cou500 5-1 journal
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School
Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
500
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by DeaconAtom5623
5-1 Journal: Reflecting on the Ethical Case Study
Anna Parker Southern New Hampshire University
COU 500 The Counseling Profession
Dr Racquel Johnson
1/11/2024
After the week four discussion and reviewing other individuals’ opinions on how they would handle the situation I was able to see this situation from several different sides. Being able
to look at the same situation
and see how others would deal with it made me understand that my way of dealing with situations may not always be the best or only way to handle a situation and sometimes asking for input from others before deciding would be best not only for myself but for
my client as well.
In the Montana Code Annotated 2023 there is a law that requires a mental health professional
to report or warn if there is a propensity for violence. This law is 27-1-1102 Duty to warn of
violent behavior and it states “
A mental health professional has a duty to warn of or take
reasonable precautions to provide protection from violent behavior only if the patient has
communicated to the mental health professional an actual threat of physical violence by specific
means against a clearly identified or reasonably identifiable victim. The duty is discharged by a
mental health professional if the mental health professional has:
(1) made reasonable efforts to communicate the threat to the victim and notify the law
enforcement agency closest to the patient's or the victim's residence of the threat of violence; and
(2) supplied a requesting law enforcement agency with any information the mental health
professional has concerning the threat of violence.” (
Montana Code annotated 2023
)
I would need to keep this law in mind as well as the ethical codes when making a decision
about what serious and foreseeable harm could happen if I do not report what I have seen. In
doing this I would need a model that I could get through rather quickly so that no harm could
come to others while making my decision on what to do.
When I did my initial discussion, I used Welfel’s model and though it has quite a few steps I
still believe this model would be the best for me to use others used different models that would
work as well. Another model that I think would work too is the Corey, Corey, and Callanan’s
model (Sangganjanavanich & Reynolds, 2015). Many people thought Welfel’s model was useful
in this situation because of the speed you could go through the steps as well as asking for input
from others being helpful in the decision process. Having the ability to ask others and coming to
a consensus is important in counseling because this can help us with conflict resolution and goal
achievement.
As with anything in life, having a philosophy is always good. In this situation, finding an
approach that works while having a good sense of the philosophy of counseling needs to be a
part of it. Looking at decision making models, having the ability to apply the one that is
appropriate to the situation and be thought through quickly, can not only keep the client out of
trouble but can also keep others out of harm’s way. It is our responsibility as a counselor to stop
foreseeable harm legally and ethically and it is with a knowledge of what the counseling
philosophy is that helps us do that.
Sometimes there are laws that will go against what our ethics code says we need to do which
can cause some confusion and that is why in my opinion it is important to have a mentor to talk
to when these types of situations arise so that you do what is right not only for you as a counselor
but for the client as well.
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References
Sangganjanavanich, V. F., & Reynolds, C. A. (2015). Introduction to professional counseling
. SAGE. Unknown. (n.d.). Montana Code annotated 2023
. 27-1-1102. Duty to warn of violent behavior, MCA. https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0270/chapter_0010/part_0110/section_0020/0270-
0010-0110-0020.html
For additional information on APA Style formatting, please consult the APA Style Manual, 7th Edition
.