Bshs 335 Maintaining Ethical Standards Case Study
Maintaining Ethical Standards
BSHS 335
February 2014
Maintaining Ethical Standards
The Case of Ludwig In the case of Ludwig, he is a counselor has training and education in individual counseling. Ella came to him for individual counseling and after several sessions the counselor Ludwig, realized that a lot of her problems and difficulties had to do with her entire family system. One of Ella’s problems is having been abandoned by her parents. The counselor realizes that it would be in her best interest for Ella to work with a counselor who is trained in family therapy but the counselor decided not to do so because he believed that it could have a detrimental effect on Ella. Ludwig does not want to give Ella the impression that he is abandoning her so he decides to continue counseling her individually. The majority of the time is spent trying to understand the dynamics …show more content…
of Ella’s family members that are not present. The ethical issues that confront me, as the caseworker, is that Ludwig did not make the referral that was in the best interest of the client.
The client needed someone who specializes in family therapy. By continuing to counsel Ella, Ludwig was preventing Ella of getting the type of help she needed. As a case worker, I would help Ludwig by reminding him of the AAMFT code of ethics and have him refer her to someone who is trained in family therapy. It is also important before starting any therapy to review the expectations and informed consent with the client. When talking to the client it is important to disclose that if the counselor is unable to treat the client because his limitations, that the counselor will refer the client to someone that can and also follow up to ensure that the client is getting the help they need. By talking to the client and explaining why the referral is necessary it will help the client not feel that the counselor is abandoning her and it will also help with not having the client feel that they are responsible for the counselor not being able to counsel
him/her.
According to the AAMFT Code of Ethics 1.10, continued therapeutic relationships are continued only so long as it is reasonably clear that the clients are benefiting from the relationship. When Ludwig decided to continue to individually counsel Ella they code of ethics was not followed because Ella was clearly not benefiting from the therapy. Section 1.10 of the AAMFT Code of Ethics says, that referrals need to be made if the therapist is unable or unwilling, for appropriate reasons, to provide professional help. Ludwig was not able to provide professional help that Ella needed but he continued to counsel her. Ludwig was so concerned about Ella feeling that she was abandoned that he set aside his obligation to follow the code of ethics and he continued to counsel her individually. This decision prevented Ella of getting the help that she needed. As a case worker it is important to confront Ludwig and review the code of ethics with him. Helping him make the referral and also assisting him with making sure he followed up with Ella to make sure that she is getting the help she needs.
References
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.aamft.org/imis15/content/legal_ethics/code_of_ethics.aspx
Corey, G. (2011). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (8th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
BSHS 335
February 2014
Maintaining Ethical Standards
The Case of Ludwig In the case of Ludwig, he is a counselor has training and education in individual counseling. Ella came to him for individual counseling and after several sessions the counselor Ludwig, realized that a lot of her problems and difficulties had to do with her entire family system. One of Ella’s problems is having been abandoned by her parents. The counselor realizes that it would be in her best interest for Ella to work with a counselor who is trained in family therapy but the counselor decided not to do so because he believed that it could have a detrimental effect on Ella. Ludwig does not want to give Ella the impression that he is abandoning her so he decides to continue counseling her individually. The majority of the time is spent trying to understand the dynamics …show more content…
of Ella’s family members that are not present. The ethical issues that confront me, as the caseworker, is that Ludwig did not make the referral that was in the best interest of the client.
The client needed someone who specializes in family therapy. By continuing to counsel Ella, Ludwig was preventing Ella of getting the type of help she needed. As a case worker, I would help Ludwig by reminding him of the AAMFT code of ethics and have him refer her to someone who is trained in family therapy. It is also important before starting any therapy to review the expectations and informed consent with the client. When talking to the client it is important to disclose that if the counselor is unable to treat the client because his limitations, that the counselor will refer the client to someone that can and also follow up to ensure that the client is getting the help they need. By talking to the client and explaining why the referral is necessary it will help the client not feel that the counselor is abandoning her and it will also help with not having the client feel that they are responsible for the counselor not being able to counsel
him/her.
According to the AAMFT Code of Ethics 1.10, continued therapeutic relationships are continued only so long as it is reasonably clear that the clients are benefiting from the relationship. When Ludwig decided to continue to individually counsel Ella they code of ethics was not followed because Ella was clearly not benefiting from the therapy. Section 1.10 of the AAMFT Code of Ethics says, that referrals need to be made if the therapist is unable or unwilling, for appropriate reasons, to provide professional help. Ludwig was not able to provide professional help that Ella needed but he continued to counsel her. Ludwig was so concerned about Ella feeling that she was abandoned that he set aside his obligation to follow the code of ethics and he continued to counsel her individually. This decision prevented Ella of getting the help that she needed. As a case worker it is important to confront Ludwig and review the code of ethics with him. Helping him make the referral and also assisting him with making sure he followed up with Ella to make sure that she is getting the help she needs.
References
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.aamft.org/imis15/content/legal_ethics/code_of_ethics.aspx
Corey, G. (2011). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (8th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.