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This is about an ethical issue in counseling. It is a counselor possibly having a problem with a client that is abuse
in relationships, specifically spousal. The counselor had an abusive father, which makes him very sensitive to this
type of situation.
The client of course is approximately the same age as the counselor, grew up similar in circumstances, but
different outcomes. The questions at hand are somewhat a dilemma to the counselor. Should he continue with
the client even after some of the things the initial meeting came up with? Should the counselor remove himself
from this situation due to the feelings he has about his father? Can the counselors own experiences help the
client? Will the counselor truly be able to keep his feelings out of the counseling sessions and use his
experiences as his guide? Does he already preconceive that the client is not willing to change his behavior? All of
these questions are legitimate and controversial to the situation. So, what does the counselor do and how will he
go about doing the decision.

American boys are being so "emotionally uneducated by everyone from parents and peers to the entertainment
industry, say some psychologists.´ (APA Monitor; VOL 30 , NR 7 July/August 1999

This is what we have grown up with for many years in the United States, it has lead to an increase of domestic
violence, just as our case states has happened. This mis-education is a decision maker for each individual
growing up to decide on how he plans to use it. As for the counselor, he became educated and learns a better
way than what he was taught at a young age. The client went from high school straight to work with the type of
men that he wanted to be like, muscular. He educated himself with reinforced behavior of his earlier years of
education.

American workers are working harder and longer than they have in the past two decades just to maintain their
standard of living. The predictable result, according to experts who took part in the recent "Work, stress and
health '99" conference in Baltimore is a workforce more at risk than ever for psychological, physical and
behavioral health problems. "It certainly has made for social and family disruptions," said Linda Rosenstock, MD,
the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (APA Monitor VOL 30 , NR 5
May 1999)

In the case of this client we must look at the fact of the type of work he has been doing also. It is fact that mental
exhaustion is a factor due to stress and causes problems. But here is a man that is working with his muscles and
part of his mental capacity also. In the construction business you have physical exhaustion that come about after
a hard days work and some stress if it was a long day. Then for the sore muscles the construction workers go out
for a few beers or drinks and the pain goes away. Here is an opportunity for alcohol abuse, which is the leading
cause of domestic violence.

Now we have another connection with the two people in question. For the counselor stated his father was just like
the client. That means his father probably abused alcohol also, which tends to compound our problem of ethics
for the counselor. Still the counselor being educated in counseling may have experience in dealing with
substance abuse people. This could be very helpful in the working of this client. Yet, again we deal with the
problematic problem of not willing to work with the counselor. So, can the counselor do this or is it too much for
him to handle due to his feelings towards his father?

Since the days when Carole Lombard smacked and punched her leading men, Ralph Kramden threatened to hit
Alice 'right in the kisser,' and Andy Capp¶s wife whacked him over the head with a rolling pin, Americans have
grown accustomed to chuckling at lovers exchanging insults, raised fists or slaps in the face. But psychologists
say it¶s time to stop laughing.

Increasingly, researchers find that the minor, mutual slaps, kicks and shoves depicted in television, movies and
comic strips is an all-too-common, and all-too-destructive, feature of real-life love and marriage. Although such
acts may seem trivial compared to the type of assaults that force so many wives to seek refuge in battered
women¶s shelters, psychologists have come to accept them as abusive²to the psyche if not the body. And they
worry that such fighting can escalate into outright battering, in which the man usually has the physical advantage.
(APA Monitor; VOL 29, NR 4 -April 1998
Here we have a reinforcement of this abuse behavior on television and the audiences laugh it at. We take this as
all right behavior due to that it is funny to most people. Slapstick comedy has been around for years even in radio
and it was funny then. Television put pictures to the noise once heard on the radio that made us laugh. Now we
get to see the action that went with it. Does the visual reinforce the hearing of the slapstick comedy, I believe it
does. So, here we have a client that has been educated in abusive behavior, reinforced during his lifetime,
working long hours, alcohol abuse possible, and possibly reinforcement of abusive behavior for relaxation and
entertainment. What a mess this seems to be.

Kitchener¶s Model of Ethic Evaluation

1. Autonomy
Here is a client that is not willing to work with the counselor and has even stated that he could not wait to get
home to deal with his significant other. The counselor needs to put something out there for the client to see his ill-
gotten ways. But, do to the attitude the client has towards counseling, he may find it extremely difficult to handle
this client.

The counselor has an obligation to inform the authorities about the threat that the client made about his significant
other. By this the counselor could be putting himself in harms way also. He would need to refer the client or have
someone else there to assist him if the client got out of hand.

2. Nonmaleficence
This client has already provided enough evidence against himself that he needs some other type of help. Maybe
he needs to see a psychiatrist?

3. Beneficence
Here the counselor is to either get the client to accept what he needs to do or the counselor needs to call the
authority for the clients on good.

4. Justice
Here the counselor may decide to continue to treat the client. But, all due respect the counselor may want to refer
the client to another counselor. He may find himself not able to be equal in his treating of the client.

5. Fidelity
Again the counselor needs to look deep into himself about this client. Can he be true to the client and give him
proper treatment? Will his true feelings about the abuse rise to the front and cause problems? Here he may want
to be true to himself and refer the client to someone else.
Ethical Decision Making Model

1. Identify the Problem

The problem is an ethical one, should the counselor work with this particular client, seeing that this client reminds
the counselor of his father¶s behavior. Is the attitude of the counselor being influenced by his past and his
preconceived thoughts of this client? There is the possibility that the counselor has stereotyped this client, yet the
client has in himself reinforced the counselor¶s ideology.

2. Apply the ACA Code of Ethics.

Section A: The counseling relationship can be at question here in this situation. Still due to the knowledge and
experience of the counselor this may not be a problem. Yet, due to the past it can be a problem.

Section B: Confidentiality could be a problem due to the fact that this was a court ordered counseling. The courts
would want to be up dated of the progress and comments such as was given at the initial briefing. The counselor
could tell the client that all counseling sessions must be made available to the court to see the progress. Of
course this could lead to problems in the counseling sessions, for the client may just want to get the whole
process over and conform without really being helped.

Section C: Professional Responsibility is the part where someone of authority and the significant other needs to
be told about the statement made by the client that sounded much like a threat on the significant others life.

Section F: The supervisor of this counselor may need to be brought in to assist on this client and asked advise on
whether to refer the client to someone else.
Section H: Resolving ethical issues and in this case the resolution seems most certain to be referral or
supervision assistance.

3. Determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma

The nature of the problem is the past of the counselor that could influence the counseling session with the client
due to the comparable behavior of the client to the counselor¶s father. It is a large area due to the first session, for
it stems to reinforce the possible preconceived ideas of the counselor about the client. Depending on the concrete
stereotype attitude of the counselor this could be extremely serious and damaging to the client.

4. Generate potential courses of action

Continue seeing the client and inform the client that all sessions will be reviewed by the courts.
Continue seeing the client and have the supervisor sit in the counseling sessions for observation and assistance if
needed. Also, for guidance if the counselor went on a stereotype line of counseling.
Refer the client to another counselor.

5. Consider the potential consequences of all options and determine a course of action
Continuing to see the client can be detrimental to the counselor should he report threats and let the courts review
the sessions. It could also be detrimental to the client for he would not be receiving the best treatment possible.
The supervisor sitting in on the sessions and keeping the sessions from getting out of hand may be the best route
to go. This way the counselor can use the knowledge and experience to assist the client. The supervisor can help
to keep the counselor on track and having two counselors there may let the client know that they really want to
help him.

Referral may be the best in all to do. This keeps the counselor from having the ethical issue.

6. Evaluate the selective course of action

In each of the areas above as consideration for course of action, using the Stadler (1986) three simple tests, the
referral is the most ideal for this situation. The next best thing is the supervision course.

7. Implement the course of action

By giving the client to another counselor, this counselor needed to report to the court the change and why, with
the courts indulgence. He could then visit the counselor of the referral and ask how the client was doing and this
would give the previous counselor an idea of whether or not he did the right thing.
Should the counselor implement the supervision, the counselor can get feedback at each session.

Conclusion

This was about an ethical issue in counseling. The counselor possibly had a problem with a client that was
abusive in his relationships, specifically with his spouse. This counselor had an abusive father, which had made
him sensitive to this situation.

The client was approximately the same age as the counselor, growing up in similar circumstances, but having
different outcomes. The questions that were presented were somewhat a dilemma to the counselor. Should he
continue with the client even after some of the things the initial meeting came up with? Should the counselor
remove himself from this situation due to the feelings he has about his father? Can the counselors own
experiences help the client? Will the counselor truly be able to keep his feelings out of the counseling sessions
and use his experiences as his guide? Does he already preconceive that the client is not willing to change his
behavior? All of these questions were legitimate and controversial to the situation.

So, the outcome of the counselors dilemma was able to be defused by the referral method which seem the best
course of action according to the Kitchener Model and the Ethical Decision Making Model. Yet the alternative to
this was the supervision course of action. Giving the counselor the opportunity to utilize his knowledge and
experience to help the client and the supervisor to keep the sessions going along the right path for maximum
results.

References

McGuire, P. A. (May 1999). Worker stress, health reaching critical point; APA Monitor, Volume 30 , Number 5

Murray, B. (July/August 1999). Boys to men: emotional miseducation; APA Monitor, Volume 30, Number 7
 Sleek, S. (April 1998). `Innocuous¶ violence triggers the real thing; APA Monitor, Volume 29, Number 4