ETHICAL DISCUSSION ON ACTIVITY 2.

First Susan has to introduce herself to the class however she feels comfortable and then

she has to follow the question wise script that I have prepared for her.

ANSWER TO Q1

Well, in my opinion. Both of the individuals in this given case are going through

recovery process. I’ve observed that recovery works differently for everyone. But, no one gets

through it easily. Every individual faces sobriety issues when they are trying to leave the

substance use. In this case, I think Don should not call Cheryl and force her to tell about it to the

staff. The reasons behind me saying so are: 1) Don is working at the place where Cheryl comes

to receive the services so Don should keep the professionalism and ethics in his mind, because

ethically I he shouldn’t tell Cheryl to talk about it. 2) Cheryl is a court-mandated individual so

I’m sure if she is facing difficulties in staying sober, her counselor will eventually get to know

about it through the drug tests. 3) Cheryl has the right to confidentiality and she can easily tell

don not to tell about this to anyone because that would be the direct violation of the

confidentiality.

ANSWER TO Q2

I think if don decides to go ahead and report what Cheryl said in a PERSONAL NA

meeting, it could cause Cheryl to drift further away from the recovery process. Don himself is

recovering from SUD and that being said I think he should have at least this much courtesy and

the caliber to know that reporting what Cheryl said regarding the lack of sobriety could

furthermore make things worse for her. People going through recovery are highly sensitive and

emotional so don should keep these factors in mind. On the other hand, if Don foresees an

imminent danger regarding Cheryl’s health or as described in the case that Cheryl is court
mandated, he may reveal this piece of information to the concerned authorities. But he should

keep in mind that only the least amount of information should be revealed to the court as Cheryl

is subjected to the right of confidentiality.

ANSWER TO Q3

Tell your state laws according to the situation.

ANSWER TO Q4

After reading this case carefully I think there are 2 points that I would like to discuss. 1)

confidentiality is the backbone of the counselor-client relationship. 2) comfort level is the path to

a strong counselor-client relationship. Now, both of these factors get affected if the agency lets

the counselor or the client sit in a personal group meeting with another counselor and vice versa.

So, I think this settles the argument that the counselors should not be present at a meeting where

a client is present and it goes both ways. In this way the level of trust between both of the parties

won’t get affected.

ANSWER TO Q5

Empathy is the key to having an effective conversation. If anything, don should share his

experience in a friendly manner with Cheryl that could possibly help her emotionally. i think if

you’re saying something that is correct but your attitude and your way of speaking is incorrect, it

would be of no use, the other person will get hurt or even get angry, even if you’re right. So, don

should give confidence to Cheryl as he is going through the recovery too and that might help

both of them.
 ANSWER TO Q6

Well, if don choses to remain silent the affect of doing so would be nothing but positive.

He will sustain the confidentiality of Cheryl as she is not Don’s client. he will know that he has

correctly followed the NASW code of ethics and all and what he can do is talk to Cheryl in an

empathetic manner with the sole purpose of making her feel better and confident rather than

pressurizing her into reporting herself to the counselor.

These are of course my opinions about the case and I would love to hear yours!