CON 600 - Quiz 2: Ch. 4 & 5 Flashcards
Making ethical decisions often involves ____ ?
Ambiguity
Nonmalficence
Do no harm
What are ways to avoid malficense?
- Multicultural competence
- Self-awareness (own needs and values)
- Avoid dependent relationships
- Do NOT abandon your client
What are ways to practice beneficence?
- Use techniques appropriate for client
- Respect client’s rights
- Advocate for clients (when appropriate)
- Terminating services appropriately
- Promote social justice
What are several examples of difficult ethical topics?
- Abortion
- Right to die
- Immigration
- Politics
- Any “ism”
- Beliefs and behaviors of cult members, gang members, etc.
- Child or elder abuse/neglect
- Genetic engineering
- Interatial relationships
- Premarital sex
- Extramarital affairs/cheating
- Divorce
- Sexual orientation and/or gender identity
- Polyamorous relationships
True or False.
A behavior can be professionally ethical but not morally acceptable to an individual counselor.
True.
You are a crisis counselor who has been working with a victim of domestic violence, who reveals a decision to return to the abuser. What do you do?
- Explore options
- Have a safety plan
You are a high school counselor working with a bright young student. During a session, he tells you that he has decided not to accept a scholarship to attend Harvard but rather will be moving in with his girlfriend and attending community college. How would you respond?
- Ask how they are feeling about the decision
- What led them to make the decision?
True or False.
Multicultural competency is required across all specialties.
True.
VABB
Counselors should refrain from referring clients due to personally held ____, ____, ____, and ____.
- Values
- Attitudes
- Beliefs
- Behaviors
What harmful message may be sent to a client due to an inappropriate referral?
“Your problem is too big even for me, the professional, to handle.”
They could also feel judged or “put in their place”
When might it be unethical for a counselor NOT to refer?
If they due not have the professional comptetence to help the client.
At what point to counselors need to get informed consent from their clients?
Before the first session occurs.
Why do we gain informed consent from our clients?
- They deserve to know what the process is and what they might experience
- They need to be able to make informed, wise choices
What is best practice around providing clients with information about the counseling relationship?
Written materials (could be digital)
What additional information does HIPPA require regarding informed consent?
- Proposed treatment plan
- How the plan will be implemented/used
- Informed consent must be signed by client
What is a disclosure statement?
- Discloses the counselors qualifications and theoretical orientation.
- Informs about the nature of the counseling relationship
- States client rights
- Confidentiality and its limitations
TRUE or FALSE.
Disclosure statements aren’t required legally, but are part of the ACA code of ethics requirements.
FALSE
____ is universally viewed as being essential to the counseling process.
Confidentiality
Why is confidentiality so important to the therapeutic relationship?
Helps create a safe space for the client
This fosters trust which in turn helps the client disclose more freely
What are the limitis of confidentiality?
- If client waives their privelege to confidentiality
- If the client files a malpractice suit against the counselor
- After the death of a client (if required)
- Sharing information with a supervisor or member of a treatment team
- Risk of harm to self or others
- Suspected abuse - child, disabled, or elder (elder not mandated by Wisconsin law)
- Court-ordered disclosure
- Group situations - can’t guarantee
- End of life decisions (if terminally ill)
- Contagious, life-threatening diseases
Break confidentiality?
You are a crisis counselor working with a 35-year-old man whose wife has been physically abusing him. He says he is embarrassed and does not want to call the police.
No. Create safety plan. Explore “embarrassment” (shame).
Break confidentiality?
You are a school counselor working with a 16-year-old female student who reveals that she has been sexually active but does not want her parents to know.
Break confidentiality?
You are a mental health counselor working with a client who says that he feels like punching his boss in the face.
No. No plan.
Break confidentiality?
You are a mental health counselor working in outpatient therapy. Your severely depressed client reports having thoughts of ending her life, and those thoughts have included a plan of how to do it. She claims that she does not actually want to die but doesn’t feel like she’s in control.
Yes. She has a plan.
Break confidentiality?
You are a counselor working with terminally ill patients. One of them begins talking about ending his suffering.
Depends. What are laws in state (if person has a plan and not legal, must report). Refer to Code of Ethics.
When circumstances require disclosure of confidential information, only ____ information is revealed. This is called ____ ____.
Essential
Minimal Discolsure
True or False:
Clients should normally be informed before their confidential information is disclosed to another party.
True.
If faced with a situation where the ethical course of action is not legal, what would you do?
Choose the legal option, unless there is a reason I can justify through the decision-making process that I choose the ethical option.
What is priveleged communication?
Legal concept that ensures what is discussed betwee client and therapist cannot be legally revealed (unless certain criteria are met)
What items could be included in client records?
- Notes
- Assessments
- Treatment Plans
- Audio/Video
- Billing Info
When/why should counselors keep records?
- If required by law
- If required by agency
- For rending counseling services
True or False:
Counselors need not obtain permission from clients to record sessions if the client has signed the confidentiality agreement which explained recordings might be used in sessions.
False
True or False:
Counselors don’t have to provide clients with their records if they feel they will be harmful to the client.
True.
True or False:
Client notes can be subpopenaed in litigation.
True.
When writing notes, what should you assume?
That someone will read them.
What elements are required by HIPPA regarding confidentiality?
- Counselors must given clients a clear written explanation of how counselors use, keep, and close their files.
- Clients must have access to their records.
- A process must exist and must be in writing for clients to request amendments to their records.
- Counselors must have available a set of written privacy procedures that include who has access to files, how it will be used, and when the information would or would not be disclosed to others.
- Clients must be given a means to make inquiries regarding their counseling records or make complaints regarding the privacy of their records.
