Course Case Study

Name

Instructor

Course

Date

Unethical/unprofessional behavior between Jill and JoeWhen Jill disclosed of the confusion she had about her sexuality Joe acted in an unprofessional way. He acted shocked and responded to her with open eyes. He went ahead to state that as a traditional catholic he felt that the feelings Jill had were immoral and wrong. He also told her to avoid those thoughts and pray for forgiveness. As a professional counsellor, Joe was not supposed to put off Jill like that. Jill was confiding in him because she trusted him as her counsellor and wanted to be helped. As a professional, Joe was not supposed to use his personal views on his patient. He is not supposed to pass judgment to Jill on the basis of his religious beliefs. He went ahead to tell Jill that he was not comfortable talking about the issue with her which is very unprofessional. He should listen to his patients regardless of his beliefs.

It was also unethical of Joe to try using the new technique even after Jill had refused. Jill declined the offer Joe made to try out the new technique. Joe would try this technique without Jill’s approval something that is unprofessional. As a professional, Joe would have tried the technique only after Jill approved it no matter how effective the technique. It was unethical of Joe to engage in a sexual relationship with Jill because she was his client. He got engaged in an intimate sexual relationship with Jill and promised to give her a referral. A counsellor is not supposed to engage in any sexual relationship with his or her client. Such kinds of relationships compromise the professional relationship between the client and the counsellor. Joe was well aware that Jill had serious anxiety and depression issues but still failed to give him a referral. It was unethical of Joe not to offer Jill any referral even when he was quite aware of her condition.

ACA code of Ethics

In the course of counselling Joe violated different ACA Code of Ethics. The 12th ACA code of Ethics states that “members shall clearly differentiate between personal views/statements and the positions/.views made on behalf of the Association or agency. “(ACA code of ethics, 2005). Joe put Jill off when she disclosed her feelings of confused sexuality. He gave his own personal views on the issue instead of the views of the Association. He advised her based on his beliefs as a traditional catholic and not what is required of him by the association. Joe also stated that he was uncomfortable talking about the issue with Jill. As a counsellor he should not have let his personal views take over. He should have listened to Jill even though his religion does not believe in such.

Joe also violated the 14th ACA Code of Ethics which states that “Members shall refrain from discriminating against and individual because of gender, race, national origin, disability, age or any other type of prohibited discrimination.” (ACA code of ethics, 2005). Jill explained that she was struggling with balancing her cultural heritage and individualism. However, Joe stated that he did not relate to her culture and the issues she struggled with. He did not show any interest in the issues she struggled with simply because he did not relate to her culture. It showed some form of discrimination towards Jill based on her cultural orientation.

Joe violated the 9th ACA Code of Ethics which states that “members shall refrain from allowing personal interest to impair objectivity in the performance of duty while acting in an official capacity.”(ACA code of ethics, 2005). Joe went ahead and got into a sexual relationship with Jill despite the fact that she was his client. He let his personal interest impair the objectivity of his performance as a counsellor. He enjoyed the sexual relationship he shared with Jill and never bothered to get her a referral for a counsellor. It shows that he did not share about his clients needs but was only concerned with his personal interests.

The APA ethical codes and ACA Code of Ethics have some similarities and differences. They are similar in that they are both concerned with the welfare of the patient. They both demand for counsellors and researches to treat their clients with utmost respect and confidentiality. They both require that the counsellors protect the rights of their clients. These two are different in that the APA ethical codes put a lot of emphasis on research while the ACA Code of Ethics is mainly focused on the counsellor’s actions towards clients.

Ethical decision-making model

One ethical dilemma in the case is when Joe went ahead to try out the new technique on Jill even after Jill had declined the offer. In this scenario, the rights approach can be used as a decision making model (Fan, 2003). The approach acknowledges that people have a right to choose for themselves what they want. Human beings are different in that they have the ability of choosing freely what they do with their lives. They also have a fundamental right that ensures that their choices are respected. People are not objects of manipulation and it is therefore a violation of the dignity of human beings to use people in ways they have not chosen freely. In this case, Joe had no right to go against Jill’s wishes. He ought to have respected her right of choice and not used the technique against her wish.

References

ACA code of ethics. (2005). Alexandria, Va.: American Counseling Association.

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Fan, L. (2003). Decision-making models for handling ethical dilemmas. Proceedings of the ICE – Municipal Engineer, 229-234.