Overview
This Signature Assignment fulfills mastery for the Student/Program Learning Outcome: Ethics: Students will apply ethical and professional
decision making to issues in psychotherapy.
Be sure to review all rubric criteria prior to submitting your assignment.
Instructions
Step 1: Choose one of the two case studies provided in Blackboard and thoroughly review the paperwork provided for the one you have chosen.
You will write your paper on only ONE of these cases. ATTATCHED
Step 2: Start with writing a thorough case conceptualization of the case considering both the intake form as well as the case write-up.
● Do not summarize, rewrite, or paste any parts of these documents.
● Use the Case Conceptualization article provided in Blackboard to do this case conceptualization. You must follow the 5 Ps format detailed
in this article.
Step 3: There are many legal and ethical violations included in the case you just read. Find and identify at least 5 legal and 5 ethical violations in
this case.
● Make a table to distinguish between the legal and the ethical violations of this case. List the ethical violations in one column and the legal
violations in another column. Be sure to clearly identify which column is which.
Step 4: For each ethical violation you identified (at least 5), identify and reference which code from the code of ethics (specific to your state, from
Week 2) is being violated.
CALIFORNIA
Then, describe the actions or process the therapist must follow to comply with their ethical responsibility for each
violation.
Step 5: For each legal violation identified in the case (at least 5), provide a reference (you may use the textbooks and articles) that clearly outlines
the legal duty of mental health professionals in the state in which you wish to be licensed. Then, describe the actions or process the therapist
must follow to comply with their legal responsibility.
Step 6: Based on the same vignette, provide your answers to the following questions:
● Describe how you would assess for risk and screen for abuse.
● Imagine the client’s response to the assessment/screen and present two different statements they could have given that would trigger
your mandated reporting responsibility.
● What agency/to whom would you report?
● What process would you need to follow to ensure that you’ve met your legal and ethical obligations?
● What actions/interventions would you use to ensure that the therapeutic alliance is maintained after reporting?
● Write a 250-word progress note that thoroughly documents the process above.
○ Be sure to include the following:
■ Client’s statements and reactions
■ Session’s process (therapist’s tasks, interventions, and reporting process leading up to and after the report)
■ Factors you took into consideration in the decision-making process
■ How you would manage care after reporting
■ Resources provided to the client
Step
7: Lastly, reflect on the challenges you think you would face (emotional reactions and thought process) when treating the client. In this
section you can use the first-person voice. This section is included to allow you to self-reflect and develop self-awareness.
● Explore your biases, values, and beliefs as well as your possible self-of-therapist reactions.
● Then detail what you would do to cope with these feelings and manage your reactions and biases. Write about things that would work
for you.
The final deliverable must be 10-12 pages of content (not including cover page and reference page) in a
double-spaced paper, presented in a MS Word document or PDF format. Please use proper APA Standards formatting and citing/referencing (7th
edition), and use appropriate font, 12 size. Be sure to include a cover page and reference page. Submit your paper to the Turnitin Assignment
area in Blackboard no later than Sunday by midnight, and refer to the rubric for grading expectations. Be sure to cite ALL sources in the body of
your paper as well as on your reference page. You do need to cite all applicable laws/regulations/codes.
LOOK ATTATCHED PDF’s for ALL instructions and supporting documents.
