ETHICS CASE STUDY

Scenario: John comes from a blue-collar neighborhood in an East Coast city. He has struggled to get a college degree and has attained a master’s degree in counseling. He is proud of his accomplishments, but he considers himself to be sensitive to his own background and to those who struggle with similar problems. He has moved to the West Coast and has been hired to work in a clinic in a lower-class neighborhood with a large minority population.

At the clinic John starts a group for troubled adolescents. His goal for this group are 1) to instill pride so that group members will see their present environment as an obstacle to be overcome, not suffered with; 2) to increase self-esteem and to challenge group members to fight the negativism they may encounter in their home environments; 3) to teach them to minimize their differences in terms of the larger community (e.g., he points out how some of their ways of speaking separate them from the majority culture and reinforce differences and stereotypes); and 4) to teach them how to overcome obstacles in an environment that is not supportive.

John does not work closely with other staff members and he has little to do with the families of the adolescents. He sees his the families of his group members as being too willing to accept handouts and welfare and as not being very interested in becoming self-sufficient and independent. He tell his group members “What you have in this group is the opportunity to change and have that change appreciated by others.”

Directions: Each step of the outline of the eight step model below needs to be addressed. The eight-step model format outlined below (i.e., Outline: Eight-Step Ethical Decision-Making Model) is a modification of the problem-solving model proposed on pages 24 to 26 of the course textbook. Answers to the ethics case study should be identified under the headings indicated in the bold italics; type face.The “bullet points’ must be full sentences that communicate your answer clearly and succinctly.

The response to the ethics case study will generally follow APA format. The paper should have one inch margins and page numbers with an abbreviated running head.

6. Possible Course(s) of action

Identify and describe two or more different possible courses of action that are viable.Please note that a consultant is not a course of action

7. Enumerate the consequences of various decisions

Describe the limitations and potential legal and ethical consequences associated with each course of action that you identify.

8. Recommended course of action.

Choose the best course of action. Justify how your recommendation(s) is in the best interest of the client and satisfies the legal/ethical/professional behavior dilemma.