Assignment 2: LASA: Ethical Decision Making: Case Study Paper
Many counselors are competent in their
knowledge and understanding of ethical standards and relevant laws.
However, real-world situations often do not lend themselves to
straightforward solutions. Therefore, counselors must rely on ethical
decision-making models to clearly explore ethical dilemmas and to
identify appropriate courses of action for different dilemmas. This
assignment will help you not only apply an ethical decision-making model
but also clearly identify a conceptual model for risk management that
can be used throughout one’s clinical practice.
Directions:
For this assignment, you will review the
following case study and incorporate the materials learned throughout
the course to answer the set of requirements that follow in a paper
approximately between 8-10 pages.
Case Study:
Zander is doing his master’s
in clinical mental health counseling and has become friends with Tasha,
one of his peers in the program. Tasha has shared that she had a
substance abuse problem in the past but did not attend an addiction
counseling program; rather, she chose to self-monitor and attend AA
meetings as needed. Tasha also confided that she has been involved in a
sexual relationship for several weeks with Dr. Supervisor, a new
supervisor at the agency where they are both interning. Dr. Supervisor
has just recently started to provide on-site internship supervision to
Zander and Tasha as well as two other students at the internship site.Tasha reveals she began
spending time with Dr. Supervisor 3 months ago, when he asked for her
assistance in setting up a personal Facebook page, so he could better
communicate with clients he sees at the site. Being well-versed in
social media, Tasha helped him set one up and taught him how to use it.
Over the next few weeks, they spent more time together, initially
working on Dr. Supervisor’s Facebook profile and trying to “friend” old
clients he used to work with at another agency. Tasha was thrilled they
had convinced at least five clients to leave Dr. Supervisor’s old
agency.Dr. Supervisor and Tasha began
to eventually go out to dinner. After 2 months, their interactions
evolved into a sexual relationship. Tasha tells Zander that she’s not
concerned about any conflict of interest and that she and Dr. Supervisor
will likely get engaged once she graduates from the program at the end
of the year. Zander is becoming increasingly concerned, however, as he
has seen Tasha and Dr. Supervisor meeting at an off-campus bar multiple
times in recent weeks, and Tasha has begun to miss classes and other
regularly scheduled meetings with clients. Zander reports a significant
increase in his caseload because Tasha is missing meetings with clients.
Tasks:
In approximately 8–10 pages:
- Identify Ethical Dilemma or Issues.
- Identify the relevant ethical dilemma and issues in the case study.
- Summarize Your Ethical Model.
- Outline the proposed
action(s) you would take in this case, providing justification for the
proposed action(s) and a description of the decision-making model used
to arrive at that decision.- The
decision-making model should be one that has been discussed in the
professional literature, and after explaining the model, you will need
to offer a rationale regarding why you chose to apply that particular
model to the case study.- You should be
sure to cite appropriate literature and must give proper credit to the
authors of any decision-making models used to analyze the case. - Do not simply
list the steps of the model; be sure to apply the model to the case and
document and defend your courses of action and your final decision. - Cite all
appropriate professional standards and relevant laws. Regardless of the
model chosen, you need to clearly identify, describe, and evaluate what
ethical codes and laws were violated. Be specific—use mental health
statutes and specific ethical codes that apply.
- You should be
- Discuss in detail
what actions you would take as you proceed through the steps of your
chosen ethical decision-making model; each of the steps should take at
least a paragraph (or more) to address.
- The
- Summarize what risk
management strategies you would have taken once you found out your peer
was engaged in a sexual relationship with your shared site supervisor.
- Outline the proposed
- Summarize ethical research and evaluate your behavior.
- Evaluate how you would
ensure your own professional behavior in the future. Determine a risk
management strategy for managing good ethical practice. This discussion
does not have to be relevant to the case but more so regarding how you
plan to manage your professional ethics in the future. Please consider:- Evaluation of counselor competence
- Strategies for obtaining supervision or consultation
- Use of ethical decision-making models
- Continued education or training on ethics
- Evaluate how you would
Your final product will be in a Microsoft Word paper and be approximately 8–10 pages in length. Utilize
approximately six to eight sources from professional literature in your
research. Professional literature may include the Argosy University
online library resources; relevant textbooks; peer-reviewed journal
articles; and websites created by professional organizations, agencies,
or institutions (.edu or .gov). Your deliverables should be written in a
clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship
in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display
accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation. APA style must be used.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor, it is crucial to create assignments that challenge medical college students to apply their knowledge and decision-making skills in real-world scenarios. This assignment requires students to apply ethical decision-making models to a case study and propose a risk management strategy to prevent ethical violations. The case study involves a peer in a clinical mental health counseling program who is engaged in a sexual relationship with their site supervisor, causing them to miss meetings with clients.
1. Identify Ethical Dilemma or Issues:
The primary ethical dilemma and issues in the case study include the potential violation of ethical codes and laws related to sexual relationships between counselors and clients or supervisors and supervisees. Tasha’s sexual relationship with Dr. Supervisor constitutes a conflict of interest and a breach of professional boundaries, which may harm clients and damage the reputation of the counseling program.
2. Summarize Your Ethical Model:
The proposed action in this case involves reporting the unethical behavior of Tasha and Dr. Supervisor to the counseling program’s director or the appropriate licensing board. This decision is based on the ethical decision-making model developed by Corey, Corey, and Callanan (2011), which involves eight steps: identify the problem, apply the ACA code of ethics, determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma, generate potential courses of action, consider the potential consequences of each course of action, select the best course of action, develop an implementation plan, and evaluate the plan.
3. Discuss in Detail What Actions You Would Take:
Upon identifying the problem, the relevant ethical codes or laws related to sexual relationships between counselors and clients or supervisors and supervisees would apply. In this case, ACA ethical codes A.5.a, A.5.b, A.10.a, and A.10.b prohibit counselors from engaging in sexual or romantic relationships with their current or former clients or with their supervisors or supervisees. After determining the nature and dimensions of the dilemma, potential courses of action, such as confronting Tasha and Dr. Supervisor, filing a complaint with the counseling program’s director, or reporting them to the licensing board, can be generated.
The potential consequences of each course of action should then be considered, including harm to clients, disciplinary action, or retaliation. The best course of action would be to report Tasha and Dr. Supervisor’s unethical behavior to the counseling program’s director or the appropriate licensing board and develop an implementation plan to prevent similar violations in the future.
4. Summarize Risk Management Strategies:
Once the unethical behavior is reported, risk management strategies can be implemented to prevent further ethical violations. These strategies may include offering training sessions on maintaining professional boundaries, establishing clear reporting policies and procedures, and regularly monitoring and evaluating potential ethical violations.
5. Summarize Ethical Research and Evaluate Your Behavior:
Evaluating our behavior as medical professionals is essential to ensuring that we maintain the highest ethical standards in our practice. This involves regularly assessing our competence, seeking supervision or consultation when necessary, using ethical decision-making models, and pursuing continued education or training on ethics. By doing so, we can minimize the risk of ethical violations and ensure that our clients receive the best possible care.
