Code Of Ethics: The National Association Of Social Workers (NASA)

The codes of ethics are a set of guidelines that are designed to carry out acceptable behaviors for associates of a specific groups, employees, or professions. There are times when a person`s beliefs do not agree with someone else’s, which does not mean that one is wrong, it means that we all are humans, and we do not all think alike. As humans, we would think that most people have a good sense of right and wrong, which is to say that for the most part most people have good morals, values, and ethics. The code of ethics is set in place as a protector for clients, patients, and all professions. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the American Counseling Association (ACA) have similar ethics. Their primary commitment is to
the patient. They are committed to taking care of their patient and treating them with respect and dignity. They are responsible for safety and wellbeing. Their responsibility is to comply with the code of ethics and to explain to the patients or clients what their roles. Crossing boundaries with your client is a crucial element in patient-worker interaction.
All profession has a code of ethics.
They are similar in many ways and slightly different, but they all serve the same purpose. When given the code of ethics they have a responsibility to up hold their duty. They are expected to have integrity and to treating everyone with respect and dignity. Not complying with these codes of ethics can, but not always result in termination. All groups comply with the code of ethics when dealing with a patient’s self-determination. Each patient has the right to know what services they are seeking and to make their decisions based on their situation. In some cases, the Social Worker or Counselor must decide what’s best for the client, if they are not capable of making decisions on own. For an example, they may show signs of psychological trauma. A patient’ rights should always be considered first. These practices should never be determined by someone else neither values nor opinions. The main goal is to respect the rights of the patients’ care and to make sure they are aware of all necessary information. These codes of ethics were put in place to protect the patients as well as the professional conducting the
services.
The right to privacy is mention in both services Code of Ethics. Confidentiality is important to each patient. The code of ethics insures that each patient or client records will maintain in privacy unless it does pose a risk to themselves or someone else. In some cases, a court order may be necessary to release information. The only information that should be shared is what is relevant in the situation. While doing the disclosure there are many contexts that counselors follow to, depending on their training and experience. Overlap between the dilemmas involving illegal behaviors and those discussed in the sections above.
In this ethical dilemma, Ivy T. is a member of a private group practice. Donald M. is her forty-one-year-old client who attends weekly counseling sessions. He is having problems in his marriage and is in distress. The dilemma in this case is that his wife is cheating and wants to kill her lover. The ethical dilemma concerning patient confidentiality versus harm to others occurs when the therapist learns of the affair his wife is having. In this situation, a supervisor may be needed to get their opinion of how to help in this case. First thing is to make sure everyone involved are safe and confidentiality is kept as well. Ivy T. should talk with Donald about his feelings about wanting to kill his wife’s lover. He should try to explain to him that this is a serious threat, and that it may have to be reported. One should consider of the persons’ mental state before deciding what to do. We all hope that the person making the threat is just doing of out of anger, but never take it lightly. I would increase his visit to help keep track of his thoughts. This is like the case of Tarasoff v. Regents. The duty to warn. When a counselor determines the standards of his profession should determine, that his patient pose a danger of violence to another, we are obligated to use reasonable care to protect the intended victim against such danger. The discharge of this duty may require the counselor to take steps, depending upon the nature of the case. In this case, it may call for him to warn the intended victim or others likely to tell the victim of the danger, to notify the police, or to take whatever other steps are reasonably necessary under the circumstances (Tarasoff v. Regents of University of California, 1976). At this point the that clients may not realize the risks of certain disclosures, even if they have signed informed consent forms.
The counselor needs to go over the forms with them to be sure they understand them.
The clients still agree to share information even if they fully understand the reporting laws. Remind the client o what they have sighed. Some illegal behaviors that may pose harm to themselves and to others should be reported. In such cases, the legal and ethical concerns are consistent, and reporting feels like the right thing to do. Regardless this counselor’s comments to his client about the areas that the counselor can’t hold confidential, it’s important for the counselor to be specific about the kinds of criminal activities, or the potential harm must be reported. When a client discloses behavior with another person with whom they are in a certain position, and the counselor believes there is a great risk of harming others, it is the counselor’s ethical duty to describe the behavior to the professional association, agency, or any other appropriate authorities. When making decisions about dilemmas, it stems from the fact that legal obligations do not always align with ethical
responsibilities.
The three words we must consider are: Privilege communication, privacy, and confidentiality. Private information is different from a privileged communication. A privileged communication is information that is disclosed in the context of a special and specific relationship. In some states, the law also gives a privileged status to communications between a client and a social worker and a client or a reporter and the source of information. Clients have a right to privacy. When clients volunteer to share information otherwise private information with social workers, practitioners must then apply relevant confidentiality standards. According to the NASW Code of Ethics, "Social workers should respect clients' right to privacy. Social workers should not share private information from clients unless it is essential to provide services or conducting social work evaluation or research. Once private information is shared, standards of confidentiality apply. It is important for social workers to understand the difference between confidentiality and privileged communication. Confidentiality refers to the professional standard that information offered by or refer to clients will not be shared with third parties. Privilege refers to the disclosure of confidential information in court or during other legal proceedings. Privileged communication, privacy, and confidentiality are essential to social work practice. It is important for social workers to have knowledge of the intricate relationships among these main concepts. Clients’ legal right to privileged communication supports social workers’ ability to protect clients. It is social workers ethical duty to be familiar with the concept of privileged communication, this step helps them to protect clients, and exceptions to clients’ right to privileged information.
In conclusion, the ethical choices we all must make in our course of work sometimes come with dilemmas, but more often with much thought and consideration. The decisions we make today can affect our clients’ lives, and our own for years. It is our duty to our profession and to the others who come after to be that example and help make difficult choices. We must never take our responsibilities lightly. Seeking out consultation and the ability to ask for help are critical to this type work. Each day we see new dilemmas, and the way in which we deal with what is given to us builds our strength, hope, and courage. We often make decisions that are difficult and can leave us confuse and questioning ourselves. We will never have all the answers, just hope, and pray that what you have done was satisfactory for your clients. We must always continue to do the right thing and pray about decisions. If our decisions do not always produce the results we thought they would, pray and move on and learn from your mistakes. The goal of it all, is to help the client.