Ethical Considerations for Counseling Scenarios

Scenario One

Directions: Read the four scenarios below. Provide a 75-150-word response to each question in all four of the scenarios presented below. Cite the HIPAA Guidelines, ACA or ASCA Code of Ethics, and other scholarly resources to support your responses. You must provide at least one properly formatted APA citation and accompanying reference to support your response for each scenario.

Barbara is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) working for a nonprofit social service agency. Many of the clients in the agency are female domestic violence victims. The director of the agency has asked Barbara to develop a counseling group to serve the needs of these individuals.

Question One: What ethical matters should Barbara consider as she plans this group?

Question Two: What methods should Barbara use to ensure confidentiality in the context of group counseling?

Question Three: If breaches of confidentiality occur, how should Barbara manage them?

David is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) working for a family counseling center. Steve, one of his adult clients, would like to begin couples counseling with his wife.

Question One: What ethical matters should David consider before beginning to see Steve and his wife?

Question Two: What special issues of confidentiality may arise in the case? How should David address these issues?

Question Three: How might differences in personal values and gender/cultural issues create ethical dilemmas in this case?

Stephanie is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) who has decided to start a private practice as she transitions from public to private practice. As she makes her plans, there are many ethical issues she must consider. While these issues are of concern to all counselors, she must consider how they specifically impact a counselor in private practice.

Question One: How can she ethically handle limited resources, deal with cost containment issues, respond to discrimination, and promote community change?

Question Two: As a service provider, with what ethical issues and practices related to state insurance laws and managed care must she be familiar?

Question Three: What are the ethical obligations and limitations faced by a counselor who serves clients who have been the victim of discrimination, injustice, poverty, or lack of access to behavioral health services? What best practice community-based interventions could she refer her clients to?

Amari has recently passed her NCMHCE and will soon be considered an independent clinical practitioner.  Her husband is in the military and they travel often.  Amari hopes to strictly provide distance counseling in her private practice.  She has never provided distance counseling, nor does she know of anyone who does it.  Rely heavily on Section H: Distance Counseling, Technology, and Social Media of the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics to consider the following. 

Question One: What should Amari consider when establishing and maintaining a distance counseling relationship with her clients? What strategies could she use? What cultural and ethical factors would she need to take into account? 

Question Two: How would building rapport differ with an in-person client? What strategies could she use? that would be culturally and ethically appropriate? What cultural and ethical factors would she need to take into account?