Psychology : The Causes Of Dual Relationships In Social Work

Ethical dilemmas may arise during the course of a human service professional’s time with the client. The difficulty in finding a resolution to an ethical dilemma depends on the human service professional’s ethical practice and personal belief system. I believe that I would have little difficulty avoiding a dual relationship. My personal belief system tells me that a dual relationship creates a conflict of interest between the human service professional and the client. It leaves the door open for exploitation between both parties. It is a very fine line to walk when trying to gain the trust of the client. However, the main objective is to respect the integrity of the client and avoid any activities that could open the door to an intimate relationship that is unprofessional. I had an experience where the client’s sister was interested in me and wanted to know me in a way that was unprofessional. Ethically, I knew it was wrong and because of my personal belief I chose not to entertain her. Then, I notified my supervisor. An ethical dilemma that would be difficult for me to handle would be when a spouse shares information in confidentiality during marriage counseling, but does not want the other spouse to know. If I am counseling a husband and wife,

A social worker has a multitude of responsibilities to ensure the best care is provided for their clients. Due to conflicting interpretations of ethical guidelines and rules, and a variety of personal views, social workers can sometimes find themselves in a tough situation when there are conflicts of interest. This can cause difficult or awkward sessions between the social worker and client, and can ultimately lead to the termination of services. In the case between Allison and Carmen, conflicting views caused Carmen to discontinue her sessions with Allison.

This essay will address the ethical dilemmas faced by social workers and how they address these ethical dilemmas when working with service users and carers. It will be illustrated that codes of practice and codes of ethics are of paramount importance when dealing with these dilemmas as they are ones that guide social workers as to how they should try and solve these dilemmas.

Social workers face complex ethical issues in every aspect of their profession. This work is often ethically challenging because it involves direct contact and interaction with individuals who are vulnerable. There are many factors that influence our decision making especially when working with at risk youths, we often face challenges in wanting to take on certain roles to protect our clients. These roles often conflict with our professional obligations. When our personal and professional values conflicts, our decisions may affect the individual, family, group, community and the organization.

Social work is a profession which has the objective to improve the quality of life of other individuals. The NASW code of ethics is used as a guideline for social workers and the interaction they have with their clients. In addition, within the code of ethics, there are six values, which include service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Therefore, going into the social work field it is important to understand that your

The section of the National Association of Social Work Ethics that will be discussed will be number four which includes Social Workers’ ethical responsibilities as professionals. This ethics code concentrates on a several different factors which include: 4.01 Competence, 4.02 discrimination, 4.03 private conduct, 4.04 dishonesty, 4.05 personal impairment, 4.06 misinterpretations, 4.07 solicitations, and 4.08 acknowledging credit.

1. The two ethical violations noted from the NASW Code of Ethics that was exhibited by the worker in the case titled No Mad Dog Looks is Commitment to Clients 1.01 which states "Social worker 's primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients. In general client 's interests are primary. However, social workers ' responsibility to the larger society or specific legal obligations may on limited occasions supersede the loyalty owed clients, and clients should be so advised. An example includes when a social worker is required by law to report that a client has abused a child or has threatened to harm self or others" (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). On page 111 of the article by Duncan, No Mad Dog Looks,

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has written a code of ethics that serves many purposes. The main purpose is to identify the core ethics and values that provide the foundation for the profession. It details six basic principles for social workers to follow: service, social justice, dignity and worth, human relationships, integrity, and competence (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). The code acts as an ethical guide for students, and those professionals just

Providing social services can sometimes be a difficult task, with uncertainties and challenges. The codes of ethics are a set of core values for social work professionals. It is important for a social work professional to understand the ethics of social work to make ethical decisions. In this, a social worker must provide quality unbiased service. Professional social

There is a pressing need for a high level of worker/client boundary identification when working within a client population, however realizing a conflict of interest scenario is vitally important when facing a dual relationship with a client. There are so many issues that are faced by a human service professional, explaining all of them may be difficult. In this field there are issues such as burnout, secondary trauma, compassion satisfaction, dual relationships, and boundary issues. (Reamer, F. (2012). As human services professional or social workers there is a code of ethics. In statement 6 of the code of ethics, it states human services experts must be mindful that in their associations with customers/clients power and status are

The social work profession’s Standards of Practice outlines the boundaries in the relationship between social workers and their clients and sets a mandate of their responsibilities as a social worker (Alberta College of Social Workers, 2013, p. 30). In the Code of Ethics, boundaries are also set at a high standard as we must draw metaphysical lines between personal roles or interests and professional (Canadian Association of Social Workers, 2005, p. 7) to prevent forming a dual relationship with clients. Another boundary is to halt the possibility of the social worker from using the time they have to help themselves rather than helping their clients (CASW, 2005, p. 6). In addition to these boundaries, it is crucial for social workers to not share too much of their personal life with clients by placing mental boundaries of how much they feel they can share of their personal life with their clients.

Moreover, this case should be analyzed based on the information provided by the NASW Code of Ethics. The ethical principle included in the NASW Code of Ethics (2008) states that “social worker’s primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems…Social workers seek to resolve conflicts between clients’ interests and the broader society’s interests in a socially responsible manner” (p.5). Suzanne’s social worker would only have to seek for Suzanne’s well-being because if Suzanne and Cindy get separated, they can lose contact, which would affect Suzanne 's emotions.

To begin, social work is a profession concerned with helping individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social workers engage themselves in solving problems for individuals or relationships they may have in order to have a better lifestyle. Social workers work in various areas/institutions such as children’s aid agencies, school boards, hospitals and many more.These workers perform different duties depending on their workplace. Social work has four key concepts which include, social change, problem solving, person-in-the-environment and empowerment. These elements help the social workers find a conclusion with who they are working with. Just like any other work environment, there are policies in which they must follow. The CASW code of ethics. (Canadian Association of Social Workers). In some cases, social workers tend to ‘bend’ the code in order to make the right decision based on their experiences, beliefs and values. When they are stuck in a situation where they don’t quite know what to do, this is called an ethical dilemma.

Social workers should be aware of potential or existing conflicts of interest, should not engage in dual relationships with clients or former clients, nor take advantage of professional relationships for personal gains. Under no circumstances should a social worker engage in sexual relations or physical contact with clients or client’s relatives even if it is consensual. Services should not be provided to an individual who has had previous sexual relations with the professionals. Social workers should not make “sexual

Firstly, read and re-read the AASW code of ethics to become familiar with its guidelines. Read about the ethical guidelines and dilemmas that social workers commonly face. The Code of Ethics is quite upfront about them.