Assignment Task:
You are a social worker in a for-profit, private-practice setting with a clientele of individuals, couples, and families. Most of your clientele come from a middle-class background with insurance benefits that cover mental health services.
There are several other professions that make up the interdisciplinary team at the practice, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and other licensed clinical social workers with advanced degrees, one of whom is your field instructor.
You have been working with a married couple, both of whom are in their early 30s, childless, and have separate careers. The couple has come in with the goal of improving the quality of their relationship. Direct, open, and honest communication has been identified and agreed upon as a relationship goal. Each half of the couple has also communicated that sexual fidelity is an important aspect of their marriage.
Your sessions with the couple have been characterized by completion of "homework" assignments focused on the couple's communication and reported increase in intimacy. Between the fourth and fifth session, you receive a phone call from one of the partners who says, "I think it would help you to know I am involved romantically with another person. It does not affect my relationship with my spouse, and I feel quite sure you will not reveal this information. I want you to know because I respect your expertise and surely you can work around this situation. You are doing a wonderful job."
What is your initial reaction? Take stock of how you are feeling in this moment? Consider the ethical issues involved here, identify what the dilemma is, and come up with a reasoned and well-thought-out plan for your next steps that is rooted in the code of ethics.