Duel+Relationship+Ethical+Decision+Making+Model

1. Identify the problem: A Dual Relationship • Personal issues that Phyllis, the counselor, may face o Her view that the client is abandoning her children o How to separate her feelings of how she handled her own career with how her client is proceeding in her career o The possibility of having to terminate her current social activities • Problems that Vanessa, the client, may face o She is not receiving unbiased services o Her feelings have not been adequately explored o Perceived disapproval from counselor in social settings • Possible legal issues o The counselor may be sued by the client for inadequate care Ethical issues and considerations • o The counselor is doing harm o The counselor is imposing her own values o The counselor is not promoting the welfare of the client or respecting the client’s dignity o An unnecessary dual relationship that is not beneficial to the client has formed 2. Apply the ACA Code of Ethics • A.1.a. Primary Responsibility The primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients. • A.4.a. Avoiding Harm Counselors act to avoid harming their clients, trainees, and research participants and to minimize or to remedy unavoidable or unanticipated harm. • A.4.b. Personal Values Counselors are aware of their own values, beliefs, and behaviors and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling goals. • A.5.c. Nonprofessional Interactions or Relationships (Other Than Sexual or Romantic Interactions or Relationships) Counselor-client nonprofessional relationships with clients, former clients, their romantic partners, or their family members should be avoided, except when the interaction is potentially beneficial to the client. • A.11.c. Appropriate Termination Counselors terminate a counseling relationship when it becomes reasonably apparent that the client no longer needs assistance, is not likely to benefit, or is being harmed by continued counseling. Counselors may terminate counseling when in jeopardy of harm by the client, or another person with whom the client has a relationship, or when clients do not pay fees as agreed upon. Counselors provide predetermination counseling and recommend other service providers when necessary. 3. Nature and Dimensions Applied to Case • Moral Principles o Non-maleficence (do not harm)- Phyllis, the counselor, is doing harm to her client, Vanessa, by not fully exploring her feelings, participating in an unnecessary dual relationship, and showing disapproval of Vanessa’s actions while in a social setting

o Fidelity (honoring commitments)- Phyllis broke Vanessa’s trust by indirectly addressing her issues in a social setting with their friends • Relevant Professional Literature o The literature states that boundary violations are prevalent in the counseling world. To reduce harm to the client, it takes awareness on the professional’s part to avoid dual relationships. • Consultation with an experienced professional o We interviewed a licensed professional counselor who said that Phyllis needed to refer Vanessa to another professional counselor because Phyllis has crossed too many boundaries to salvage the counseling relationship. She also has proved that she cannot be objective due to her personal beliefs and experiences. 4. Generate Potential Courses of Action. • Ignore the ethical implications and continue counseling in the same manner. • Address the issues that have come up, such as the dual relationship, the inappropriate comments Phyllis made in the social setting, and Phyllis’ avoidance of the exploration of Vanessa’s guilt, and then continue the counseling relationship. • Terminate counseling with no explanation. • Provide pretermination counseling, an explanation of the termination, and referrals for further counseling with a better suited counselor. The counselor should also stop attending the aerobics group. 5. Consider the Potential Consequences • Ignoring the issues will further the harm that is being done to the client, as well as open the counselor up to ethical violations and possible legal action. • Directly addressing the issues may or may not repair the damage that has already been done in the counseling relationship. • Terminating counseling with no explanation can also further the harm that has been done to the client, and it is another ethical violation. It also opens to client up to possible legal action. • Terminating the counseling relationship with the proper predetermination counseling and referrals allows the client to find a better suited counselor and prevents further harm. It also helps to protect the client. Not attending the aerobics group also removes the counselor from any contact with the client or the client’s friends, which helps to completely terminate the relationship to protect both the client and the counselor. 6. Evaluate the Selected Course of Action • We think the best course of action is to terminate the counseling relationship, because we believe it has already been damaged beyond repair. The counselor has violated the code of ethics several times, by continuing in a dual relationship, not respecting the client’s dignity, not promoting the client’s welfare, imposing her own values, and therefore causing harm. She has broken the client’s trust. She has not provided adequate care by not exploring the client’s guilt. Phyllis should provide pretermination counseling, and she should use that opportunity to explain how the dual relationship affected their counseling relationship and that Phyllis was struggling to remain objective. She should then provide several

referrals to Vanessa so that she can find another counselor who can better suit her needs. 7. Implement the course of action. • This course of action needs to happen immediately. Though the course of action may be difficult and even embarrassing, the counselor needs to prepare herself for this in order to make the right choice for everyone involved.