Ethical Decision Making
Abstract
In synopsis, the case involves Ruby, a therapist that is counseling Henry, who expresses extremely hostile feelings toward homosexuals and toward people who have contracted AIDS. Henry is not coming to counseling to work on his feelings about gay people; his primary goal is to work out his feelings of resentment over his wife, who left him. He thinks homosexual people are deviant and that it serves them right if they do get AIDS. Ruby’s son is gay and Henry’s prejudice affects her emotionally. She is taken aback by her client’s comments and she finds that his vies are getting in the way as she attempts to work with him. The development of a dynamic set of ethical standards for psychologists’ work related conduct requires a personal commitment and lifelong effort to act ethically; to encourage ethical behavior by students, supervisees, employees and colleagues; to consult with others concerning ethical problems and using the ethical decision making model, first would be to identify the problem or dilemma” (APA, 2002), I will take a course of action to improve Henry’s condition finding an ethical resolution to the problem. Ruby could be risking rejecting her client or at the least treating her client in benign ways in order to distance her from the hurt she feels about his prejudice behavior toward gays. By remaining neutral while identifying the problem, Ruby can assist her client, place his needs first and take care to do no harm which upholds the APA Code of Ethics. Ethical Decision Making
As I read through the different cases posed by Corey, Corey and Callahan (2011), I chose the case that is intriguing to me on many levels. The Case of Ruby, on page 62, interests me for the complexities that it poses with respect to possible sexuality and familial bias, and defamation that stems from prejudicial feelings. In synopsis, the case involves Ruby, a therapist that is counseling Henry, who expresses extremely hostile feelings toward homosexuals and
In synopsis, the case involves Ruby, a therapist that is counseling Henry, who expresses extremely hostile feelings toward homosexuals and toward people who have contracted AIDS. Henry is not coming to counseling to work on his feelings about gay people; his primary goal is to work out his feelings of resentment over his wife, who left him. He thinks homosexual people are deviant and that it serves them right if they do get AIDS. Ruby’s son is gay and Henry’s prejudice affects her emotionally. She is taken aback by her client’s comments and she finds that his vies are getting in the way as she attempts to work with him. The development of a dynamic set of ethical standards for psychologists’ work related conduct requires a personal commitment and lifelong effort to act ethically; to encourage ethical behavior by students, supervisees, employees and colleagues; to consult with others concerning ethical problems and using the ethical decision making model, first would be to identify the problem or dilemma” (APA, 2002), I will take a course of action to improve Henry’s condition finding an ethical resolution to the problem. Ruby could be risking rejecting her client or at the least treating her client in benign ways in order to distance her from the hurt she feels about his prejudice behavior toward gays. By remaining neutral while identifying the problem, Ruby can assist her client, place his needs first and take care to do no harm which upholds the APA Code of Ethics. Ethical Decision Making
As I read through the different cases posed by Corey, Corey and Callahan (2011), I chose the case that is intriguing to me on many levels. The Case of Ruby, on page 62, interests me for the complexities that it poses with respect to possible sexuality and familial bias, and defamation that stems from prejudicial feelings. In synopsis, the case involves Ruby, a therapist that is counseling Henry, who expresses extremely hostile feelings toward homosexuals and
References: APA. (2002, 8 21). Ethical Principals of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx Corey, G., Schneider-Corey, M., & Callanan, P. (2011). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions. Belmont: Thomson. Watkins, C. (1985). Countertransference: its impact on the couseling situation. Journal of Counseling and Development, 356-359.