Free Ethical Decision-Making in Counseling Essay Sample
1. Do you think the graduate student was wrong for contacting the authorities? Why or why not?
The graduate did the right thing. The woman's life was in danger since she was depressed and vulnerable to the worldly activities. In addition, the graduate played three contradicting roles in this situation. First, the depressed woman called as a friend and playing the role of friendship she needed to make sure that the woman as safe by contacting her family members whereby her husband got involved into the matter. Secondly, the graduate was a student under thus cooperation to the regulations of supervisors had to be observed. We learn that the graduate consulted supervisors who advised that the matter be reported to the heath agency authorities. Thirdly, the graduate was a counselor and the code of ethics requires that mandatory reporting be done and since this case met the threshold, I conclude that graduate was right in the action taken.
2. Do you think counselors should be allowed to have friendships with non-clients, without having to take on their role as psychologist? Why or why not? Do you think mandatory reporting is a good policy? Why or why not?
The counselors need not to be allowed to have friendships with non-clients. This is because the code of ethics requires mandatory reporting being done on the life threatening matters and this can result to being a hard decision to take against a friend. Though in the moral sense, most friends are reporters, law enforcement agency is hardly involved in the friendship matters. More also, The legal requirement to make mandatory reporting always result to breech of normal relationship confidentiality that exist between the individuals and that's why in our case the graduate terminated the friendship they had with the client.
However, mandatory reporting is very crucial in the field of psychological therapy. There are situations which activate the need for reporting the matter to the necessary authorities. Normally this happens in order to relieve the counselors from psychological torture they may be going through when handling some difficult cases. These situations occur when a counselor is handling a case which can be dangerous to the life of the victim, family or the entire community. Most probably, those cases are beyond the competitiveness level of the counselor. Therefore, the policy of mandatory reporting is crucial and helpful to both the counselor's career and the life of the victim.
1. What is your self-image? Has your self-image changed over the years? If so, how has it changed? If your self-image hasn't changed, why do you think it has remained the same?
My self- image refers to my natural personality and self conscious with accordance to the normal progression of life. My self- image is positive though it has been changing over the year's right from childhood to the adulthood. The main reason for these changes are results of experiences which I had went through according to my relationship with those who surrounded me and the methods used in helping me cope with the challenges I met with in my early life. According to the Carl Roger's theory of self- image; "the core of man's nature is essentially positive" (Roger 1961, p.73).
However, Carl Roger's opinion illustrate that everybody has an initial positive self-image which changes according to the challenges one goes though in life. Therefore, the reason to why my life has been changing is because of challenges I have been experiencing in life and the positive responses those next to my life have been giving. In addition, Carl Roger's also illustrated that change din human behaviors are as a result of self-image. With accordance to his opinion, criminality results from natural distortions of the natural positive self-image an individual is born with.
2. Do you know anyone with an especially poor or strong self-image? How does that person's self-image affect their behavior? Have you experienced incongruence? Mine is good.
I know an individual who has a strong self-image in the society. This individual is a psychologist who many individuals rely on in the matters affecting psychological defects. The individual feels applauded by the society and this seems to motivate the individuality self -worth with is reflected by the confidence of the society in relying on this individual's psychological counseling service. However, with accordance to Carl Roger's theory of self-image, the positive behavior of this individual is as a result of encouragement which is brought by the confidence of the entire society on the services they receive. I have ever experienced incongruence which resulted from other people's encouragement to my life and has motivated me in my daily life achievements.
1. What social groups do you belong to? For example, are you a member of a formal group, such as Kiwanis? Or, do you have a social group of friends you hang out with? What group norms do you experience in your groups?
I belong to a students' formal group which fight social criminality such as drugs and substances abuses. In most cases I find myself hanging out with my friends who are also members of the group. The group norm that I experience is the counseling services to the victims of social criminality which I find myself doing to clients who consult me from time to time. Also, the group has a mission to fight the growing tendency of students involving themselves into social criminality which is my norm to psychologically support every student I learn is in the process of getting into the behavior.
2. What role do you usually have in groups? Have you ever experienced role conflict in a group? What would you do if you experienced role conflict with another person?
I play the role of counseling the victims of the social, criminality in the social group. However, I have ever experienced role conflict in my social group. The role of counseling is demanding and well liked by many members of the group. Therefore, we had to fight for the few chances that were available which made the school's administration to get involved. However, the conflict was resolved by teachers who advised us to vote by the rule of majority those who fitted in the posts and luckily I emerged to be on of the lucky few individuals. In addition, the conflict did not end since the performance of each individual was keenly observed so as to prove individual's suitability in the post which I work hard to maintain.