An Ethical View Essay

Moral and ethical viewpoints are often shaped and molded by your society; learning to respect others, tolerance, my family, church, co-workers, past and present life experiences has influenced my moral and ethical viewpoints. Knowing right from wrong and how to treat others has been the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.in this process. I. Influences on My Moral and Ethical Development A. My family/environment (Moral development) 1. Tolerance 2. Forgiveness and being honest B. Ethical development (Church/work) 1. topic/idea for paper 2. topic/idea for paper II. Experiences that Contributed to My Personal and Professional Development A. Life and Death 1. Marriage at an early age 2. Life experiences/lessons (murder of my spouse, single parent, setbacks,) B. Professional Development 1. School/instructors 2. Co-workers 3. past employment experiences This paper will display a brief synopsis of the elements that has influenced my moral and ethical development as well as, discuss counseling issues and the ethical codes used to resolve the issues, and I will explain how I have changed because of my work in this class. I developed a true sense of right and wrong at an early age, as a kid I was very adventurous and would do things just to see how far my parents, grandparents, or aunts/ uncles would allow me to go before chastisement came into play. I remember one incident as if it was yesterday, when I was seven I would watch one of my eldest aunts obtain a cigarette from the package (Virginia Slims), her lighter, light her cigarette, and began to smoke it; she would make smoke rings for me. One day I decided that I would mimic my aunt’s actions and smoke a cigarette, my grandmother caught me smoking the cigarette. She did not spank me as I thought that would have been a fair form of disciplinary resolution for my actions, she wanted me to know just how unhealthy smoking cigarettes was for me so, she made me call my mother and father, aunts, uncles, and cousins and tell them what I had done. From that moment until now I have never touched another cigarette and that’s when the real less ons of what was right and wrong began. Being the eldest of five children born to a single parent mother I learned at an early age about charity and helping those in need; my mother taught me about sacrifice at an early age even though I did not understand it then I have a firm grasp on the concept of sacrifice in my adult life. Growing up in my grandparentsgrandparents’ home I did not understand what beingthe definition of poverty or what being poor really meant because my grandparents were always so eager to feed everyone in the community, it wasn’t until my mother decided that she did not want to live under my grandparents roof and abide by their rules was when the knowledge of poverty settled in; my grandparents were very active in their Christian faith, they believed that God blessed you so, you should be a blessing to others and they always welcomed the needy into their home to share our meals on a consistent basis. My family being my environment has taught me the basics about morals and values; Kohlber g’s Moral Development stages Stage 1 = infancy—the child’s only sense of right and wrong is what feels good or bad; Stage 2 = toddler years—the child learns â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† from what she or he is told by others; Stage 3 = preschool years—the child begins to internalize family values as his or her own, and begins to perceive the consequences of his or her behavior; Stage 4 = ages 7-10 years—the child begins to question the infallibility of parents, teachers, and other adults, and develops a strong sense of â€Å"should† and â€Å"should not† Stage 5 = preteen and teenage years—peers, rather than adults, become of ultimate importance to the child, who begins to try on different values systems to see which fits best; teens also become more aware of and concerned with the larger society, and begin to reason more abstractly about â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong.† Read more: Moral Development – STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT – Lawrence Kohlberg, Mean Example, Morality, and Social – JRank Articles http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/431/Moral-Development.html#ixzz2R8sxnA1w III. Experiences that Contributed to My Personal and Professional Development C. Life and Death 1. Marriage at an early age 2. Life experiences/lessons (murder of my spouse, single parent, setbacks,) D. Professional Development 1. School/instructors 2. Co-workers 3. Pastpast employment experiences For this application, you were asked to develop an outline for the final project. There were four topics that you were to consider, including influences on your moral and ethical development; experiences that contributed to your personal and professional development; legal and ethical issues in counseling; and reflection. Nice job giving thought to these areas. Looks like you have some thoughts for your final project. Looking forward to a little more detail on your next submission and looking forward to reading your final project! In order to understand clearly where you are headed, you must also evaluate where you have been and what has influenced you along the way. It is important to reflect critically upon your own values (and sense of personal/professional ethics) and how you developed these perspectives in order to develop an ethical framework. To help accomplish this goal, the Final Project for this course is an Ethical Autobiography in which you will explore various elements of your life experiences that might influence your future ethical framework. As you reflect on your journey through this class, some of the course readings may have informed your Ethical Autobiography. You can also make use of outside resources, but much of the paper will be exploring what you bring to the profession and events that may have influenced your ethical lens. This reflective autobiography should have personal meaning to you and should help you understand what being an ethical practitioner means. In this sense, you are writing an intellectual and Ethical Autobiography, that is, who you are as virtue of what you believe, what you do, and what you have read. Think broadly—there are no wrong answers; you are exploring your own world Some examples of questions/issues that you can address: †¢ You may share how you developed a sense of right and wrong. †¢ Who/what influenced your moral and ethical development? †¢ What experiences contributed to your personal and professional beliefs? Are your personal and professional beliefs congruent? †¢ What is your idea of right and wrong? Are there absolutes or are there shades of gray? Do the same guidelines apply in all circumstances? †¢ What are some of your basic values that guide your work and your life? What experiences have potentially influenced your decision making? †¢ What aspects of your personality and work ethic are most compatible with the counseling field? Which aspects are the least compatible? †¢ Was there a time, in your personal or professional life, when you felt that your confidentiality was violated, that you were involved in a dual relationship in which you felt uncomfortable, or perhaps an issue resonated unexpectedly with you (e.g., transference)? Essential Elements (You m ust address the points outlined below in your Final Project.): †¢ Select four counseling issues, describe these issues, and explain potential ethical challenges for addressing these issues in your professional practice. †¢ Explain state or region laws or statutes that might apply to these ethical challenges. †¢ Reference specific codes of ethics that you ascribe to for your practice and how adhering to ethics and law present challenges for addressing these issues you selected. †¢ Explain why this Assignment is meaningful to you. †¢ Describe how adhering to ethics and law for professional counseling practice might influence social change. †¢ Finally, explain how you have changed because of your work in this class. Describe personal and ethical values you have reexamined because of your work in this course. You should present your Final Project as a 12- to 15-page (including cover page, abstract, and references—therefore, approximately 10–12 pages of text), double-spaced, APA-formatted paper. Papers can be longeriflonger if the purpose of the paper is served, but the quality ofideasof ideas and conciseness of the writing should justify the extra length. Also, please proofread yourpapersyour papers to make sure that grammar, punctuation, and other mistakes do not hinder thecommunicationthe communication of your ideas. This paper will display a brief synopsis of the elements that has influenced my moral and ethical development as well as, discuss counseling issues and the ethical codes us ed to resolve the issues, and I will explain how I have changed because of my work in this class. I developed a true sense of right and wrong at an early age, as a kid I was very adventurous and would do things just to see how far my parents, grandparents, or aunts/ uncles would allow me to go before chastisement came into play. I remember one incident as if it was yesterday, when I was seven I would watch one of my eldest aunts obtain a cigarette from the package (Virginia Slims), her lighter, light her cigarette, and began to smoke it; she would make smoke rings for me. One day I decided that I would mimic my aunt’s actions and smoke a cigarette, my grandmother caught me smoking the cigarette. She did not spank me as I thought that would have been a fair form of disciplinary resolution for my actions, she wanted me to know just how unhealthy smoking cigarettes was for me so, she made me call my mother and father, aunts, uncles, and cousins and tell them what I had done. From that moment until now I have never touched another cigarette and that’s when the real less ons of what was right and wrong began. Being the eldest of five children born to a single parent mother I learned at an early age about charity and helping those in need; my mother taught me about sacrifice at an early age even though I did not understand it then I have a firm grasp on the concept of sacrifice in my adult life. Growing up in my grandparents’ home I did not understand the definition of poverty or what being poor really meant because my grandparents were always so eager to feed everyone in the community, it wasn’t until my mother decided that she did not want to live under my grandparents roof and abide by their rules was when the knowledge of poverty settled in; my grandparents were very active in their Christian faith, they believed that God blessed you so, you should be a blessing to others and they always welcomed the needy into their home to share our meals on a consistent basis. My family being my environment has taught me the basics about morals and values; Kohlberg’s Moral Development stages Stage 1 = infancy—the child’s only sense of right and wrong is what feels good or bad; Stage 2 = toddler years—the child learns â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† from what she or he is told by others; Stage 3 = preschool years—the child begins to int ernalize family values as his or her own, and begins to perceive the consequences of his or her behavior; Stage 4 = ages 7-10 years—the child begins to question the infallibility of parents, teachers, and other adults, and develops a strong sense of â€Å"should† and â€Å"should not† Stage 5 = preteen and teenage years—peers, rather than adults, become of ultimate importance to the child, who begins to try on different values systems to see which fits best; teens also become more aware of and concerned with the larger society, and begin to reason more abstractly about â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong.† Read more: Moral Development – STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT – Lawrence Kohlberg, Mean Example, Morality, and Social – JRank Articles http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/431/Moral-Development.html#ixzz2R8sxnA1w Counseling Issues Duty to ‘Warn and Protect’ not in Texas is one counseling issue that I am concerned about; what concerns me the most about this statue is According to the Texas Laws mental health counselors do not have a duty to warn nor protect third parties or intended victims once a client has made specific threats to harm the individual. This law was designed to protect mental health counselors from being responsible for notifying anyone of intended harm. â€Å"The statue classifies communications between a mental health professional(s) and their client(s) as confidential and prohibits mental-health professionals from disclosing them to the third party unless an exception applies.† (FN17)(Texas Supreme Court, 1999). The exceptions to the law are: â€Å"reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting HIV status to a spouse, medical personnel, or law enforcement, and report imminent danger to police officer if the client poses a threat to him/herself or others.† (The Family Code, section 261.101(a-c) (Texas Supreme Court, 1999). In the case Thapar v. Zezulka, rendered by the Texas Supreme Court in 1999, stipulated that mental health providers do not incur a duty to warn and protect (Dalrymple, 1999; Grinfeld, 1999; Texas Supreme Court, 1999). Specifically, the opinion written for a unanimous court by Justice Craig T. Enoch stated that, â€Å"we refrain from imposing on mental health professionals a duty to warn third parties of a patient’s threats† (FN1) (Texas Supreme Court, 199 9). By implementing several of the Ethical Decision Models (Rational Model, Collaborative Model, and Integrative Model), I believe a peaceful resolution can be accomplished when a counselor is faced with the ethical decision of whether to inform a third party that intended harm has been conveyed. Although the law in Texas states, â€Å"we as counselors are not obligated to warn nor protect a third party,† we can always defer to The Code of Ethics (2005) which states, â€Å"A.1.a. Primary Responsibility: The primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients. B.1.c. Respect for Confidentiality: Counselors do not share confidential information without client consent or without sound legal or ethical justification. B.2.a. Danger and Legal Requirements: The general requirement that counselors keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is required to protect clients or identified others from serious harm.† (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005). Implementing an EDM, making reference to the ACA code of ethics, and consulting with a supervisor/colleagues will help the make a sound and ethical decision whether to warn or protect. Although the law in Texas states, â€Å"we as counselors are not obligated to warn nor protect a third party,† we can always defer to The Code of Ethics (2005) which states, â€Å"A.1.a. Primary Responsibility: The primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients. B.1.c. Respect for Confidentiality: Counselors do not share confidential information without client consent or without sound legal or ethical justification. B.2.a. Danger and Legal Requirements: The general requirement that counselors keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is required to protect clients or identified others from serious harm.† (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005). Implementing an EDM, making reference to the ACA code of ethics, and consulting with a supervisor/colleagues will help the make a sound and ethical decision whether to warn or protect. Client confidentiality is another issue that I think would pose a problem for me as a counselor, upon reading the landmark case â€Å"United States of America, Plaintiff v. Robert Allen Romo (2005).† â€Å"This case arises out of a confession Romo made during a meeting with Donald LaPlante, the Program Director at the Dawson County Adult Correction and Detention Facility where Romo was incarcerated.   LaPlante is a licensed professional counselor whose job included providing inmates with psychological counseling and a host of other duties, ranging from arranging social events to providing classes and acting as a case manager.   Before the meeting that sparked the chain of events leading to Romo’s conviction, LaPlante had provided Romo with mental health treatment during voluntary counseling sessions.† (United States of America, Plaintiff v. Robert Allen Romo (2005) I realized that it does matter to clients if you discuss with them informed consent a nd confidentiality they can still file some sort of legal litigation against the counselor if they felt like the counselor violated any of their rights. Non-sexual relationship is one boundary issue I can foresee (providing counseling services to family members), pg 210. Counseling minors One ethical and legal challenge I think would be an issue for me is confidentiality; â€Å"knowing when and with whom to share the information the minor has shared in the counseling session.† Once you have built a rapport with the client you do not want to betray the trust of the client. The second issue would be parental rights and making sure the counselors has the client’s best interest at hand; when counseling minor clients it is best to make sure everything is explained on the first visit and that both the parent/legal guardian and client understands the details of the informed consent form. Since the laws vary from state to state, I know it would be beneficial for me as a counselor to use the following ACA Codes of Ethics to handle such issues: B.5.b.(Responsibility to Parents and Legal Guardians) states, â€Å" Counselors inform parents and legal guardians about the role of counselors and the confidential nature of the counseling relationship. Counselors are sensitive to the cultural diversity of families and respect the inherent rights and responsibilities of parents and guardians over the welfare of their children/charges according to the law. Counselors work to establish, as appropriate, collaborative relationships with parents/guardians to best serve the client.† (ACA Ethical Standards Casebook, 2006, p.35) B.5.c. (Release of Confidential Information) â€Å"When counseling minor clients counselors seek permission from an appropriate third party to disclose information. In such instances, counselors inform clients consistent with their level of understanding and take culturally appropriate measures to safeguard client confidentiality.† (ACA Ethical Standards Casebook, 2006, p.35)