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?
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 146. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
ReplyDelete3. Discuss what consequences could arise for a client if engaged in a sexual relationship with a therapist.
The consequences for the client include, ambivalance, guilt, emptiness and isolation, sexual confusion, impaired ability to trust, and confused roles.
The consequences for the therapists are mal practice and possible legal suits; in addidtion the behavior distorts the professional relationship, affects the pracioner's thought process, and puts objectivity at risk so that professional treament is undermined.
PG 146
4. Explain the argument by some social workers that a sexual relationship with a client in certain circumstances is beneficial to treatment.
ReplyDeleteSome social workers have questioned the ethical rules that prohibit any sexual contact with clients, pointing out that many problems brought to their attention involve problems of sexual dysfunction. In some cases the professional intervention, they argue, might be beneficially include sexual techniques and activities. There have been therapists who believe and practice the notion that sexual involvement with a client is advantageous. They note that this is not a new helping technique; Freud's colleague Sandor Ferenczi "helped" his clients express their physical affections toward him as a way of compensating for their childhood deprivations.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 146 Belmont: Cengage Learning.
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.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many people may feel that based on this list there are reasons a person should be dishonest, this is not the case. To be ethical is not to lie. There is no justification for lies because they will eventually catch up to you. Although it may see, as though lying is the only way to get out of a situation, there are always alternatives opportunities on how a competent social worker should handle each situation. To be dishonest is not beneficial in any way and has not proven to be an ethical decision.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 152. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
8. Discuss feelings related to using dishonesty when it is in the client’s interest.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe it is ever good to be dishonest dealing with a client. It is never okay to put the client at risk. Sometimes when a client is awarded resources that they are not eligible for or that they are not due they are required to pay the funds back. In some cases when the benefits are in-kind they are fined a specific dollar amount which may put them in an even worse position than they are already in. The best policy is honesty. You do not want to put your liscence and their life at risk.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 115. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
ReplyDelete9. 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.
ReplyDelete- The Code of Ethics is quite clear that “social workers should under no circumstances engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with current clients, whether such contact in consensual or forced” (NASW Code, 1999, 1.09 a). This ethical rule is found in the codes of ethics of most professions. In addition, similar standards are stated for such activities “with clients” relatives or other individuals with whom clients maintain a close personal relationship when there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the client” (1.09b) or “with former clients because of the potential for harm to the client” (1.09c). In addition, social workers “should not provide clinical services to individuals with whom they have had a prior sexual relationship” (1.09d).
While only a small number of practitioners report they have dated a former client, 6% think it is appropriate to do so. Similarly, a small number report that they have had sex with a former client, while almost 5% believe that such behavior is appropriate. Very large percentages report they have dual-role relationships with clients (e.g., friendship, serving on the same boards or committees). Only a few social workers use massage in their practices, however, more than one in eight believe to do so in appropriate; almost 40% believe it is appropriate to touch a client as a regular part of the therapy process. Maidment (2006) argues that alternative views on ethical standards need to be considered and suggests that “respectful and appropriate physical contact between the client and the worker conveys a sense of connectedness unparalleled by verbal assurance and empathy”.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 145-148. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
2. Create five examples of dual-role relationships and explain why each one could constitute an ethical dilemma.
ReplyDeleteexamples of dual-role relationships:
1. I discovered that my client is my podiatrist's brother.
2. My niece's new coach is the father of my client, a troubled teenager whom I have been treating for the last year.
3. My client is the wife of a insurance agent and inadvertently discloses insider information about individuals' insurance policies in which attend church services with.
4.My client joins a fitnes center and her trainer happens to be the same as mines.
5. My uncle's friend is a former friend of my client and they all work on the same team at their job base.
Each of the dual-role relationships mentioned above can constitute an ethical dilemma simply because in such dual-role relationship, it is always possible for a client to be confused by the existence of the dual roles, for the professional to exploit or harm the client in some manner, or for the additional role to interfere with the professional relationship by creating conflicts of interest for the social worker and confusin for the client.
Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 143. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
Chapter 9
ReplyDelete4. What was the responsibility of the hospital’s clinical director?
The responsibility of the hospital clinical director soon as he found out about the situation would have been to report the situation to NASW because now the director is putting his own job at risk for his employee. The director should have fired the employee for what went on because all he did was show that he will put up with behavior like that. Also that its exceptable, and you don’t have to go by the NASW code of ethics you can do what you want, and just get a slap on the hand. When in all reality they should both lose their jobs.
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ReplyDeleteMy Citation: Dolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 146. Belmont: Cengage Learn
ReplyDeleteDolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Pg. 137 – 141.
ReplyDelete5. Is therapist self-disclosure to a client ethical? Why or why not?
Perspectives on the ethical implications of self-disclosure differ widely. The American Psychological Association’s (2002) “Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct” clearly addresses sexual intimacies between therapists and current and former patients, emphatically forbidding sexual intimacies with current clients. Because of the ambiguity and complexity of this ethical issue, therapists must take into account numerous ethical principles when using interventions that involve self-disclosure. It is ethical because the clients experience both positive and negative consequences as a result of their therapists' self-disclosures. Self-disclosure leads to positive outcomes with clients, especially when the disclosures attempt to normalize and reassure
11. In this situation Alex should have notified his supervisor that he had had a previous relationship with Zoe and refer the case to another worker. Alex should have never been assigned to the case.
ReplyDeleteb.) There are three role relationships in this situation. The first is with Alex and Zoe , and the second is with Alex and his supervisor.
It is unprofessional to have sexual relation with a client. The client has come to the social worker for advice, guidance, help, or refugee. Why would the social worker develop feelings from this type of act? The profession has more females than males meaning that situation like this will occur because females are emotional. I can understand this being an ethical dilemma.
ReplyDeleteDolgoff, R., Frank, L., & Donna, H. (2009). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. pg 140. Belmont: Cengage Learning.
good one
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