In this Discussion, you apply ethical decision making to a true-to-life scenario in social work practice. This activity takes place in the Discussion Board, but you do not need to respond to your peers. This Discussion works as follows:
You must post your initial Day 3 response before you are able to see the responses of your colleagues.
Your online classroom Instructor will post a general response that applies to the breadth of the responses (i.e., responses this week will not be individualized).
Then, for the Day 6 response, follow the instructions below. Again, your online classroom Instructor will post a general response that applies to the breadth of the responses (i.e., responses this week will not be individualized).
The goal of this activity is to simulate how a change in circumstance or information can affect your ethical decision-making process—and in that way mirror common situations in actual practice.
To Prepare
Read Chapter 12 in the course text.
Review the NASW Code of Ethics.
Review the Ethical Decision-Making Tree.
Review the scenarios below and choose one to respond to for this Discussion.
Scenario 1
You are in the first weeks of your internship, and you hear the employees discussing a client in the hallway. They are using terms like “junkie,” “loser,” and “hopeless.” How do you handle this situation?
Scenario 2
You are terminating with a client, and the client asks if they can take a picture of the two of you together to post on their social media page. They want to say how great you were. What are some considerations before responding to their request?
Scenario 3
You are doing an intake on a new client, and they tell you that they recognize you from your church. You do not know “specifically” who they are—but they do seem familiar. How do you respond to this?
By Day 3
Within the context of your agency, explain what your first choice of action would be based on the scenario you chose, and explain why you made that choice. Support your answer using the NASW Code of Ethics and your agency policy when applicable.
Note: Be sure to indicate which scenario you chose in the title of your response.
Your Instructor will then post an evaluation of the scenario in general terms and how to think critically about it.
For this Discussion, you post your response first before your colleagues’ responses show. Follow the directions below for posting your response.
By Day 6
Imagine that each scenario has changed in the following way:
Scenario 1
You overhear the colleagues share that the client stated he wanted to “die,” and if he didn’t get admitted, he would “kill himself.” One of the colleagues stated, “He always says that—he’s never going to go through with it. Just ignore him.”
Scenario 2
After talking with your field Instructor, who has told you “no,” you find out that the client has already snuck a picture of the two of you and has posted it on their social media page.
Scenario 3
After talking with your supervisor, and addressing your conflict with the client, they still want to proceed with you as their social worker. During the session, the client admits that they have been having an affair with the pastor, and they have been stealing from the offering tray.
Respond by explaining what your next steps would be in the situation, and explain why you chose those steps.
