Words Readings Use Your Clinical Social Work Practice Textbo

300 Wordsreadingsuse Yourclinical Social Work Practicetextbook To Read

Use your Clinical Social Work Practice textbook to read the following: Chapter 1, "An Integrated Approach to Clinical Practice," pages 1–9. Chapter 2, "Key Issues in Clinical Practice," pages 10–26. Use the Capella University Library to read the following: American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). Section I, Introduction and Use of the Manual. This will help you acquire a basic understanding of the manual. Use the Internet to read the following: National Association of Social Work. (2005). NASW standards for clinical social work in social work practice [PDF]. This resource guide on ethics within clinical social work will serve as a valuable resource in understanding ethical standards. Reamer (1999) shares an ethical decision-making framework that explores a hierarchy of topics that supersede others. This framework includes the following concepts: Rules against basic harm to an individual's survival take precedence over rules against harms, such as lying or revealing confidential information or threats to additive goods. An individual's right to basic well-being takes precedence over another individual's right to self-determination. An individual's right to self-determination takes precedence over his or her right to basic well-being. The obligation to obey laws, rules, and regulations to which one has voluntarily and freely consented ordinarily overrides one's right to engage voluntarily and freely in a manner that conflicts with these. Individuals' rights to well-being may override laws, rules, regulations, and arrangements of voluntary associations in cases of conflict.

The obligation to prevent basic harms and to promote public goods, such as housing, education, and public assistance overrides the right to complete control over one's property. Cooper and Granucci Lesser (2015) shared that cyber communication increases ethical and clinical concerns. Therapists who engage in emails with clients often face the ethical dilemma of timely and appropriate responses in addition to the expectation of clinicians being available at all times. This dilemma may test traditional professional boundaries and create ethical dilemmas. Social workers have ethical guidelines, provided through the National Association of Social Work, to guide them through potential ethical dilemmas. This week's reading of NASW "Standards for Clinical Social Work in Social Work Practice" provides a baseline of expectations for ethical standards within clinical social work. Based on all of the above, read the following scenario and identify potential ethical dilemmas. Scenario Anna is a new licensed clinical social worker who has worked for a university counseling center for two months. Thomas is a student who was referred to her at the beginning of the semester for anxiety and depression. Anna has been seeing Thomas once a week. In addition, he checks in with her through e-mail when he becomes anxious. Anna typically responds to his e-mail during her office hours by assuring him and reminding him of their upcoming appointment. Thomas's e-mails and phone calls have recently increased due to midterms over the next couple of weeks. On Monday Thomas left a phone message wanting to talk to Anna. He reported that he needed to talk to her sooner than their Thursday scheduled meeting but did not state why. Anna noticed that he sounded upset and slurred his words. Anna saw Dr. Stance during lunch in the busy student center, Anna knows Dr. Stance is one of Thomas's favorite professors. Anna shared with Dr. Stance that she was worried about Thomas because she had a strange phone call and stated that he sounded impaired. Anna asked Dr. Stance if Thomas had been in class and if he had been acting strange. Anna did not document the e-mail or the conversation with Dr. Stance as she was going to include these conversations within her weekly clinical note. On Wednesday Thomas responded to Anna's e-mail at 8 p.m., stating that someone stole his medication and he did not feel capable of going to class in fear of hurting himself or someone else. He also assured Anna that if he needed to call 911 on his behalf that he would and that she did not need to worry about him. Anna did not look at her e-mail on Wednesday night as she was not feeling well and decided to call in sick on Thursday. You are Anna's supervisor and covering Anna's clients for the day on Thursday. Thomas does not come in for his appointment. For this discussion: Consider this scenario in light of this week's readings. Also consider ethical decision making in relation to self-determination and well-being based on Reamer's framework. Identify one of the many potential ethical dilemmas within this case and discuss why you feel it is an ethical dilemma. Identify two standards provided through the NASW standards readings that you could apply to this situation to assist in the ethical decision-making process. Discuss how each standard applies to this case.

Paper For Above instruction

The scenario presented highlights a significant ethical dilemma faced by clinical social workers concerning the duty to protect client confidentiality versus the obligation to ensure client safety. In this case, Anna, a licensed clinical social worker, encounters concerns about Thomas, a student showing signs of potentially severe mental health crises, including impaired speech, medication theft, and potential self-harm or harm to others. Her decision whether to breach confidentiality by informing faculty or other authorities, or to maintain strict confidentiality, is central to the ethical dilemma.

The core issue arises from Anna's observation that Thomas may be experiencing a mental health crisis, evidenced by his impaired appearance, stolen medication, and statements about self-harm. According to the NASW Code of Ethics (National Association of Social Workers, 2008), social workers have an obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure clients' safety when there is imminent danger, which may involve breaching confidentiality. This obligation to warn or protect third parties in imminent danger, often called "duty to warn" or "duty to protect," conflicts with the principle of client confidentiality, which is fundamental to social work practice (Reamer, 1999). The dilemma escalates when considering Thomas's statement that he may need to call 911, and his mention of the stolen medication and fear of harming himself or others. Anna's decision to omit documentation of her conversation with Dr. Stance and her delayed response to Thomas’s email further complicate her ethical responsibilities, as transparency and documentation are vital for accountability and legal protection (Banks, 2008).

Applying the NASW Standards for Clinical Social Work in Social Work Practice (NASW, 2005), two relevant standards help guide this decision-making process. Firstly, Standard 4.01, Ethical Responsibilities to Clients, emphasizes the social worker's responsibility to protect client safety. When a client poses a risk to themselves or others, the worker must take appropriate action, which may include breaching confidentiality. This standard directly applies as Anna must evaluate whether Thomas's disclosures indicate imminent danger, fulfilling her ethical obligation to intervene proactively.

Secondly, Standard 4.07, Privacy and Confidentiality, underscores the importance of maintaining clients’ confidentiality but notes exceptions when there is clear risk of harm. In this case, Thomas's statements about self-harm, medication theft, and potential imminent danger justify breaching confidentiality to alert appropriate parties, such as campus authorities or healthcare providers, to prevent harm (NASW, 2005). Maintaining confidentiality is crucial but not absolute, especially when clients are at risk of harming themselves or others.

The dilemma involves balancing respect for Thomas’s autonomy and self-determination against the duty to protect his well-being. The ethical course involves assessing the immediacy and severity of the risk and acting in the best interest of the client while adhering to professional standards. Documentation of all steps undertaken is vital for accountability. Overall, this case exemplifies the complex and nuanced decision-making social workers face when ethical principles conflict, emphasizing the importance of established standards and frameworks to navigate such dilemmas responsibly.

References

• Banks, S. (2008). Ethical issues in social work. In N. Gilbert & T. Egan (Eds.), Social work perspectives (2nd ed.) (pp. 149-171). Sage Publications.
• National Association of Social Workers. (2005). NASW standards for clinical social work in social work practice [PDF].
• National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics. NASW Press.
• Reamer, F. G. (1999). Social work values and ethics. Columbia University Press.
• Reamer, F. G. (2013). Ethical standards in social work: A review of core issues. Social Work, 58(3), 271-278.
• Banks, S. (2012). Ethics in social work: A companion volume to ethics for social work. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Corcoran, K. (Ed.). (2014). Adult development and aging. Cengage Learning.
• American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). APA.
• Cooper, M., & Granucci Lesser, J. (2015). Clinical social work practice: An integrated approach with enhanced Pearson eText (5th ed.). Pearson.
• American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. APA.