Dual+Relationship+Ethical+Decision+Making+Model

Case -- Literature Review -- Legal Considerations -- Ethical Considerations -- Ethical Decision Making Model -- LPC Interview = Ethical Decision Making Model =

1. Identify the problem: A Dual Relationship
 * Personal issues that Phyllis, the counselor, may faceProblems that Vanessa, the client, may faceProblems that Vanessa, the client, may face
 * Her view that the client is abandoning her children
 * How to separate her feelings of how she handled her own career with how her client is proceeding in her career
 * The possibility of having to terminate her current social activities
 * Problems that Vanessa, the client, may face
 * She is not receiving unbiased services
 * Her feelings have not been adequately explored
 * Perceived disapproval from counselor in social settings
 * Possible Legal Issues
 * The counselor may be sued by the client for inadequate care
 * Ethical Issues and Considerations
 * The counselor is doing harm
 * The counselor is imposing her own values
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The counselor is not promoting the welfare of the client or respecting the client’s dignity
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">An unnecessary dual relationship that is not beneficial to the client has formed

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">2. Apply the ACA Code of Ethics <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **A.1.a. Primary Responsibility** The primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **A.4.a. Avoiding Harm** Counselors act to avoid harming their clients, trainees, and research participants and to minimize or to remedy unavoidable or <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> unanticipated harm. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **A.4.b. Personal Values** Counselors are aware of their own values, beliefs, and behaviors and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> goals. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **A.5.c. Nonprofessional Interactions or Relationships (Other Than Sexual or Romantic Interactions or Relationships)** Counselor-client <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> nonprofessional relationships with clients, former clients, their romantic partners, or their family members should be avoided, except when the interaction is <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> potentially beneficial to the client. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> **A.11.c. Appropriate Termination** Counselors terminate a counseling relationship when it becomes reasonably apparent that the client no longer needs <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> 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, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> or another person with whom the client has a relationship, or when clients do not pay fees as agreed upon. Counselors provide pretermination counseling <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> and recommend other service providers when necessary.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">3. Nature and Dimensions Applied to Case
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Moral Principles
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Fidelity (honoring commitments)- Phyllis broke Vanessa’s trust by indirectly addressing her issues in a social setting with their friends.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">4. Generate Potential Courses of Action.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ignore the ethical implications and continue counseling in the same manner.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Terminate counseling with no explanation.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">5. Consider the Potential Consequences
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Directly addressing the issues may or may not repair the damage that has already been done in the counseling relationship.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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 the counselor up to possible legal action.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Terminating the counseling relationship with the proper pretermination counseling and appropriate referrals allows the client to find a better suited counselor and prevents further harm. It also helps to protect the counselor from legal action. 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.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">6. Evaluate the Selected Course of Action
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">7. Implement the Course of Action
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">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.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Reference <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">American Counseling Association (2005). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA