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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Chapter 13 Whose Responsibility Are Professional Ethics?
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Discuss the ethical risks associated with conducting agency risk audits.
2. Discuss the debate in social work practice concerning what constitutes appropriate ethical practice.
3. Explain the procedures for reporting unethical behavior by a social worker.
4. What is a client’s bill of rights and why is it necessary?
5. Review with the class the meaning of accountability (who is accountable, and once found accountable what the process is); risk assessment, training, professional complain procedures, etc…, to deal with the problem.
6. Discuss whether or not students feel that social workers attain knowledge and skills that allow them to contribute effectively in ethical discussions involving social workers and clients.
7. According to Dolgoff et al (2008) ethical decision-making begins with familiarity with the Code of Ethics as well as the clarification of one’s own values. Discuss any areas in which your personal values conflict with the Code of Ethics. What do you plan to do if confronted with such a situation?
8. Conduct and facilitate a mock peer review meeting with all students sharing a case in the past or present to see how the process works. Discuss with the students whether they felt the process benefited them or did not benefit them.
9. Ask the students to create their own patient bill of right’s and then compare their ideas with a real copy of a client’s bill of rights. Discuss the similarities and differences.
10. Peer review meetings are important because…
11. Agency risk audits are conducted for which of the following reasons?
12. Discuss-Among NASW members, there is much confusion and disagreement as to what constitutes appropriate ethical practice.
1. Discuss the ethical risks associated with conducting agency risk audits.
2. Discuss the debate in social work practice concerning what constitutes appropriate ethical practice.
3. Explain the procedures for reporting unethical behavior by a social worker.
4. What is a client’s bill of rights and why is it necessary?
5. Review with the class the meaning of accountability (who is accountable, and once found accountable what the process is); risk assessment, training, professional complain procedures, etc…, to deal with the problem.
6. Discuss whether or not students feel that social workers attain knowledge and skills that allow them to contribute effectively in ethical discussions involving social workers and clients.
7. According to Dolgoff et al (2008) ethical decision-making begins with familiarity with the Code of Ethics as well as the clarification of one’s own values. Discuss any areas in which your personal values conflict with the Code of Ethics. What do you plan to do if confronted with such a situation?
8. Conduct and facilitate a mock peer review meeting with all students sharing a case in the past or present to see how the process works. Discuss with the students whether they felt the process benefited them or did not benefit them.
9. Ask the students to create their own patient bill of right’s and then compare their ideas with a real copy of a client’s bill of rights. Discuss the similarities and differences.
10. Peer review meetings are important because…
11. Agency risk audits are conducted for which of the following reasons?
12. Discuss-Among NASW members, there is much confusion and disagreement as to what constitutes appropriate ethical practice.
Chapter 12 Changing World, Changing Dilemmas
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Discuss how managed care organizations limit therapeutic services for clients.
2. Discuss the types of ethical dilemmas that are created by managed care organizations.
3. Define what client dumping is, how it occurs, and why it occurs.
4. Discuss the ethical implications of client dumping.
5. As a macro practitioner, to whom do your loyalties belong? (the agency, the community in general, the human service agencies within the community, the community’s population, your friends)
6. List and discuss the options that therapists choose when insurance coverage ends.
7. Discuss Caputo’s (1991), ethical framework for electronic communications.
8. Many funding sources now require that agencies provide outcome data in order to continue receiving funding. Discuss some of the ethical issues that might come up in an agency that is required to prove the effectiveness of its various programs.
9. Discuss the policy implications of managed care, how it effects practice, and relate it back to chapter 11 where it is discussed that misdiagnosis is often intentional on the part of the practitioner.
10. Discuss what students feel a therapist should do if a client who needs continued treatment has reached the maximum on his annual or lifetime benefits but is unable to pay for services.
11. Research knowledge, clinical expertise, and client values are all integrated in evidence-based practice. Discuss the five steps a practitioner needs to perform in evidence-based practice.
12. Discuss what you believe is the ethical thing to do when a client can no longer pay the therapist’s fee.
1. Discuss how managed care organizations limit therapeutic services for clients.
2. Discuss the types of ethical dilemmas that are created by managed care organizations.
3. Define what client dumping is, how it occurs, and why it occurs.
4. Discuss the ethical implications of client dumping.
5. As a macro practitioner, to whom do your loyalties belong? (the agency, the community in general, the human service agencies within the community, the community’s population, your friends)
6. List and discuss the options that therapists choose when insurance coverage ends.
7. Discuss Caputo’s (1991), ethical framework for electronic communications.
8. Many funding sources now require that agencies provide outcome data in order to continue receiving funding. Discuss some of the ethical issues that might come up in an agency that is required to prove the effectiveness of its various programs.
9. Discuss the policy implications of managed care, how it effects practice, and relate it back to chapter 11 where it is discussed that misdiagnosis is often intentional on the part of the practitioner.
10. Discuss what students feel a therapist should do if a client who needs continued treatment has reached the maximum on his annual or lifetime benefits but is unable to pay for services.
11. Research knowledge, clinical expertise, and client values are all integrated in evidence-based practice. Discuss the five steps a practitioner needs to perform in evidence-based practice.
12. Discuss what you believe is the ethical thing to do when a client can no longer pay the therapist’s fee.
Chapter 11 Social Work with Selected Client Groups
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Discuss the debate within the social work profession concerning a therapist’s duty to warn a partner that they may be infected with HIV.
2. Discuss some of the costs to society that domestic violence has (judicial, medical, shelter, etc).
3. Discuss the types of ethical dilemmas that are created by managed care organizations.
4. NASW feels that client self-determination should apply to all aspects of life and death, and affirms the right of any individual to direct his or her care wishes at the end of life (Social Work Speaks Abstracts, 2007). What are your feelings related to social workers’ role in presenting clients with end-of-life options?
5. List the pros and cons of patient-assisted suicide in regards to the 1999 NASW Code of Ethics.
6. Discuss how omitting consideration of spiritual or religious orientations that are important to clients can limit the effectiveness of the social worker’s efforts.
7. Can therapeutic alliances be developed online? Discuss some of the benefits to online therapy verses face-to-face therapy.
8. Discuss the class the current debate in the mental health profession regarding whether or not a social worker has a duty to warn a partner if their client disclosed they are HIV positive and have not informed their partner.
9. Discuss what a social worker should do when managed care will not reimburse unless there is a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis. Is it ethical to misdiagnose in order for the client to receive needed services?
10. Discuss how the following issues can be ethically addressed in online sessions: explaining the limits of confidentiality and mandated reporting laws; obtaining informed consent; providing the fee structure; discussing record-keeping, and security measures and termination policies.
11. Discuss the many forms of domestic violence: who it involves, who the client is, and what the treatment outcomes are.
12. Discuss the inconsistency between Standard 1.02 of the Code, which asserts that social workers have a responsibility to limit self-determination when people pose a serious risk to themselves or others, and the NASW Standards for Palliative and End of Life Care.
1. Discuss the debate within the social work profession concerning a therapist’s duty to warn a partner that they may be infected with HIV.
2. Discuss some of the costs to society that domestic violence has (judicial, medical, shelter, etc).
3. Discuss the types of ethical dilemmas that are created by managed care organizations.
4. NASW feels that client self-determination should apply to all aspects of life and death, and affirms the right of any individual to direct his or her care wishes at the end of life (Social Work Speaks Abstracts, 2007). What are your feelings related to social workers’ role in presenting clients with end-of-life options?
5. List the pros and cons of patient-assisted suicide in regards to the 1999 NASW Code of Ethics.
6. Discuss how omitting consideration of spiritual or religious orientations that are important to clients can limit the effectiveness of the social worker’s efforts.
7. Can therapeutic alliances be developed online? Discuss some of the benefits to online therapy verses face-to-face therapy.
8. Discuss the class the current debate in the mental health profession regarding whether or not a social worker has a duty to warn a partner if their client disclosed they are HIV positive and have not informed their partner.
9. Discuss what a social worker should do when managed care will not reimburse unless there is a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis. Is it ethical to misdiagnose in order for the client to receive needed services?
10. Discuss how the following issues can be ethically addressed in online sessions: explaining the limits of confidentiality and mandated reporting laws; obtaining informed consent; providing the fee structure; discussing record-keeping, and security measures and termination policies.
11. Discuss the many forms of domestic violence: who it involves, who the client is, and what the treatment outcomes are.
12. Discuss the inconsistency between Standard 1.02 of the Code, which asserts that social workers have a responsibility to limit self-determination when people pose a serious risk to themselves or others, and the NASW Standards for Palliative and End of Life Care.
Chapter 10 Organizational and Work Relationships
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. The book provides six actions a social worker can take upon learning that a colleague has engaged in unethical behaviors. List and discuss four of the six options.
2. Explain why a social worker is faced with an ethical dilemma when they discover that the policies of the agency they work for are not ethical.
3. Explain in detail how you would assess the following situation:
Your supervisor is going away for two weeks and asks you to stay at her home to take care of her animals and keep an eye on the house. She offers you $200.00 for your assistance.
4. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the concepts of direct liability and vicarious liability.
5. The goals and objectives of some organizations are not always congruent with the values of the social work profession. To whom should a social worker be committed: the employing agency, the client, or themselves? Provide rationale for your decision.
6. List and discuss the responsibilities of a supervisor.
7. Discuss the Exemplar 10.2 Failure to Report a Case of Child Abuse (page 165), and how a report could affect the therapeutic relationship.
8. Engage the class in a discussion of both the positive and negative experiences they have had with supervisors in their past and present placements.
9. Discuss with the class what a social worker should do if their ethics and values are in conflict with the ethics and values of a member of their consulting team who is from another profession.
10. If an administrator renames “recreation services” to “respite services” because government funding for recreation is dropped, an illusion of compliance is achieved by playing semantics games; is this ethical behavior?
11. Discuss with the class what each member feels her responsibility is when she learns that a colleague has violated the Code of Ethics.
12. Ask the students to list what qualities they look for in a supervisor and discuss these qualities as a class.
1. The book provides six actions a social worker can take upon learning that a colleague has engaged in unethical behaviors. List and discuss four of the six options.
2. Explain why a social worker is faced with an ethical dilemma when they discover that the policies of the agency they work for are not ethical.
3. Explain in detail how you would assess the following situation:
Your supervisor is going away for two weeks and asks you to stay at her home to take care of her animals and keep an eye on the house. She offers you $200.00 for your assistance.
4. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the concepts of direct liability and vicarious liability.
5. The goals and objectives of some organizations are not always congruent with the values of the social work profession. To whom should a social worker be committed: the employing agency, the client, or themselves? Provide rationale for your decision.
6. List and discuss the responsibilities of a supervisor.
7. Discuss the Exemplar 10.2 Failure to Report a Case of Child Abuse (page 165), and how a report could affect the therapeutic relationship.
8. Engage the class in a discussion of both the positive and negative experiences they have had with supervisors in their past and present placements.
9. Discuss with the class what a social worker should do if their ethics and values are in conflict with the ethics and values of a member of their consulting team who is from another profession.
10. If an administrator renames “recreation services” to “respite services” because government funding for recreation is dropped, an illusion of compliance is achieved by playing semantics games; is this ethical behavior?
11. Discuss with the class what each member feels her responsibility is when she learns that a colleague has violated the Code of Ethics.
12. Ask the students to list what qualities they look for in a supervisor and discuss these qualities as a class.
Chapter 9 The Professional Relationship: Limits, Dilemmas, and Problems
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Discuss the two opposing views of the social work profession in regards to Gewirth’s principle of Generic Consistency.
2. Create five examples of dual-role relationships and explain why each one could constitute an ethical dilemma.
3. Discuss what consequences could arise for a client if engaged in a sexual relationship with a therapist.
4. Explain the argument by some social workers that a sexual relationship with a client in certain circumstances is beneficial to treatment.
5. Is therapist self-disclosure to a client ethical? Why or why not?
6. Using the list of reasons to lie to a client provided on the top of page 152, discuss with the class which ones they feel are ethical reasons for being dishonest and why they feel this way.
7. Have students discuss their feelings about the limited personal privacy for a client (that the professional does not control the data provided by the client) and how, if at all, that impacts the therapeutic relationship.
8. Discuss feelings related to using dishonesty when it is in the client’s interest (such as presenting a wrong diagnosis so as to be able to provide services that the client is in need of that would otherwise not be available).
9. Discuss the debate in the social work profession about sexual relations with clients and why some social workers feel it is appropriate in specific instances.
10. Using Table 9.1 Frequency and Percentages of Incidents and Perceived Appropriateness of Behavior of Social Work Professionals, on page 148, give the class an opportunity to take this as an exam; have them list “yes” or “no” in regards to whether they feel it is appropriate or not. Do not have them put their names on the quiz. Have the students hand in their quizzes and then tally the numbers of yes and no responses per each question. Discuss the results.
11. Answer the following questions based on the vignette below.
Alex is a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts. He is a forensic social worker in a state mental hospital, working solely with patients who have been deemed not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Alex is informed by admissions that he will be receiving another NGRI patient; a 27-year-old Caucasian female named Zoe Taylor. He immediately recognizes the name as an old girlfriend of two years, who he had a sexual relationship with that ended four years prior. Zoe has murdered her husband by shooting him point blank in the chest with a shotgun in front of her son. She shot him because he has been cheating on her with multiple partners. Because Alex was once involved with Zoe and still has unresolved feelings for her, he immediately sets up a transfer for Zoe to be held at the local county jail. Alex never informed his supervisor of his prior relationship with Zoe. Alex goes to see Zoe in the prison three days per week to discuss her case and to have sex. A prison guard walks in on Alex and Zoe in the act of intercourse and reports the behavior to Alex’s supervisor at the hospital. Alex’s supervisor is the clinical director of the hospital and Alex’s best friend. He feels Alex made an error in judgment that can be dealt with in supervision thus no report of sexually inappropriate behavior on the part of Alex was ever reported to NASW.
1. What was Alex’ responsibility to the hospital, himself, and Zoe when the admission call was initiated?
2. Are there any dual-role relationships in the vignette? If so, how many and between whom?
12. Answer the following questions based on the vignette below.
Alex is a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts. He is a forensic social worker in a state mental hospital, working solely with patients who have been deemed not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Alex is informed by admissions that he will be receiving another NGRI patient; a 27-year-old Caucasian female named Zoe Taylor. He immediately recognizes the name as an old girlfriend of two years, who he had a sexual relationship with that ended four years prior. Zoe has murdered her husband by shooting him point blank in the chest with a shotgun in front of her son. She shot him because he has been cheating on her with multiple partners. Because Alex was once involved with Zoe and still has unresolved feelings for her, he immediately sets up a transfer for Zoe to be held at the local county jail. Alex never informed his supervisor of his prior relationship with Zoe. Alex goes to see Zoe in the prison three days per week to discuss her case and to have sex. A prison guard walks in on Alex and Zoe in the act of intercourse and reports the behavior to Alex’s supervisor at the hospital. Alex’s supervisor is the clinical director of the hospital and Alex’s best friend. He feels Alex made an error in judgment that can be dealt with in supervision thus no report of sexually inappropriate behavior on the part of Alex was ever reported to NASW.
3. What was the responsibility of the prison guard who discovered Alex and Zoe engaging in intercourse?
4. What was the responsibility of the hospital’s clinical director?
1. Discuss the two opposing views of the social work profession in regards to Gewirth’s principle of Generic Consistency.
2. Create five examples of dual-role relationships and explain why each one could constitute an ethical dilemma.
3. Discuss what consequences could arise for a client if engaged in a sexual relationship with a therapist.
4. Explain the argument by some social workers that a sexual relationship with a client in certain circumstances is beneficial to treatment.
5. Is therapist self-disclosure to a client ethical? Why or why not?
6. Using the list of reasons to lie to a client provided on the top of page 152, discuss with the class which ones they feel are ethical reasons for being dishonest and why they feel this way.
7. Have students discuss their feelings about the limited personal privacy for a client (that the professional does not control the data provided by the client) and how, if at all, that impacts the therapeutic relationship.
8. Discuss feelings related to using dishonesty when it is in the client’s interest (such as presenting a wrong diagnosis so as to be able to provide services that the client is in need of that would otherwise not be available).
9. Discuss the debate in the social work profession about sexual relations with clients and why some social workers feel it is appropriate in specific instances.
10. Using Table 9.1 Frequency and Percentages of Incidents and Perceived Appropriateness of Behavior of Social Work Professionals, on page 148, give the class an opportunity to take this as an exam; have them list “yes” or “no” in regards to whether they feel it is appropriate or not. Do not have them put their names on the quiz. Have the students hand in their quizzes and then tally the numbers of yes and no responses per each question. Discuss the results.
11. Answer the following questions based on the vignette below.
Alex is a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts. He is a forensic social worker in a state mental hospital, working solely with patients who have been deemed not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Alex is informed by admissions that he will be receiving another NGRI patient; a 27-year-old Caucasian female named Zoe Taylor. He immediately recognizes the name as an old girlfriend of two years, who he had a sexual relationship with that ended four years prior. Zoe has murdered her husband by shooting him point blank in the chest with a shotgun in front of her son. She shot him because he has been cheating on her with multiple partners. Because Alex was once involved with Zoe and still has unresolved feelings for her, he immediately sets up a transfer for Zoe to be held at the local county jail. Alex never informed his supervisor of his prior relationship with Zoe. Alex goes to see Zoe in the prison three days per week to discuss her case and to have sex. A prison guard walks in on Alex and Zoe in the act of intercourse and reports the behavior to Alex’s supervisor at the hospital. Alex’s supervisor is the clinical director of the hospital and Alex’s best friend. He feels Alex made an error in judgment that can be dealt with in supervision thus no report of sexually inappropriate behavior on the part of Alex was ever reported to NASW.
1. What was Alex’ responsibility to the hospital, himself, and Zoe when the admission call was initiated?
2. Are there any dual-role relationships in the vignette? If so, how many and between whom?
12. Answer the following questions based on the vignette below.
Alex is a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts. He is a forensic social worker in a state mental hospital, working solely with patients who have been deemed not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Alex is informed by admissions that he will be receiving another NGRI patient; a 27-year-old Caucasian female named Zoe Taylor. He immediately recognizes the name as an old girlfriend of two years, who he had a sexual relationship with that ended four years prior. Zoe has murdered her husband by shooting him point blank in the chest with a shotgun in front of her son. She shot him because he has been cheating on her with multiple partners. Because Alex was once involved with Zoe and still has unresolved feelings for her, he immediately sets up a transfer for Zoe to be held at the local county jail. Alex never informed his supervisor of his prior relationship with Zoe. Alex goes to see Zoe in the prison three days per week to discuss her case and to have sex. A prison guard walks in on Alex and Zoe in the act of intercourse and reports the behavior to Alex’s supervisor at the hospital. Alex’s supervisor is the clinical director of the hospital and Alex’s best friend. He feels Alex made an error in judgment that can be dealt with in supervision thus no report of sexually inappropriate behavior on the part of Alex was ever reported to NASW.
3. What was the responsibility of the prison guard who discovered Alex and Zoe engaging in intercourse?
4. What was the responsibility of the hospital’s clinical director?
Chapter 8 Equality, Inequality, Limited Resources and Advocacy
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question
1. Discuss why the social work profession needs to advocate more for the removal of discrimination from society.
2. Discuss how limited resources pose ethical dilemmas in social work practice.
3. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the terms equity and equality.
4. Discuss your feelings related to same sex couples adopting; with so many children in the child welfare system needing permanent homes, should there be so much discrimination against same sex couples adopting?
5. Describe the role of advocacy for a social worker in regards to equality, inequality, and limited resources.
6. Provide a rationale for the following quote, “Those who are not equal should receive special (and therefore “unequal”) help (both services and resources) in order to gain equal access to life opportunities” (Dolgoff, Lowenberg, and Harrington, 2005, p. 127).
7. Discuss with the class what the 1999 Social Work Code of Ethics states about equality and how it applies at the MICRO, MEZZO, and MACRO levels of practice.
8. Discuss with the class what should be done if a client divulges information related to sexual abuse at the end of a session when there is another client waiting to be seen.
9. Discuss some of the ethical implications of allocating federal funding to the war on terrorism, Iraq, and Afghanistan while cutting important social program designed to eradicate poverty, eliminate discrimination, and improve human services.
10. Discuss with the class the issue presented in the chapter on page 128, relating to a program faced with funding cuts if it cannot recruit more White applicants, despite the long wait list of eligible African-American candidates. As the social worker, what should you do?
11. Discuss with the class the important differences between equity and equality.
12. Racism can impede a social worker’s ability to practice in which of the following ways?
1. Discuss why the social work profession needs to advocate more for the removal of discrimination from society.
2. Discuss how limited resources pose ethical dilemmas in social work practice.
3. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the terms equity and equality.
4. Discuss your feelings related to same sex couples adopting; with so many children in the child welfare system needing permanent homes, should there be so much discrimination against same sex couples adopting?
5. Describe the role of advocacy for a social worker in regards to equality, inequality, and limited resources.
6. Provide a rationale for the following quote, “Those who are not equal should receive special (and therefore “unequal”) help (both services and resources) in order to gain equal access to life opportunities” (Dolgoff, Lowenberg, and Harrington, 2005, p. 127).
7. Discuss with the class what the 1999 Social Work Code of Ethics states about equality and how it applies at the MICRO, MEZZO, and MACRO levels of practice.
8. Discuss with the class what should be done if a client divulges information related to sexual abuse at the end of a session when there is another client waiting to be seen.
9. Discuss some of the ethical implications of allocating federal funding to the war on terrorism, Iraq, and Afghanistan while cutting important social program designed to eradicate poverty, eliminate discrimination, and improve human services.
10. Discuss with the class the issue presented in the chapter on page 128, relating to a program faced with funding cuts if it cannot recruit more White applicants, despite the long wait list of eligible African-American candidates. As the social worker, what should you do?
11. Discuss with the class the important differences between equity and equality.
12. Racism can impede a social worker’s ability to practice in which of the following ways?
Chapter 7 Value Neutrality and Imposing Values
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the three value messages of value neutrality, imposing values, and the client-worker value gap.
2. Discuss several ways in which value neutrality could cause harm to a client.
3. Discuss the two ways that social workers can deal with their value differences with their clients.
4. Discuss two instances where it is ok for a social worker to be directive or paternalistic with a client.
5. Discuss the potential harm that can plague a client due to the social work practitioner imposing their values onto the client.
6. Discuss the argument that no matter how hard a practitioner tries, he or she will never be able to be value neutral.
7. Discuss how value neutrality and imposing values can cause harm to the therapeutic alliance.
8. Discuss your thoughts related to the gap between a worker’s personal values and those of the social work client.
9. Discuss whether you believe that value suspension is a realistic option for social workers.
10. Discuss some situations in which it is inadvisable for the social worker to work with clients whose values are significantly contrary to those of the worker.
11. Discuss your thoughts on the following comment: The contemporary social worker who bases her practice on value neutrality may be avoiding all moral dilemmas by accepting the client’s absolute right for self-determination.
12. Discuss Figure 7.1, The Continuum of Social Work Values, on page 120. Have the class apply Figure 7.1 to Exemplar 7.2 Loyalty to Self or Family? on page 117
1. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the three value messages of value neutrality, imposing values, and the client-worker value gap.
2. Discuss several ways in which value neutrality could cause harm to a client.
3. Discuss the two ways that social workers can deal with their value differences with their clients.
4. Discuss two instances where it is ok for a social worker to be directive or paternalistic with a client.
5. Discuss the potential harm that can plague a client due to the social work practitioner imposing their values onto the client.
6. Discuss the argument that no matter how hard a practitioner tries, he or she will never be able to be value neutral.
7. Discuss how value neutrality and imposing values can cause harm to the therapeutic alliance.
8. Discuss your thoughts related to the gap between a worker’s personal values and those of the social work client.
9. Discuss whether you believe that value suspension is a realistic option for social workers.
10. Discuss some situations in which it is inadvisable for the social worker to work with clients whose values are significantly contrary to those of the worker.
11. Discuss your thoughts on the following comment: The contemporary social worker who bases her practice on value neutrality may be avoiding all moral dilemmas by accepting the client’s absolute right for self-determination.
12. Discuss Figure 7.1, The Continuum of Social Work Values, on page 120. Have the class apply Figure 7.1 to Exemplar 7.2 Loyalty to Self or Family? on page 117
Chapter 6 Client Rights and Professional Expertise
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Define the concept of autonomy and explain the conditions that must be present for a client to be truly autonomous.
2. Given the following vignette, discuss who the client is.
Daniel has been working in juvenile justice for twenty years. He was just given a case of a 10-year-old Caucasian female named Lilly. Lilly was sexually abused by her uncle, Lenny, from age two to eight. A suspicion of abuse was reported to CPS by Lilly’s Kindergarten Teacher at the age of 5 and by her first grade teacher at the age of 6. The teachers reported Lilly to be obese, in dirty clothing, not bathed, having greasy hair, strong body odor, and isolating herself from everyone. Each time CPS went to the home it was clean and there was no substantiation of any form of abuse. Lilly refused to answer teacher and CPS questions. By age 8 Lilly was running away from home and steeling food from the lunches of her peer group. She became a part of the Juvenile Justice System when she ran away from home missing 50 days of school her third grade year. She was found by police doing drugs in a crack house. If you were Daniel, who would you identify as the client? Why?
3. Discuss the concept of client self-determination, what it involves, who it involves, and why it is important in social work practice.
4. Describe the three different types of ambiguity and uncertainty and how they increase the possibility of ethical dilemmas occurring in social work practice.
5. A pregnant woman receives positive indications of a genetically defective fetus. She and her partner have no desire to terminate the pregnancy, despite the doctor’s expectation that they should. As the social worker expected to persuade the mother to abort, how would your decision be affected by your own values and religious beliefs?
6. Discuss the ethical dilemma that arises out of the two sometimes contradictory professional principles: 1) the principle to provide professional help when needed in order to assure that person’s welfare, and 2) the principle not to interfere with a person’s freedom.
7. Read exemplars 6.1 and 6.2 on page 101 and discuss who the client is.
8. Discuss ways in which you can combine client self-determination with the social workers use of professional knowledge and skill.
9. Is it ethical as a social worker to implement the more effective strategy when the client prefers another approach which you know is going to be less effective?
10. Ask the class to volunteer times in their placements when they felt uncertain about a decision they made. What were the consequences of their decision, if any?
11. 32. Using Table 6.1 provided on page 102, using exemplars 6.1-6.4, identify the applicant, client, target and beneficiary of each exemplar.
12. Create a list of what they feel should constitute client rights. Then see where they fit in the Ethical Principles Screen, Figure 4.4 on page 66.
1. Define the concept of autonomy and explain the conditions that must be present for a client to be truly autonomous.
2. Given the following vignette, discuss who the client is.
Daniel has been working in juvenile justice for twenty years. He was just given a case of a 10-year-old Caucasian female named Lilly. Lilly was sexually abused by her uncle, Lenny, from age two to eight. A suspicion of abuse was reported to CPS by Lilly’s Kindergarten Teacher at the age of 5 and by her first grade teacher at the age of 6. The teachers reported Lilly to be obese, in dirty clothing, not bathed, having greasy hair, strong body odor, and isolating herself from everyone. Each time CPS went to the home it was clean and there was no substantiation of any form of abuse. Lilly refused to answer teacher and CPS questions. By age 8 Lilly was running away from home and steeling food from the lunches of her peer group. She became a part of the Juvenile Justice System when she ran away from home missing 50 days of school her third grade year. She was found by police doing drugs in a crack house. If you were Daniel, who would you identify as the client? Why?
3. Discuss the concept of client self-determination, what it involves, who it involves, and why it is important in social work practice.
4. Describe the three different types of ambiguity and uncertainty and how they increase the possibility of ethical dilemmas occurring in social work practice.
5. A pregnant woman receives positive indications of a genetically defective fetus. She and her partner have no desire to terminate the pregnancy, despite the doctor’s expectation that they should. As the social worker expected to persuade the mother to abort, how would your decision be affected by your own values and religious beliefs?
6. Discuss the ethical dilemma that arises out of the two sometimes contradictory professional principles: 1) the principle to provide professional help when needed in order to assure that person’s welfare, and 2) the principle not to interfere with a person’s freedom.
7. Read exemplars 6.1 and 6.2 on page 101 and discuss who the client is.
8. Discuss ways in which you can combine client self-determination with the social workers use of professional knowledge and skill.
9. Is it ethical as a social worker to implement the more effective strategy when the client prefers another approach which you know is going to be less effective?
10. Ask the class to volunteer times in their placements when they felt uncertain about a decision they made. What were the consequences of their decision, if any?
11. 32. Using Table 6.1 provided on page 102, using exemplars 6.1-6.4, identify the applicant, client, target and beneficiary of each exemplar.
12. Create a list of what they feel should constitute client rights. Then see where they fit in the Ethical Principles Screen, Figure 4.4 on page 66.
Chapter 5 Confidentiality and Informed Consent
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. List the five ways of consenting and briefly describe each one.
2. There are laws to protect community members from sex offenders once a person has been convicted. What are they? What do you think the social worker's responsibility is if she knows her client has committed a sexual offense but has not been convicted?
3. Define Confidentiality and Privacy and describe how they are different.
4. What are three options that a social worker has when a report of suspected child abuse needs to be made to the Department of Protective Services?
5. Discuss the issues of duty to warn. How did it come about? What was the landmark court decision surrounding this issue? What is a therapist’s legal obligation to warn?
6. Explain how the ethical principle of confidentiality is related to the client’s right to privacy.
7. Discuss the importance of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996, HIPAA).
8. According to the 1969 landmark legal decision – Tarasoff v. the Regents of the University of California - when it is determined that a patient is potentially violent and presents a serious danger, the social worker has a duty to warn the intended victim. Despite the possibility of destroying the confidential nature of the therapy, what are four steps the social worker should take to ensure protection?
9. What are some of the arguments in favor of giving clients access to their own records?
10. Describe how privileged communications and confidentiality are similar.
11. Explain Tarasoff vs. Regents landmark court case concerning duty to warn.
12. Disclosure of information, voluntariness, and competency are the three issues of informed consent. Discuss some of the problems involving any of these that make for difficult ethical dilemmas in social work practice.
1. List the five ways of consenting and briefly describe each one.
2. There are laws to protect community members from sex offenders once a person has been convicted. What are they? What do you think the social worker's responsibility is if she knows her client has committed a sexual offense but has not been convicted?
3. Define Confidentiality and Privacy and describe how they are different.
4. What are three options that a social worker has when a report of suspected child abuse needs to be made to the Department of Protective Services?
5. Discuss the issues of duty to warn. How did it come about? What was the landmark court decision surrounding this issue? What is a therapist’s legal obligation to warn?
6. Explain how the ethical principle of confidentiality is related to the client’s right to privacy.
7. Discuss the importance of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996, HIPAA).
8. According to the 1969 landmark legal decision – Tarasoff v. the Regents of the University of California - when it is determined that a patient is potentially violent and presents a serious danger, the social worker has a duty to warn the intended victim. Despite the possibility of destroying the confidential nature of the therapy, what are four steps the social worker should take to ensure protection?
9. What are some of the arguments in favor of giving clients access to their own records?
10. Describe how privileged communications and confidentiality are similar.
11. Explain Tarasoff vs. Regents landmark court case concerning duty to warn.
12. Disclosure of information, voluntariness, and competency are the three issues of informed consent. Discuss some of the problems involving any of these that make for difficult ethical dilemmas in social work practice.
Chapter 4 Guidelines for Ethical Decision Making: The Decision-Making Process and Tools
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Take the following scenario and use the 11 steps of the General Decision-Making Model to work it out.
Craig is a licensed social worker who has been working in a level 5 emotionally disturbed (ED) program in Wichita Co., Kansas. He has held his position in the Graves School for over three years and enjoys his work. He works in the preschool with children three to seven years of age and must answer to two administrators. His primary supervisor is the senior social worker, Lori, and his second supervisor is Ted, the director of the preschool program. Craig becomes concerned about the lack of assistance and staffing in the three ED classrooms. He is seeing students neglected, staff continually injured, and most infuriating, staff who are incompetent and due to their incompetence receive more assistance in the classroom than classrooms with more behaviorally challenged students. Craig reports this to his social work supervisor and then to the schools head administrator. He never once spoke with the director of the preschool about his concerns. After three weeks of seeing no changes implemented in the classrooms, Craig asks for a transfer to a new division in the school. He is so upset he transfers all of his cases to 5 different social workers in the course of 2 weeks.
2. List the seven ethical principles and discuss each one in detail.
3. Describe a social work practice situation where both society's interests and your client's interests are at stake. Discuss the ethical dilemma and what you see as your obligations to both. Then explain why you made the choices you did.
4. Define and contrast the efficiency criterion and the effectiveness criterion.
5. Explain in detail the concepts of Effectiveness and Efficiency, along with their similarities and differences.
6. Discuss how the protection of client’s rights and welfare is similar and different from the protection of society’s interests.
7. What is HIPPA and how does it specifically affect social work practice?
8. Discuss the meaning and purpose of the “Least Harm” principle.
9. Discuss with students the difference between absolute confidentiality and restricted confidentiality.
10. Despite well established ethical codes and principals, it's important to be cognizant of your own value system. Take some time to have an informal discussion with a classmate and share your ideas about values.
11. Discuss your own process in helping a client resolve a specific problem. Include how you reached a particular practice decision in this case, when a number of ethical principals were in conflict.
12. Discuss problems (professional problems - not personal problems ) that have occurred in your past or present placements and use Figure 4.1 on page 59 to work through the problems step-by-step.
1. Take the following scenario and use the 11 steps of the General Decision-Making Model to work it out.
Craig is a licensed social worker who has been working in a level 5 emotionally disturbed (ED) program in Wichita Co., Kansas. He has held his position in the Graves School for over three years and enjoys his work. He works in the preschool with children three to seven years of age and must answer to two administrators. His primary supervisor is the senior social worker, Lori, and his second supervisor is Ted, the director of the preschool program. Craig becomes concerned about the lack of assistance and staffing in the three ED classrooms. He is seeing students neglected, staff continually injured, and most infuriating, staff who are incompetent and due to their incompetence receive more assistance in the classroom than classrooms with more behaviorally challenged students. Craig reports this to his social work supervisor and then to the schools head administrator. He never once spoke with the director of the preschool about his concerns. After three weeks of seeing no changes implemented in the classrooms, Craig asks for a transfer to a new division in the school. He is so upset he transfers all of his cases to 5 different social workers in the course of 2 weeks.
2. List the seven ethical principles and discuss each one in detail.
3. Describe a social work practice situation where both society's interests and your client's interests are at stake. Discuss the ethical dilemma and what you see as your obligations to both. Then explain why you made the choices you did.
4. Define and contrast the efficiency criterion and the effectiveness criterion.
5. Explain in detail the concepts of Effectiveness and Efficiency, along with their similarities and differences.
6. Discuss how the protection of client’s rights and welfare is similar and different from the protection of society’s interests.
7. What is HIPPA and how does it specifically affect social work practice?
8. Discuss the meaning and purpose of the “Least Harm” principle.
9. Discuss with students the difference between absolute confidentiality and restricted confidentiality.
10. Despite well established ethical codes and principals, it's important to be cognizant of your own value system. Take some time to have an informal discussion with a classmate and share your ideas about values.
11. Discuss your own process in helping a client resolve a specific problem. Include how you reached a particular practice decision in this case, when a number of ethical principals were in conflict.
12. Discuss problems (professional problems - not personal problems ) that have occurred in your past or present placements and use Figure 4.1 on page 59 to work through the problems step-by-step.
Chapter 3 Guidelines for Ethical Decision Making
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between humanistic ethics and religious ethics.
2. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between societal values and group values.
3. According to the ethics of caring, people are by their very nature bound up in relation to others. How can attention to emotions reduce conflict in moral dilemmas?
4. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between ethical relativism versus ethical absolutism.
5. Discuss the differences between values and ethics.
6. Using the framework of feminist ethics, what part do the ideas of autonomy and empowerment play in the process of ethical decision making?
7. Explain what is involved in clinical pragmatism.
8. Discuss the differences and similarities between personal, group, societal, and professional values.
9. Discuss the five approaches to ethical decision-making located on pages 46-51.
10. As an exercise in clarifying your own personal values, what do you see as the three most important ones and why?
11. Divide the class into two groups. Have one side of the room read pages 44-45 on ethical relativism and apply it to the following vignette. Have the other side of the room read pages 45-46 on ethical absolutism and apply it the vignette below.
Nina is a 19-year-old female in her final semester of high school. Nina has been accepted on a full scholarship to UVA for the fall semester to study English. She has been sexually active since the age of 16 and has had more than 6 partners. Nina takes the birth control pill but does not like the feel of a condom, thus oral contraception is her only line of defense. She has been dating Jimmy (age 22) for three months and discovers she is pregnant and has been infected with Chlamydia (a treatable and curable STD). Nina is considering not telling Jimmy and having an abortion.
12. 7. Clinical pragmatists focus their attention on improving the practice of social work. What factors do they feel are determined by society, so that the social workers’ ethics are less important than sociey’s ethics?
1. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between humanistic ethics and religious ethics.
2. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between societal values and group values.
3. According to the ethics of caring, people are by their very nature bound up in relation to others. How can attention to emotions reduce conflict in moral dilemmas?
4. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between ethical relativism versus ethical absolutism.
5. Discuss the differences between values and ethics.
6. Using the framework of feminist ethics, what part do the ideas of autonomy and empowerment play in the process of ethical decision making?
7. Explain what is involved in clinical pragmatism.
8. Discuss the differences and similarities between personal, group, societal, and professional values.
9. Discuss the five approaches to ethical decision-making located on pages 46-51.
10. As an exercise in clarifying your own personal values, what do you see as the three most important ones and why?
11. Divide the class into two groups. Have one side of the room read pages 44-45 on ethical relativism and apply it to the following vignette. Have the other side of the room read pages 45-46 on ethical absolutism and apply it the vignette below.
Nina is a 19-year-old female in her final semester of high school. Nina has been accepted on a full scholarship to UVA for the fall semester to study English. She has been sexually active since the age of 16 and has had more than 6 partners. Nina takes the birth control pill but does not like the feel of a condom, thus oral contraception is her only line of defense. She has been dating Jimmy (age 22) for three months and discovers she is pregnant and has been infected with Chlamydia (a treatable and curable STD). Nina is considering not telling Jimmy and having an abortion.
12. 7. Clinical pragmatists focus their attention on improving the practice of social work. What factors do they feel are determined by society, so that the social workers’ ethics are less important than sociey’s ethics?
Chapter 2 Values and Professional Ethics
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Explain the differences between good/bad decisions, good/good decisions and bad/bad decisions.
2. Identify and explain the process a client must go through to win a malpractice case against a social worker.
3. How can social workers avoid malpractice actions by clients?
4. Choose 5 out of 10 arguments provided by the authors as to why some social workers believe professional ethics are not needed, and explain the five you chose.
5. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between professional values and professional ethics.
6. Discuss the overlap between general ethics and professional ethics. See Figure 2.2 on page 21.
7. Brainstorm with class then review Table 2.2, The Possible Bases for Malpractice Suits. Have the students provide examples for each situation and discuss how to correct the ethical dilemmas.
8. Discuss what students think about the following statement: “Ethics is not primarily concerned with getting people to do what they believe to be right, but rather with helping them to decide what is right” (Jones, Sontag, Beckner and Fogelin, 1977, pg. 8).
9. Discuss the gap that is sometimes found between personal and professional values.
10. Discuss the legal and ethical requirements when an HIV-positive client admits to his social worker that he continues to share needles or engage in unprotected sexual relations without notifying his partner of his conditions?
11. Discuss some of the possible bases for malpractice suits.
12. Given the following case study, have the discuss you personal values versus what the profession states your six core values should be (p. 17). Also, discuss issues of confidentiality, informed consent, privileged communication, reporting procedures, and racial injustice.
Maria is a new social worker in a state psychiatric hospital. During a treatment team meeting she is told that Dr. Lewis spoke with her client’s father about his diagnosis and treatment at the local health club. Maria knew her client (age 21) did not sign consent for his family to receive any information about his hospital stay or treatment. Maria became enraged calling Dr. Lewis a “towel head with his turban wrapped to tight.” Maria left the team meeting and reported Dr. Lewis to the hospital director and patient advocate. Later that same afternoon, Maria’s supervisor called her into her office to discuss what happened and to talk about comments made about Dr. Lewis.
1. Explain the differences between good/bad decisions, good/good decisions and bad/bad decisions.
2. Identify and explain the process a client must go through to win a malpractice case against a social worker.
3. How can social workers avoid malpractice actions by clients?
4. Choose 5 out of 10 arguments provided by the authors as to why some social workers believe professional ethics are not needed, and explain the five you chose.
5. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between professional values and professional ethics.
6. Discuss the overlap between general ethics and professional ethics. See Figure 2.2 on page 21.
7. Brainstorm with class then review Table 2.2, The Possible Bases for Malpractice Suits. Have the students provide examples for each situation and discuss how to correct the ethical dilemmas.
8. Discuss what students think about the following statement: “Ethics is not primarily concerned with getting people to do what they believe to be right, but rather with helping them to decide what is right” (Jones, Sontag, Beckner and Fogelin, 1977, pg. 8).
9. Discuss the gap that is sometimes found between personal and professional values.
10. Discuss the legal and ethical requirements when an HIV-positive client admits to his social worker that he continues to share needles or engage in unprotected sexual relations without notifying his partner of his conditions?
11. Discuss some of the possible bases for malpractice suits.
12. Given the following case study, have the discuss you personal values versus what the profession states your six core values should be (p. 17). Also, discuss issues of confidentiality, informed consent, privileged communication, reporting procedures, and racial injustice.
Maria is a new social worker in a state psychiatric hospital. During a treatment team meeting she is told that Dr. Lewis spoke with her client’s father about his diagnosis and treatment at the local health club. Maria knew her client (age 21) did not sign consent for his family to receive any information about his hospital stay or treatment. Maria became enraged calling Dr. Lewis a “towel head with his turban wrapped to tight.” Maria left the team meeting and reported Dr. Lewis to the hospital director and patient advocate. Later that same afternoon, Maria’s supervisor called her into her office to discuss what happened and to talk about comments made about Dr. Lewis.
Chapter 1 Ethical Choices in the Helping Professions
Each student will select one question to answer. You must include the page number in the book which assisted you with your answer. Each student will comment on two of their peers responses. No two students may answer the same question.
1. Define ethics, its roots, and its origins of Ethical Choices in the Helping Professions
2. Define the three types of ethics in social work (general ethics, professional ethics, and professional social work ethics); explain how they pertain to social work practice by comparing and contrasting them.
3. Discuss what your values are concerning the flowing scenario:
4. Ms. Durning is a 26-year-old Caucasian mother of three children, ages 10, 6, and 4. She is a professional prostitute and works for herself. The children all have different fathers, none of whom are involved in their lives. Ms. Durning and her three children live in a bug infested motel that charges $100 per week. She has to work every night, therefore, she relies on the oldest, a boy, to watch the other two children, both girls. The son has started to get in trouble at school with fighting, and is not completing his homework. Ms. Durning was reported to child protective services by an incoming guest who noticed that three children were left without supervision. To complicate the situation even more, the incoming guest who reported Ms. Durning to CPS was a client of hers three days prior to the report.
5. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between competing values
and competing loyalties.
6. Is ambiguity acceptable in social work situations? Why or why not? Discuss your
thoughts on a social worker going against his own ethical beliefs in order to abide
by the agency’s policies.
7. Explain why there has been a renewed interest in social work ethics in today’s
society.
8. According to the authors, all social workers are committed to client protection of life, enhancement of life, and client self-determination. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
9. Discuss how you would respond if your supervisor asked you to misdiagnose a client in order for them to receive much needed services.
10. Professional social work ethics are intended to help social work practitioners recognize morally correct practice and learn how to decide and act ethically in any professional situation. Role play an ethical dilemma that a client might have (with a classmate) and attempt to respond in an ethically professional manner.
11. Discuss genocides that have taken place in the last 70 years (Hitler’s Germany, Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda) and any ethical responsibility that you feel you as a social worker have to such situations.
12. Share with classmates ethical dilemmas that you have experienced in your life and how you handled them. Brainstorm as a class what types of options could have been used to solve the ethical dilemma.
1. Define ethics, its roots, and its origins of Ethical Choices in the Helping Professions
2. Define the three types of ethics in social work (general ethics, professional ethics, and professional social work ethics); explain how they pertain to social work practice by comparing and contrasting them.
3. Discuss what your values are concerning the flowing scenario:
4. Ms. Durning is a 26-year-old Caucasian mother of three children, ages 10, 6, and 4. She is a professional prostitute and works for herself. The children all have different fathers, none of whom are involved in their lives. Ms. Durning and her three children live in a bug infested motel that charges $100 per week. She has to work every night, therefore, she relies on the oldest, a boy, to watch the other two children, both girls. The son has started to get in trouble at school with fighting, and is not completing his homework. Ms. Durning was reported to child protective services by an incoming guest who noticed that three children were left without supervision. To complicate the situation even more, the incoming guest who reported Ms. Durning to CPS was a client of hers three days prior to the report.
5. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between competing values
and competing loyalties.
6. Is ambiguity acceptable in social work situations? Why or why not? Discuss your
thoughts on a social worker going against his own ethical beliefs in order to abide
by the agency’s policies.
7. Explain why there has been a renewed interest in social work ethics in today’s
society.
8. According to the authors, all social workers are committed to client protection of life, enhancement of life, and client self-determination. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
9. Discuss how you would respond if your supervisor asked you to misdiagnose a client in order for them to receive much needed services.
10. Professional social work ethics are intended to help social work practitioners recognize morally correct practice and learn how to decide and act ethically in any professional situation. Role play an ethical dilemma that a client might have (with a classmate) and attempt to respond in an ethically professional manner.
11. Discuss genocides that have taken place in the last 70 years (Hitler’s Germany, Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda) and any ethical responsibility that you feel you as a social worker have to such situations.
12. Share with classmates ethical dilemmas that you have experienced in your life and how you handled them. Brainstorm as a class what types of options could have been used to solve the ethical dilemma.
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