Ethics, No Secrets Policy and Counselor Values Essay Example

Ethics, No Secrets Policy and Counselor Values Essay Example Ethics, No Secrets Policy and Counselor Values Essay Ethics, No Secrets Policy and Counselor Values Essay Bullet Point Responses Julie Sanders * I believe it is unethical for the counselor to reveal anything said in individual counseling with the husband. She didn’t address a â€Å"no secrets† policy in the informed consent. Sharing this information with the wife without his permission is unethical. In marriage counseling the â€Å"no secrets† policy needs to be addressed and explained in the informed consent. Since she did not have a policy concerning this, she is bound by confidentiality which should have been in her informed consent. It is not the job of the counselor to instill his/her values onto a client. The counselor shold try to remain as neutral as possible. Even if the husband feels the extra-marital relationship is enhancing the marriage, his wife still doesn’t know about it, and he seems to be the only one benefitting from the affair. The counselor should remain as neutral as possible when discussing this with the husband and encourage him to brin g this up in a conjoint session. It is not the therapist’s decision to make since she did not have a â€Å"no â€Å"secrets policy in place. I don’t think the therapist should â€Å"persuade† the husband to give up the affair or bring it up in joint counseling. In my opinion that is still imposing her values on the client. With that said, I do think, in a sense, that the therapist is colluding with the husband. However, she is responsible for the situation by not clearly stating confidentiality and â€Å"no secrets† in her informed consent. * According to Corey (p. 98) counselors should have a process of self-examination to discover their own biases, beliefs and values. I think it is unethical to refer a client because of a therapist’s personal beliefs. Saying that, if the counselor has strongly held beliefs and values, they should be addressed in the informed consent and explained to client’s before the counseling process begins. This would give the counselor basis for referral. Since the counselor is bound by confidentiality, she cannot tell the wife of the husband’s affair, but if the counselor addressed value’s bias in the informed consent, she can offer that as a reason for referral. It is not the counselor’s job, nor is it ethical for the counselor to inform the wife of the affair. * I don’t believe it is in the best interest of the original client (the husband) for the counselor to offer marriage counseling to the couple. The scenario does not address the training of the counselor in this field. If I were the counselor, I would continue to see the husband, dealing with his issues and refer the couple to a marriage counselor. Assignment Questions Julie Sanders ii) I want you to read over the informed consent and make sure you both understand the guidelines we will be operating from. There are several important sections that I would like you both to understand before signing the form. I’ll be happy to discuss and answer any questions regarding these areas. In the beginning of the consent for is a section I would like to bring your attention the purpose of therapy, procedures, the possibility of a negative outcome, possible benefits, fee structures, your rights and responsibilities and also either one of you can withdraw at any time (Corey, p. 474). I have a â€Å"no secrets† policy. Since you are here for couple’s counseling I feel you need to be open and honest with each other. If one of you shares a â€Å"secret† with me individually that I might feel necessary to share, I will decide if it needs to be shared with your spouse. iii) I will not share my values with you regarding marriage or extramarital affairs I don’t think it would be ethical because it could sway your decision making, and how I personally feel about an issue is not the problem being addressed. For your best interests, I feel it is best that I remain as neutral as possible. v) In the beginning of the counseling process along with informed consent I would address the issue of blindsiding a partner. The clients and I would address the issues involved in being honest as opposed to being â€Å"brutally† honest in a way that could cause harm. If after discussing the effects of an ambush, it happens anyway, I would ask the â€Å"ambushee† how that made them feel an d the ambusher the reasoning behind the â€Å"attack. † Hopefully this would encourage a rational, honest and meaningful dialogue between the two.