Identifying ethical concerns and determining how to address them can be a daunting aspect of counseling. With a thorough understanding of the ethical codes and with appropriate and supportive methods to solve ethical dilemmas, however, counselors who engage in couples and family counseling can act as responsible practitioners. In this Application, you will identify the potential ethical dilemmas in a particular case and consider possible resolutions for those dilemmas.

 

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review this week's Learning Resources.
• Reflect on the ethical decision-making model that is presented.
• Consider the various ethical dilemmas discussed, including therapist alliance with individuals in the couple or family, the paradoxical approach in counseling, and confidentiality issues.
• Review the AAMFT and IAMFC Web sites. Reflect on how these organizations' ethical codes might be applied in couples and family counseling.
• Read the case study provided through the following link, focusing on how the information in the Learning Resources might be applied:
• Week 3 Case Study

The assignment: (1-2 pages)

• Identify two potential ethical dilemmas presented in the above case.
• Explain each of the possible ethical dilemmas, referencing specific ethical codes from either AAMFT or IAMFC.
• Explain a potential resolution for each of the dilemmas you selected. Support your explanations using the ethical decision-making model in the Learning Resources.

Week 3 Case Study
Jan has received her couples and family counseling license and has opened a private
practice. The Lowndes family (husband, Tom; wife, Lisa; children, Steven [12] and Daniel
[10]) entered counseling with Jan because of continuous discord in the family.
Tom and Lisa have been married for 15 years. Tom is in upper management for a business
and Lisa is a homemaker. Lisa indicated during the intake phone call that she believed the
discord stemmed from her husband's absence from the family as he "is always working and
even if he isn't in his office, he brings work home with him." She further asserted that this has
caused problems with their children, who disrespect her, argue constantly with each other,
and show poor performance academically. Over the past month, Steven had been sent to the
principal's office six times for acting out at school. The school counselor, who is a friend of
Jan's from graduate school, suggested family counseling to the Lowndeses and referred
them to Jan. It took some coercing, but Lisa finally talked Tom into attending the family
session.
In the initial session, Tom reported that he believed that the children's misbehavior, especially
Steven's, was a result of Lisa's "coddling" the children and giving in to their every whim. Lisa,
however, blamed Tom's absence from the family for the children's behavior problems. In front
of the children, Tom yelled at Lisa, saying that if she wasn't such a "cold fish" he might want
to be home more often. Lisa began to cry while the children scowled at their father. For the
most part, the children were quiet as their parents argued over who was to blame for the
family problems. Jan attempted to bring the children into the discussion and finally Steven
grumbled, "This is what it is like all the time. They are always yelling at each other—over
everything." Daniel nodded his head and said he usually goes to his room and pulls the pillow
over his head when his parents start arguing. In fact, the arguing in the session lasted so long
that Jan was unable to do any assessment or family-of-origin history gathering.
Before the second session, Tom called Jan and said that he needed to tell her something. He
explained that he was on the verge of having an affair, that he had not had any sexual contact
yet, but that he felt strong emotions for a female colleague. He reported, "It is just so easy to
be around her. Being with Lisa is like being in a war zone." He then asked Jan not to tell Lisa.
He said that he would like to have a few sessions alone and asked if he could do this without
Lisa finding out, "just to get my head straight."
Lisa also contacted Jan between sessions. She reported that she needed to tell Jan that she
was six weeks pregnant. She stated that this was an unplanned pregnancy and that she had
not told Tom. She said she was considering an abortion because "the way this family is right
now, I don't want to bring another child into the picture." She further indicated that she sees
the pregnancy as a way to hurt Tom for being so accusing with and unavailable to her. She
said that he has always wanted a daughter and she thought that this baby would be a girl,
and that she could "sting" him by having an abortion, especially if she was right about the
baby being a girl.
Jan feels like she is in over her head with this case. She doesn't know where to begin with
the family or what to do with all the secrets. She is uncertain as to whether she should keep
these clients or refer them to another counselor.

Attachments:

• 1506778978-PSYC-COUN_Wk3_CaseStudy.doc