The purpose of this paper is to discuss Joe, a mental health counselor and his action on treating Jill. Jill's was looking for help in dealing with mild anxiety and depression dealing with her job. After treating Jill for three weeks she disclosed she was having trouble with her sexuality. Joe reacted with shock and disbelief. Under the APA Joe violent Standard 2:
Competence. First he broke 2.01 Boundaries of Competence; Joe didn’t have the proper training and education for treating Jill. (APA, 2003).
Under ACA, Joe violated A.1.a. Primary Responsibility (ACA, 2005).
That in addition with 10.10b Informed Consent to Therapy. Joe is a traditional
Catholic. Who felt that Jill issues about sex were wrong? He broke 2.06 Personal Problems and
Conflicts . APA (APA, 2003) and ACA (ACA, 2005) A.2.c Development and Cultural
Sensitivity, A4. Avoiding Harm and Imposing Values. (APA, 2003). He told her to stop thinking about it and pray. He had no right to push his belief system on her. She was all ready having problems dealing with it and didn’t need any more guilty. At that point Joe should have referred her to another counselor.
He violated more standards, Standards 3: 3.01 (APA, 2003) Unfair Discrimination, 3.04
Avoiding Harm, 3.06 Conflict of Interest. (APA, 2003) I can go into so many more, but will hit the most important ones. APA 3.10 informed Consent (APA, 2003) this one was a big one since he broke her trust in calling her boss, this also broke APA 4.01 Standard 4: Privacy and Confidentiality . (APA, 2003) Joe tried to use a procedure that Jill declined.
She wanted to talk about family and deal with those feelings and how to cope. Joe was not comfortable with that and tried to change the subject, and ...
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...ard 4: Privacy and Confidentiality. (APA, 2003).
Afterwards Joe decided that general counseling was not for him. He decided to begin marriage and family therapy. If he had talked to his old supervisor he would have been fired and have his license taking away. It is too bad that there are councilors out there with that altitude. They do such harm to people who came to them asking for help. To be honest I don’t understand how he ever got his license.
Works Cited
ACA (2005). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from: http://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
APA (2003) “Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational Retrieved from: www.apc.org
Koocher, G. P., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2008). Ethics in psychology and the mental health professions: Standards and cases (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press
In this family, I cannot ignore the fact that Mr. Sanchez is working extremely hard to provide for his family. Not only does he have to work, but he wants to work and I cannot him any different. From reading the online description of Mr. Sanchez, I can honestly say that I am worried about his physical and mental health but I cannot tell Mr. Sanchez to stop working because that is a violation of the client’s ability to self – determination. As a social worker however, I can warn him of the possible risks and encourage him to visit the doctor but I cannot tell him to top working. As a social worker I have the responsibility to guide Mr. Sanchez and provide him with alternatives and options but ultimately the decision is his to
He was extremely uncomfortable. He said that he was angry at himself for starting fighting that landed him into counseling. He has a girlfriend. He desires to have intimate relations with her but cannot.
In the mental health profession of counseling, therapy, psychology, psychiatric and social services ethical dilemmas are faced primarily on a daily basis. Being that mental health professionals are working with clients who are often fragile and vulnerable, they must develop an intense awareness of ethical issues. On the other hand, mental health professionals would never intentionally harm their clients, students or colleagues and others whom they work with. Unfortunately, good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong doings will not occur and mental health professionals have no choice but to make ethically determined decisions. Depending upon the experience and expertise of the professional determines the outcome of the ethical circumstance. For example, if you were practicing mental health professional and had a friend who’s a licensed psychologist, who is invited to attend the wedding of a patient that she has been seeing in court-ordered therapy for a year; what advice would you give your friend?
What did she mean by on last sense freedom? What was the conversation about before? Were they going to abscond from the care home?
The field of clinical mental health is one of great reward, but also one of grave responsibility. It is the duty of the counselor to provide the client with a safe environment and an open mind, in order to foster a healthy therapeutic relationship. The majority of mental health counselors would never intentionally harm their clients; however; good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong will not occur. The ethical expectations and boundaries are regulated by both laws and professional codes. When discussing ethics, one must realize there are two categories, mandatory and aspirational. (Corey, Corey & Callanan, 2007)
... G. (2007). Overview of psychiatric ethics V: Utilitarianism and the ethics of duty. Australasian Psychiatry, 15950, 402-410. Doi:10.1080/10398560701439640. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
Linde, L.E., Erford, B.T., & Cheung, A. (2010). Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling. In B.T. Erford (Ed.), Orientations to the Counseling Profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations (pp.55-92). New Jersey: Pearson.
his situation. His reaction to her marriage in the first place sent him into deep depression,
Also, he was telling her what to do. He wanted her to sit around at home and not work and it was no conducive to her plans.
Gedge, E., & Waluchow, W. (2012). Readings in health care ethics (2nd ed.). Toronto, Ontario: Broadview Press.
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
Thompson, I. E., Melia, K. M., & Boyd, K. M. (2006). Nursing Ethics: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
Ethics in the counselling and psychotherapy protects the client and the therapist involved in the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process as a whole; with the concepts that act as a guide for the therapists in provision of good practice and care for the client. The framework is built on values of counselling and psychotherapy; principles of trustworthiness, autonomy, fidelity, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence and self-respect, and provides standards of good practice and care for the practitioner (BACP, 2010). Ethical framework contributes to the development of the therapeutic relationship and process by assisting therapist’s decisions, and guides their behaviour and proceedings within their legal rights and duties. The ethical frame is structured on the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship and the therapists should be aware of their categories and be responsible for their forms. Monitoring and being aware of what goes on in and out of the room physically, emotionally and psychologically is primarily the duty of the therapist.
The primary weakness of the APA is that it only applies to professional conduct and not private life. According to Pipes, Holstein, and Aguirre (2005), "APA codes apply within their role as psychologists...they may, with impunity from the Code, demean individuals of a particular gender or a particular religion with whom they interact only on a personal basis" (p. 326). While the APA has enforceable standards, the preamble and general principles are aspirational and seek to create individuals whose professional character will successfully integrate into their personal lives. For example, Jenny 's consultation with Rhonda went from a professional consultation to a gossip session on other issues within organization; when they failed "to guard against personal, financial, social, organizational or political factors" (APA, 2010) that might influence their ability to objectively resolve the present ethical dilemma. While the APA provide ethical principles and a professional code of conduct provide a foundation for resolving ethical dilemmas, it is not exhaustive and individuals should seek and use other models to help them resolve their ethical dilemmas, such as the eight-step decision
Koocher, G.P., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2008). Ethics in psychology and the mental health professions. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.