Supervisor's Ethical Dilemma

There are a finite number of options for Jean in this dilemma. Jean’s supervisor has an ethical obligation to help Jean define this dilemma and to foster fairness and honesty (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005). This begins with monitoring her work and performance (2005). As such, Jean’s supervisor is likely already aware of the ethical dilemma and can help her identify the best choices.
Ultimately, Jean can choose to fulfill the director’s request, or to deny his request. Jean’s objective is three fold: 1) she wants to protect her client’s confidentiality; 2) she wants to uphold her ethical obligations; and 3) she wants to keep her job as it is her sole source of income. She and her supervisor can brainstorm ways to accomplish all three of these objectives together. It may be possible that her director is unaware of the breach of ethics his request implies and Jean can provide him information about the Code of Ethics that she is required to uphold. She may also consider asking her supervisor to meet with her and the director to discuss the situation and see if, together, they can come up with an alternative report to convey necessary information. Jean could, possibly, provide client demographical information along
She, too, could explain the ethical principles involved and perhaps they can enter into a discussion about the agency’s goals, principles, and policies. If I were in Jean’s shoes, I would go to the meeting with the information the director requested – but with my client’s identities and confidential information protected. I would provide him the number of clients and non-distinguishing information for his CSB report and hope that the information I provide along with the ethical discussion would be enough to show that I respected his authority and direction over the agency while wanting to safeguard my client’s and protect their mental