ED #3

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Springfield College *

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613

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Philosophy

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Dec 6, 2023

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pdf

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Ethical Dilemma 3 1 Ethical Dilemma #3 Alejandra Ladines Department of Counseling, Springfield College 2023 SU Coun 613-31: Prof Orient Ethical Pract Coun Doctor Jennifer Dashiell-Shoffner June 8th, 2023
Ethical Dilemma 3 2 I. Dual Relationships- Should the relationship be terminated? : Drawing the line between non-sexual relationships a counselor should have outside the professional counselor-client relationship can be tricky. There are situations where a counselor might have to share the same space frequently with a client outside the area of practice like for example if both go to the same gym or frequent the same bar-restaurant or share friends in common. It can be difficult to decide whether or not a counselor should remove themself from a situation/place or terminate the relationship because there is a dual relationship, especially considering that there has been an existing good relationship between counselor and client. Over the course of this essay I will analyze the specific situation and factors in order to establish certain boundaries or completely terminate the relationship. II. The case study: A female counselor was working with a male client for several months and they developed a good therapeutic alliance. The main therapeutic issues were depression and loneliness due to his troubled past, numerous failed relationships, and sexual fantasies. The client told the counselor that he had a female friend and later she finds out that the client's new friend is the ex-wife of her husband's. The client tells her that he has been keeping this relationship private and recently felt comfortable revealing it to the counselor and also let her know that the relationship was becoming more serious. The counselor, her husband and his ex-wife are on good terms and they see her regularly during family events and holidays because she has children and grandchildren with the counselor's husband. The dilemma is whether or not continuing a relationship with this specific client is ethical.
Ethical Dilemma 3 3 III. Decision making model (Forrester-Miller & Davis, 1996.) It is a five step model used to solve ethical dilemmas by (1) clearly identifying the problem, (2) strictly applying the ACA Code of ethics, (3) determining the nature of the dilemma, (4) generating potential courses, and (5) considering potential consequences based on the courses of action. (Forrester-Miller & Davis, 2014). It is one of the most straight-forward models with fewer steps. I chose this one because it did not include seeking guidance (from supervisors or colleagues) because this particular ethical dilemma is very situational and based on the counselor’s household dynamic, relationship with her husband and his ex-wife and how often they would share spaces or experiences together. IV. I. Step 1 Identifying problem: In this case the problem is that the counselor's client is now involved with the counselor's husband's ex-wife. The client confessed that his relationship with this woman was getting more serious and the counselor does not know whether to continue this counselor-client relationship or terminate it. II. Step 2 Apply ACA Code of Ethics: Although there is no specific code of ethics that addresses this situation, there are several that stand out to me that I will use to address this dilemma and offer recommendation. According to the code A.5.b, counselors are prohibited from engaging in counseling relationships with friends or families. In this case the client nor the woman he is seeing is a family or friend. The woman might be family to the counselor’s step children, but not her. When the counselor initially started a relationship with a current client, she did not know that he would be involved with a woman that shares a relationship with her family (and to an extent herself), so she just became aware that there is a dual relationship. According to code A.6.b., Counselors
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