Class:
Professional Issue and Ethics Every week (on Monday) you will be presented with
a new clinical dilemma (5 in total). Based on the readings and discussions to
reflect your ethical decision. Once you one has responded, you will be able to
read other’s the responses (so you are able to exercise your thinking & get
in touch on how you process dilemmas). Ethical Dilemma 1 CASE A: Polite &
Dr. Facilit Arnold Polite, age 14, is brought into therapy by his parents to
Frank Facilit, Psy.D., out
of concern that he is becoming increasingly depressed and socially withdrawn.
During the first session, Dr. Facilit goes over the informed consent
(therapeutic contract) with Arnold and his parents and covers issues of
confidentiality, fee and missed appointments. He explains to Arnold that
because he is a minor, his parents have the right to know about his therapy
process and that he can help Arnold to discuss issues that he finds hard to
communicate with his parents, as needed. And he also encourages his parents
to respect Arnold's privacy as he is 14-years-old. After negotiating the
boundaries of privacy, the parents trust Arnold to make his sessions as he can
ride his bike to Dr. Facilit's office. Dr. Facilit finds Arnold is learning to
develop a sense of adolescent autonomy and at times struggles with it. Over
several months, Dr. Facilit sees good progress in his work with Arnold. Then,
one day, he fails to show up for a scheduled therapy session. Dr. Facilit
gives a telephone call to Mr. and Mrs. Polite, who pay for the sessions, to
check on Arnold's absence. Next day Arnold calls Dr. Facilit and expresses
concern that the Dr. should not have called his parents. He states that he is
unsure if he can continue in therapy with the Dr. or not. If you were Dr.
Facilit, what would you do now? What is the Ethical Dilemma & how would you
respond as a therapist? Reference: Koocher, G.P., and
Keith-Spiegel, P. (2016). Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health
Professions: Standards and Cases. (4th Edition). New York: Oxford