Cultural Awareness and Social Diversity

For this discussion, I want you to consider the following 3 case

examples below within the context of your Code of Ethics. This means

your responses should include supporting justification as outlined in

your Code of Ethics (be sure to cite the code number and section title; A

PDF OF THE NASW CODE OF ETHICS IS ATTACHED BELOW) along with your

personal opinion. For each case example, please discuss the following

questions:

DISCUSSION

1. Was this ethical? Why or why not?
2. What are the potential psychological benefits of this?
3. What harm could result from this?

Case Example 1: Bedside Ethics with Dying Clients

A Christian therapist is working with an atheist client who is suffering from a terminal illness. The therapist is concerned about the client’s salvation and sees this as a more important issue than their psychological health at this point of therapy. They seek consultation from a colleague who says, “At this point, you must follow God’s will, not your ethics code.” The therapist goes into the next session and shares about their faith, encouraging the client to accept Jesus as their savior.

Case Example 2: Sneaking in Buddhism

You are talking with a colleague who says, “I am a Buddhist and think Buddhism has a lot to offer for therapy, but my clients are most Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. So I don’t tell them what I am doing, but I try to sneak many Buddhist ideas in with my clients. It works great and they never notice the difference.”

Case Example 3: Praying for a Client

You are talking with a colleague who states, “Sometimes I don’t know what

to do with my clients. In these cases, in addition to seeking out

supervision, I often pray for them, even if they are not Christian.”

Your colleague says he does not tell his clients he does this