This paper should reflect your understanding of the readings and your clear position of the issues. The paper should be typed and double-spaced, carefully proofread, and should give evidence of considerable thought/outside reading, and must show a development of your positions in a coherent, logical, and organized way. Please use APA formatting guidelines.
Consider yourself as a future counselor as you write your paper. The first paper focuses on:
The ethical decision-making process with an emphasis on self-awareness and analysis of the various Codes of Ethics.
Analysis of your values with implications for counseling practice, including the role of cultural values in counseling.
Issues and Ethics text, Chapters 1 to 6. The central theme of questions #4 to #8 deal with value issues. For these questions your task is to examine ways your values might affect your counseling practice, either positively or negatively. Use Chapter 3 of the Issues and Ethics text (Values) as the core chapter. Focus on ways that your values would influence the manner in which you think about ethical issues and how you would resolve an ethical dilemma.
Begin each new essay on a separate page, number the question, and use the title at the top of your page, which is given in bold print below. Each essay is to be limited to two double-spaced pages. Use page numbers.
1. Steps in Making Ethical Decisions (See Chapter 1)
Select any ONE of the cases below and demonstrate the steps you would take in dealing ethically with the situation if you were presented with the ethical dilemma involved in the case.
Ethics Case Study #1
Omar and Johna al-Hakim come to therapy to address the increasing level of conflict that they have been having in their relationship. They have been married for five years, and explain to you that their religion (Islam) is a central part their relationship. Omar has been growing increasingly concerned that Johna is not adhering to traditional Islamic practices for a woman, while Johna complains that Omar is becoming too strict and imposing rules that are meant to keep her from performing her job as a nurse at a local hospital. Omar states that he is merely applying the tenets of his faith as outlined in the Qurían. Johna argues that she is a faithful Muslim wife, but that she also is a woman living in the 21st century (‘Not the 13th century!’). You have only a passing knowledge of Islam and are unsure of how to define whether this is an issue of a wife dealing with an overbearing husband, or a conflict over differing interpretations of cultural and religious standards by two adult individuals.
Ethics Case Study #2
Arthur is a couples and family therapist in a group practice with several other practitioners. The practice is owned by a psychiatrist who operates the finances of the practice with the other therapists using a 75/25 ‘split’ to cover office rental, utilities, and billing. The psychiatrist has a staff in charge of the billing and the distribution of any income. The majority of Arthur’s clients were families with school-age children who had sub-clinical adjustment disorders and ‘parent-child conflicts’ (a ‘V-code’ on DSM-IV-TR). The billing staff and the psychiatrist discussed with Arthur that if he could diagnose the children in the family with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Depression, then insurance companies would be more likely to pay for the sessions, which would mean more money for him and the practice. In fact, when he first joined the practice the psychiatrist offered to adjust Arthur’s split to 80/20 if he would refer the ‘identified patients’ to him so that he could at least charge for a diagnostic session. Arthur stated that he did not feel comfortable with this arrangement and declined this option
2. Countertransference (See Chapter 2)
Identify one form of countertransference you might struggle with and address how you would deal with this in an ethical and effective manner.
3. Dealing with a Value Conflict (See Chapter 3)
Identify one specific value that you are likely to push, or an area where you expect to struggle because of a value conflict with a given client. Or, identify one of your core values and show how this value could either enhance or inhibit the effectiveness of counseling. Demonstrate how you might proceed to lessen the chances that you would impose your values on this client. How might you resolve a value conflict and use referral as a last option?
4. Ethics in Multicultural Practice (See Chapter 4)
Raise what you consider to be one of the most significant questions regarding the ethical aspects of multicultural practice—and then address your question.
5. Informed Consent (See Chapter 5)
After reading the material in the text on informed consent and reviewing the samples given, develop your own informed consent document that you would present to your clients.
6. Malpractice (See Chapter 5)
Identify some of the ways you will go about decreasing the chances of getting involved in a malpractice suit. Focus on your attitudes and actions that are likely to prevent you from malpractice actions. What guidance do the various codes of ethics provide for you in lessening a malpractice action?
7. Discuss one of the following issues [See Chapter 6; see also Codes of Ethics in the Helping Professions for various codes dealing with confidentiality and privacy].
7a (Confidentiality)-After reviewing Chapter 6 and all the major ethics codes on confidentiality, raise one question that most interests you and address this question.
7b. Duty to Warn and to Protect. [See Chapter 6]. Assume you are counseling a client that you have serious concerns about with respect to either danger to self (suicidal person) or danger to other (violent person). Create a brief scenario and identify the salient legal, ethical, and clinical issues. Assuming that you would seek consultation, what would you ask of the consult? Discuss what you would do (giving your rationale) in the scenario you present.
8. Self-Evaluation.
How would you evaluate yourself as a learner in this class to date? What are your strengths? Areas needing work? How much are you investing of yourself? How do you assess your participation in class?
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