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Reflect on ethics in your current or past workplace (public or private organization). If not already established, do you think a code of ethics would help curb corruption or self-centered actions in your organization, and how so? Does your workplace require the code of ethics to be reviewed periodically? Are the articles enforced with established sanctions?
According to the 2014 ACA code of ethics “Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees, and research participants and seek training in areas in which they are at risk of imposing their values onto clients, especially when the counselor’s values are inconsistent with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature.” Review Butman and Yarhouse’s article “Psychopathology Through the Eyes of Faith: Integrative Reflections for the Classroom and Beyond” and briefly describe their approach to teaching psychopathology. Identify two or three elements you find interesting about their method of teaching psychopathology and explain why they are important to you.
Use this for a reference and 1 or 2 more
Reference:
Butman, R. E., & Yarhouse, M. (2014). Psychopathology through the eyes of faith: Integrative reflections for the classroom and beyond. Journal of Psychology & Theology, 42(1), 211-219.
Describe the ethical issues involved in the supervisor-supervisee relationship. How is this relationship similar to the professional-client relationship? How is it different?
Below are vignettes that address the ethical dilemma of professional boundaries and dual role relationships. Read each vignette and analyze the potential ethical/legal issues reflected in the vignettes, and comment on the availability of options for each of the therapists depicted in the vignettes. How would you have handled these situations?
Vignette 1
John is a licensed marriage and family therapist in a large metropolitan area where he has been in private practice for nearly ten years. John prides himself on being an ethical therapist who strives to maintain appropriate professional boundaries. However, in spite of his careful and professional conduct, John tends to worry that someday he may end up being listed in the Disciplinary Actions of the BBS. In fact, a few of his colleagues tease him and tell him he’s being overly obsessive about making a mistake. Once, when John unexpectedly encountered one of his clients at a local supermarket, he gave his patient a quick wave of his hand and immediately left the store. John recently discovered that more than one of his patients attends exactly the same church services that he does. Now John wonders whether he ought to attend a different church service or perhaps, a different church.
You are the executive director of a small publicly funded behavioral health agency that serves indigent clients. After 10 years of being able to serve all clients seeking help, your agency has just received a 20% budget cut and must prioritize which services to discontinue and which clients to turn away. The community has many suggestions: stop serving undocumented immigrants and their children; stop serving substance abuse clients, limit all clients to six sessions, discontinue providing expensive services like psychiatry, lay off professional counselors and hire non-licensed paraprofessionals, stop providing counseling and instead simply offer peer self-help groups and parenting classes, serve only the most seriously ill (or the least seriously ill), and serve only children. How would you approach the difficult task of cutting services by 20% in a manner that reflects your ethical obligations as a community counselor? Would your plan differ if you were in a private sector? If yes, how? What criteria would you consider? What theoretical or standard of care practice will you follow to make a final decision about what to cut from your program? Reference the ACA and/or NAADAC Code of Ethics to support your answer.