Ethical Principles (Case Study)

Read the case and answer the following questions
Some questions the Ethics Committee might still need to have answered as a part of their decision-making process are; Were there written disclosures on who does not have the right to the child’s information? When they made the request to withhold the records from Russell, was there formal documents on the matter? Was the information Susan deemed confidential perternant to what Russell was asking for? Were there and what are the fears regarding Nicholas’ safety if Susan had disclosed that information?

2. Which ethical principles and/or standards and/or guidelines are significant to the adjudication of this case? Please include both the APA code and the specialty code which you have been assigned for the course.  Identify the particular sections of the codes being referenced and the manner in which they apply to this particular case. You should include here only those principles/standards/guidelines that pertain specifically to the issues of the case. All clinical contacts should adhere to all principles, etc.; however, there are specific ones (usually about 3 to 5) that are specific to the case, and would be addressed by an adjudicative body.

• ASCA 4.01 Maintaining Confidentiality
  1. Psychologists discuss with
• ASCA 4.04

3. What are some things the mental health professional has done correctly in this case? What, if anything, has been done wrong? Please explain your rationale for each of these findings.

4. If there has been an ethical violation in this case, what thematic pattern of violations does this case most specifically represent? Remember our work in class – there is 1 underlying theme, usually with elements of others, but we are looking for the foundational problem here.

5. If you were sitting on the Ethics Committee in this case, what would be your interpretation of the facts of the case in relation to the principles/standards? How would you state the Committee’s findings to the respondent?

6. What level of sanctions, if any, would you impose upon this mental health practitioner, and what recommendations would you make to him/her? If you were sitting on a licensing board instead of an association ethics committee, how would the outcome of your adjudication of this case differ?

7. What aspects of Fine and Ulrich’s model of the ethical decision-making process did you employ in arriving at your conclusions and recommendations? How did Keith-Spiegel and Koocher’s model fit into your thinking in reaching your decisions?  Be sure to fully describe in what way each of these aspects applies to the case.  The models must be integrated, rather than discussed separately.

8. What legal issues are involved in this case, and how might these relate to the ethical issues previously addressed?