Assignment 1

Part 1

Decisions regarding the approach for solving ethical dilemmas are influenced by many factors, including personal beliefs, social norms, and regulatory guidelines. However, human services professionals do not contemplate a particular model that guides their decisions or do not necessarily have insight into the factors that guide their decisions, when faced with ethical challenges.

In this assignment, you will analyze four different models of ethical decision making to understand how these models influence professionals, clients, society, and the overall field of human services. You will also see how these models might fit into your personal approach while making decisions regarding human services clients.

Tasks:

Using the Internet, the Argosy University online library resources, and professional literature, research and prepare a 3-page paper to compare the four models.

Professional literature may include the Argosy University online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov).
The paper should include the following:

• The factors (personal and societal) according to each model that drive ethical decisions

• The people who are affected by the decision

• The application to present-day human services

• The model you favor and the reasons for selecting this model

In addition, complete a detailed analysis for the deontological and utilitarian ethical orientations. Address the main philosophical differences between the two, considering the factors that influence ethical decisions. Which approach would be most beneficial to your clients? Discuss the rationale for the approach you select.

Part 2

A human services administrator is responsible for overseeing professionals belonging to diverse disciplines who work together in one agency. While the established ethics code for human services workers addresses many of the same standards that are familiar to most helping professionals, each discipline has a few ethics standards that are specific to its respective functions.

For example, both psychologists and social workers protect the confidentiality of clients, are expected to be aware of their scope of practice, and have to obtain informed consent from clients before they can provide services; however, there are certain differences in other areas in their respective ethics codes.

As an administrator, it is important to be familiar with such similarities as well as differences to ensure that each type of professional is managed within the specific parameters of his or her respective ethics code.

In this assignment, you will compare and contrast standards from the ethics codes of two human services disciplines and compare these with standards from the ethical codes for human services professionals in general.

Tasks:

Select two disciplines (for example, psychology, social work, counseling, or addictions counseling) for comparison with the ethics code of human services. Research and address the following points regarding the ethics codes of both disciplines as compared to those of human services in a 3-page paper:

• Similarities and differences on the basis of the following ethics standards: informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, dual relationships, and competence

How personal values might conflict with or support one ethical standard (e.g., informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, dual relationships, and competence) in the work of the human services professionals?

Paper 2 assignment

Case Analysis: John Smith

Obtaining informed consent for services from clients is required of human services providers; however, it is not always an easy task. Clients typically grant consent by signing documents presented by the agency or the provider that, at minimum, explain the services that will be provided, the client rights, and information on the steps to rescind the consent.

In situations where minors or individuals under some form of guardianship are the clients, it is necessary to obtain consent from the legal guardian or authority. However, there are times when obtaining informed consent is not as simple as asking for a signature from the client or guardian.

These situations require more thought by the human services providers with emphasis on balancing the client's right to consent with other factors that might influence treatment outcomes or decisions.

In this assignment, you will review a case that illustrates the various facets of informed consent.

The Case:

Smith is a thirty-eight-year-old African American male referred for counseling by his mother to address recent incidents of aggression. Smith resides with his mother because he is not able to live on his own. Smith is unable to hold on to a job and has difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships with others.

He is open to counseling but thinks his mother is overreacting to his anger outbursts because she is old and does not understand him. Recently, there have been notable conflicts between them due to Smith's aggressive behaviors that were directed toward his mother.

Tasks:

Analyze the case and in a 2-page paper, address the following:

• What steps would you, as the counselor, take for obtaining informed consent from Smith?

• Would you, as the counselor, include his mother in the counseling sessions, if you believe it would help with Smith's aggression problem? Why or why not?

In your answers, consider the following:

• Smith is not able to live independently.

• Smith's aggression might put his mother at risk if he does not get counseling.

• Smith has to comprehend what is being asked of him when he provides his consent to receive counseling services.

There might be cultural differences between you and Smith.