. He also feels like he would be the most effective person to give Gwen counseling, because of their trusting relationship. I think that this would be a bad idea and could cross professional boundaries. The Ethical Guidelines for Counseling Supervisors strongly suggest against a supervisor entering …show more content…
He might also present a biased decision because he thinks Gwen is a great counselor and does not want to see her quit, which could be the best thing for Gwen’s well-being. There was another way of dealing with this situation. Ken should have referred Gwen to another therapist to work on her problems and let her decide what the best path to choose is. He should have respected the professional boundaries of his career and known that the situation he was entering was potentially unethical. Extending the boundary beyond supervision can complicate the supervisory relationship. The same types of ethical issues still apply, if Ken had recommended to Gwen that she temporarily discontinue her field placement, and enter therapy in his private practice. He still has the establishment of the supervisor-supervisee relationship with Gwen; it is just temporarily on hold. It still creates a dual relationship that can potentially be harmful and the conflict of interest can still apply. The situation can also effect Ken’s reputation and the reputation of this profession. Frederic G. Reamer (2007) quoted, “The current National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, unlike its predecessors, includes numerous standards pertaining to dual relationships involving social work supervisors, consultants, educators, and field instructors (standards 3.01[b,c] and 3.02[d]). As in relationships with clients, social workers who serve as
The problem solving methods that might be helpful to assist Jerry in making an ethical decision would be to establish trust with the patient and become aware of the problem. Then analyze the problems and decide on a plan with the patient. He will then want to make sure he reinforces the commitment to the patient and activate the plan. Last, he will follow through with the task and monitor everything until the situation is taken care of.
On the issue of abortion with the 19-year old rape victim, I feel that she has a right to choose whether or not to go through with the abortion. As her counselor I have to put my personal feelings aside and help her to make the best decision for herself. My client is firm in her plans to have the abortion and since she is an adult her parents have no legal right to make her change her mind. I am unable to convince the parents to change their minds as they are not my clients and I have no input in how they feel. According to the ACA (2005) I must be sensitive to the family’s cultural beliefs and in the
1. Describe and discuss ethical frameworks within which counselling and therapeutic practitioners work. Include justification for observing codes of conduct and how professionalism is maintained.
This paper will first discuss briefly what ethics are and provide the definition for an ethical issue. An ethical leadership issue is identified and explained for this author’s practice area. We will then identify and discuss key strategies for leadership that are pertinent to the ethical issue. Next, empirical evidence which supports the strategies discussed will be analyzed. Then, the impact and importance of the strategies will be stated. The final step will be to provide a conclusion to the reader that summarizes the content and strategies.
This essay will discuss the legal and ethical concerns when working with children and young people. Confidentiality and safety issues will be discussed with relevant consideration as to how these issues may be addressed when forming a relationship with a child and their parents or caregivers. The influences of power, gender, ethnicity and cultural differences when counselling children and young people will be mentioned, with relevant aspects of key human development theories outlined. There are many things to consider when building a therapeutic relationship with a child or young person and potential challenges will be analysed and discussed. Finally, there are many skills needed to effectively communicate children and young
Regarding step 4, while there are no laws which pertain to this particular case as it does not involve a sexual relationship, but there are regulations and professional standards one must adhere to. Step 4 and step 5 are closely related and are the crux of this ethical dilemma. Ethics codes of all major mental health associations mandate that therapists/supervisors
This paper is a response to a video discussing the issues of confidentiality, privilege, reporting, and duty to warn. This paper looks at these issues and their explanations in the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics as well as the Georgia State Board of Professional Counselor’s ethical guidelines and provides a commentary on the laws. It was found that these issues are not always black and white, but there is some debate on these issues. Confidentiality is both an ethical and a legal responsibility yet there are often times when the ethical demands clash with the legal demands. This paper explores some of those crashes and explains what I have learned from the video and the professional and stage guidelines concerning confidentiality and its implications and how I will apply what I have learned into future practice.
You are a Licensed Professional School Counselor working in a middle school in North Carolina and one of my former students Tierra has graduated and has come by my office to share her plans after graduation. While talking with her, she has informed me that she had been romantically involved with her high school counselor, Zack for most of her senior year in high school but that they had recently decided to just be friends. Tierra also stated they had not been involved sexually, and had not gone any further than kissing.
The ethical dilemma I wish to explore is The Duty to Warn. This refers to the duty of a counselor, therapist to breach one of the most important bonds between a client and a therapist; the law of confidentiality. The therapist has the right to break confidentiality without the fear of being brought up for legal action. If the therapist believes that the client poses a danger, or is a threat to himself, someone else, or society as a whole, the therapist must decide how serious of a threat the client may be, then if he decides it’s a serious issue, he must notify the person in danger, which would e the third party, or the police, or other people who may be in the
Counseling supervision, the ethical and legal issues, and the multiple relationships that result is a dynamic topic that presents numerous complex issues. The important functions of the supervisory relationship are to teach counseling through a hands-on process, assess, inform, implement, and evaluate the application of theories, ethical and competent practices to prepare the supervisee for their future profession in the counseling field. However, while supervisors play multiple roles in the supervision process, there are situations and times when the boundaries between therapy and supervision are not always clear. During the supervisory relationship it is vital and of the upmost importance that the supervisor model’s ethical behavior and implements the ethical standards of the counseling profession.
Dual relationships and the ethical behavior that revolves around boundaries with clients present a multitude of very complicated situations to counselors where a clearly defined course of action is not always evident. Aside from no accord amongst mental health professionals and boundary issues being unavoidable at times, recognition and prediction of potential benefits or pitfalls correlated with dual relationships can prove to be troublesome as well (Remley & Herlihy, 2010). For most cases, it is best if an outline is used to discern when it is appropriate for a counselor to breach the client-counselor boundary.
Our country was founded on certain moral principles. The moral principles which guide our lives are referred to as ethics. These ethics have an impact on how we interact with the world around us and shape our personalities; this happens even if we do not realize their immediate impact. It is for this very reason that ethics in psychological research became necessary. “One may also define ethics as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues” (Resnik, 2011). We are expected to behave or be treated a particular way in society, therefore we should be granted certain ethical treatments in regards to research.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your discussion post. You indicated, "Each step in this decision process should assume that at any point the therapist has the option of seeking consultation with other professionals who may be able to offer perception and insight that may, in the midst of the ethical dilemma, be difficult to see by oneself." I agree with your cognitive consciousness. Seeking consultation from another counselor would be in the greater interest of Martha and her therapist. However, if "these trained professional" are not trained and equipped enough with the mental fortitude that is needed to overcome the temptation, they should remove themselves from their current occupation, and move forward to another career. The institution
The topic of this paper focuses on the battles school counselors face as the law and ethical standards collide. School counselors face a number of legal and ethical issues and recognizing a clear decision isn’t always easy. School counselors have to work with a large number of students, parents, and administrators while conforming to ethical codes, state laws, and school board guidelines. This topic is of great relevance to me as I will be going into the school counseling profession. It is also a meaningful topic to me because life-changing decisions are made every day in reference to legal and ethical issues. Researching this topic has shed some light on the difficulty for school counselors to fulfill both legal and ethical
In this case, the psychologist is presented with several ethical issues which could cause harm to the client. The first ethical issue that arose in this case is the potential for a role conflict. The psychologist and Mr. Hartwig had contact prior to the development of a therapeutic relationship when the psychologist bought a car from Mr. Hartwig. It may not be enough that the brief, informal relationship ended. The psychologist must assess the dimensions of the previous relationship from the viewpoint of the client as well as his/her own personal feelings (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2008). For example, the client could feel that he gave the psychologist a good deal and that the psychologist was indebted to him. This could leave the