Making Ethical Decisions in Mental Health Practice

Making Ethical Decisions Branton Mitchell PS311 Ethical Practice in a Diverse World 12-19-2023

Making Ethical Decisions There are many important factors that make for a good mental health professional. One of the most important part of being a successful mental health professional is to make ethical decisions. There are many factors that can make ethical decisions difficult. When a mental health professional is forced to make an ethical decision that is difficult, there is always a possibility that they could commit an ethical violation. A case study will be discussed in the essay as well as the ethical violations that were made and also how those violations could be fixed. Some strategies that could be used to make ethical decisions in this scenario will also be discussed. There are some very clear ethical violations in the scenario. The Main violation is the development of a personal and romantic relationship with a client. It starts out as personal conversations outside of the therapeutic relationship that Mr. Kelly has with his client. This is where Mr. Kelly should have let his client know that there are boundaries in the counselor-client relationship, and that they both should respect those rules and boundaries. However, Mr. Kelly allows Keri to make advances toward him in regards to going on a date with him. He doesn’t attempt in any way to stop the advances from happening, but her just continuously declines Keri’s offers. Mr. Kelly allowing Keri to make the advances toward him ultimately leads to him flirting with Keri. These violations are very serious for a mental health professional because the client develops a trust for their counselor and the counselor shouldn’t take advantage of the trust that the client has for them. “Practitioners need to differentiate between a sexual attraction and acting on this attraction. Sexual overtones can distort the therapeutic relationship and become

the primary focus of the sessions” (Corey, 2020). So the violations in the scenario are that Mr. Kelly allows Keri to make romantic gestures toward him, Mr. Kelly engages in The theoretical framework the Mr. Kelly could use in this scenario would be fidelity. Fidelity is when the counselor remains faithful and loyal to the commitments that they made to the client at the beginning of treatment. This is an area Mr. Kelly failed at when it comes to his treatment of Keri. He let his feelings for Keri and her feelings for her affect the way he treated her. A strategy that could be used in this example would be to have Mr. Kelly reported for ethical violations. The code that would apply to this would be APA 1.04 Informal Resolution of ethical violations. “When psychologists believe that there may have been an ethical violation by another psychologist, they attempt to resolve the issue by bringing it to the attention of that individual, if an informal resolution appears appropriate and the intervention does not violate any confidentiality rights that may be involved” (APA, 2017). This would be the last resort if the relationship continues to be unprofessional. The second strategy would be to transfer Keri to another Counselor. This would allow Keri to continue to receive treatment and also protect Mr. Kelly from violating any laws or regulations. The code that would apply to the strategy would be APA 3.09 Cooperation with other Professionals. “When indicated and professionally appropriate, psychologists cooperate with other professionals in order to serve their clients/patients effectively and appropriately” (APA, 2017). The third strategy that could be used is for Mr. Kelly set boundaries with both himself and Keri and how they will conduct themselves while in therapy sessions. This is something that should be outlined from the very beginning of treatment with a client. The code that applies to this strategy would be NAADAC 1-10 Boundaries. “Addiction professionals shall consider

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the inherent risks and benefits associated with moving the boundaries of a counseling relationship beyond the standard parameters. Providers shall obtain consultation and supervision, and recommendations shall be documented”. (NAADAC, 2021). When it comes to modifying the strategies that I listed above, I would use both the Counselor value-based decision making model and the Social Constructivism decision making model. The first strategy I would alter is the strategy to set boundaries between Mr. Kelly and Keri. Using the Counselor value-based model, Mr. Kelly would need to look at the barriers to proper treatment that are evident in his therapeutic relationship with Keri. He would then need to adjust the boundaries set in place so that he can maintain the Keri’s welfare and also provide adequate treatment for her without jeopardizing himself legally or ethically. An example of a starting boundary would be that Mr. Kelly says he will end the session if it begins to become more personal than therapeutic. He will need to look at all courses of action and then make the best ethical decision by following the Counselor value-based model. The second strategy that I would modify would be transferring Keri to another counselor. The Social Constructivism model would be appropriate for this strategy because it would allow for Mr. Kelly to assess his relationship with Keri and determine if he needs to outright transfer Keri, or if he may be able to bring in another counselor for his sessions with Keri. This model would also allow for Mr. Kelly to get the opinions of colleagues and supervisors to see what they have to say about the relationship he has with Keri. Once he has the opinions of other professionals, he could use all the feedback to make an informed decision that protects him legally and ethically and also promotes the welfare of Keri.

In conclusion, It is very important to maintain ethical standards when making decision involving a client. The relationship should stay professional at all times and there should be boundaries in place to promote ethical decisions throughout the treatment process. It is also important to include colleagues in the decision making process so that ethical violations can be disclosed and avoided. A counselor can use any of the ethical decision making models to guide them to the best course of action when faced with ethical dilemmas. As mental health professionals, it is essential that ethical and legal standards are followed while promoting the welfare of each client so that the treatment of the client can be successful.

References Corey, G. (2020). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (10th ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671378 American Psychological Association. (2017). APA Code of Ethics. NAADAC. (2021). Code of Ethics Revisions.

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Unit 6 Assignment Ethical Practice

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