Assignment task: Fred is a 45 year old Caucasian mental health counselor who is currently separated from his wife and is experiencing periods of depression. To cope, Fred has been drinking more alcohol than usual on a nightly basis to numb his feelings. Fred is also overwhelmed at work, but does not want to take any time off because he needs the vacation time for his impending divorce proceedings. Fred has been late to work several times this week as a result of his drinking. He has cancelled three client sessions without letting his supervisor know.
Fred enjoys his job as a counselor and today he looking forward to working with his regular client Sequoyah (Cherokee for Sparrow) but goes by the American name Sam. Sam is a 54 year old Native American man who is part of the Cherokee tribe and he has been coming to see Fred for almost 6 months ever since his wife died and he started excessively using alcohol to cope. Sam is now 2 months sober and is very proud of this accomplishment. During today's session, Fred starts to tell Sam about his own personal problems of his pending divorce and drinking. Sam does not say anything during the session, but Fred thinks he must have been uncomfortable as a result of his body language and cancels his next session on his way out of the office.
Applying Reamer's (2005) ethical decision model below, please explore any ethical considerations (specific codes as well as dilemmas) as well as include any cultural issues related to Fred and Sam's present situation.
1 - Identify the conflicts between the ethical and legal expectations and requirements, including the social work values and duties that conflict.
2- Identify the individuals, groups, and organizations that are likely to be affected by the ultimate ethical decision
3- Tentatively identify all possible courses of action and the participants involved in each, along with possible benefits and risks for each
4 - Thoroughly examine the reasons in favor of and opposed to each possible course of action, considering relevant (a) ethical theories (for example, deontological and teleological perspectives), principles, and guidelines from literature on professional ethics; (b) codes of ethics (especially the NASW code of ethics); (c) constitutional provisions, statutes, regulations, court decisions, and executive orders; and (d) personal values (including religious, cultural, and ethnic values).
5 - Consult with colleagues and appropriate experts (such as professional colleagues, supervisors, agency administrators, attorneys, ethics scholars and consultants, agency-based ethics committees).
6 - Make the decision and document the decision-making process.
7- Monitor and evaluate the decision.
Additionally in thinking about Sam (Sequoyah) this week's readings and resources, what are some specific cultural considerations unique to the Native American community which might influence the counselor's role?