A Practitioner’s Guide to Ethical Decision Making

Holly Forester-Miller, Ph. D. Thomas Davis, Ph. D. Copyright 1996, Ameri privy Counseling Association. A free government issue of the Ameri faeces Counseling Association promoting honor equal counseling practice in suffice to the public. &8212 Printed and bound copies whitethorn be purchased in quantity for a nominal gift from the Online Resource Catalog or by c completelying the ACA Distribution Center at 800. 422. 2648.ACA grants reproduction rights to libraries, researchers and t to each oneers who wish to copy any or part of the contents of this schedule for scholarly purposes provided that no fee for the commit or possession of such copies is supercharged to the ultimate consumer of the copies. Proper citation to ACA mustiness be let onn. Introduction Counselors atomic number 18 lots faced with situations which require sound honourable decisiveness making ability. Determining the get degree to take when faced with a difficult easily quandary faecal matter be a ch each(prenominal) in allenge.To assist ACA members in meeting this challenge, the ACA Ethics Committee has un read/write headable A Practitioners Guide to Ethical ending Making. The intent of this document is to offer paid exponents a framework for sound respectable ratiocination making. The weding will finish both guiding conventions that ar globally valuable in honourable decision making, and a model that passe-partouts discharge expend as they address ethical questions in their work. Moral Principles Kitchener (1984) has identified five virtuous rulers that be viewed as the cornerstone of our ethical rule of thumbs.Ethical guidelines can non address all situations that a counselor is forced to confront. Re masking these ethical principles which be at the foundation of the guidelines a great deal helps to straighten start the issues involved in a given situation. The five principles, autonomy, jurist, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity argon ea ch absolute truths in and of themselves. By exploring the dilemma in regards to these principles one whitethorn come to a better collar of the conflicting issues. 1. Autonomy is the principle that addresses the archetype of independence.The essence of this principle is allowing an individual the granting immunity of choice and military comply up. It addresses the responsibility of the counselor to incite clients, when appropriate, to make their own decisions and to act on their own gear up. There be twain primal considerations in encouraging clients to be autonomous. First, helping the client to date how their decisions and their values may or may non be received within the mount of the society in which they live, and how they may take advantage on the rights of others.The second consideration is relate to the clients ability to make sound and rational decisions. Persons not capable of making fit choices, such as children, and some(prenominal) individuals with in tellectual handicaps, should not be allowed to act on decisions that could harm themselves or others. 2. Nonmaleficence is the concept of not causing harm to others. Often explained as preceding(prenominal) all do no harm, this principle is considered by some to be the most critical of all the principles, even though theoretically they atomic number 18 all of equal weight (Kitchener, 1984 Rosenbaum, 1982 Stadler, 1986).This principle reflects both the idea of not inflicting wise to(p) harm, and not engaging in processs that encounter harming others (Forester-Miller & angstrom Rubenstein, 1992). 3. Beneficence reflects the counselors responsibility to tot up to the welfare of the client. Simply stated it substance to do good, to be proactive and alike to prevent harm when possible (Forester-Miller & Rubenstein, 1992). 4. Justice does not mean treating all individuals the very(prenominal).Kitchener (1984) points out that the formal meaning of justice is treating equals eq ually and unequals unequally but in proportion to their relevant differences (p. 49). If an individual is to be treated variously, the counselor needs to be able to offer a rationale that explains the necessity and appropriateness of treating this individual differently. 5. fidelity involves the notions of loyalty, convictionfulness, and honoring commitments. Clients must be able to trust the counselor and pay clog faith in the therapeutic family if harvest-festival is to occur.Therefore, the counselor must take shell out not to threaten the therapeutic relationship nor to leave obligations unfulfilled. When exploring an ethical dilemma, you need to visualize the situation and listen how each of the above principles may relate to that particular case. At times this alone will clarify the issues enough that the means for resolving the dilemma will become obvious to you. In to a greater extent complicated cases it is helpful to be able to work through the meter of an ethic al decision making model, and to treasure which of these moral principles may be in conflict.Ethical finish Making Model We surrender incorporated the work of Van Hoose and promised land (1979), Kitchener (1984), Stadler (1986), Haas and Malouf (1989), Forester-Miller and Rubenstein (1992), and Sileo and Kopala (1993) into a practical, sequential, seven step, ethical decision making model. A description and password of the steps follows. 1. Identify the Problem. Gather as much information as you can that will illuminate the situation. In doing so, it is important to be as specific and prey as possible. Writing ideas on reputation may help you gain clarity.Outline the facts, separating out innuendos, assumptions, hypotheses, or suspicions. There are several(prenominal) questions you can ask yourself Is it an ethical, legal, victor, or clinical problem? Is it a combination of more than one of these? If a legal question exists, seek legal advice. Other questions that it may be useful to ask yourself are Is the issue link up to me and what I am or am not doing? Is it related to a client and/or the clients epoch-making others and what they are or are not doing? Is it related to the foundation garment or way of life and their policies and procedures?If the problem can be indomitable by implementing a policy of an institution or agency, you can look to the agencys guidelines. It is good to remember that dilemmas you face are very much complex, so a useful guideline is to examine the problem from several perspectives and bar searching for a simplistic solution. 2. throw the ACA polity of Ethics. later on you return thin the problem, refer to the Code of Ethics (ACA, 2005) to see if the issue is addressed there. If there is an relevant standard or several standards and they are specific and clear, following the lean of put through indicated should lead to a resolution of the problem.To be able to go through the ethical standards, it is inborn t hat you bear read them carefully and that you understand their implications. If the problem is more complex and a resolution does not seem apparent, consequently you probably meet a unbent ethical dilemma and need to happen with further steps in the ethical decision making process. 3. Determine the reputation and dimensions of the dilemma. There are several avenues to follow in order to command that you reserve examined the problem in all its discordant dimensions. take away the moral principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity. Decide which principles apply to the specific situation, and determine which principle takes priority for you in this case. In theory, each principle is of equal value, which means that it is your challenge to determine the priorities when two or more of them are in conflict. o Review the relevant professional literature to ensure that you are using the most current professional thinking in reaching a decision. o Cons ult with experienced professional allys and/or supervisors.As they review with you the information you pretend gathered, they may see other issues that are relevant or provide a perspective you have not considered. They may also be able to mark aspects of the dilemma that you are not viewing objectively. o Consult your state or national professional associations to see if they can provide help with the dilemma. 4. Generate authorisation production lines of action. Brainstorm as many possible itinerarys of action as possible. Be imaginative and consider all woofs. If possible, enlist the financial aid of at least one colleague to help you generate options. . Consider the authorization consequences of all options and determine a course of action. Considering the information you have gathered and the priorities you have set, evaluate each option and quantify the potential consequences for all the parties involved. Ponder the implications of each course of action for the clie nt, for others who will be effected, and for yourself as a counselor.Eliminate the options that clearly do not give the desired results or cause even more disputable consequences. Review the remaining options to determine which option or ombination of options stovepipe fits the situation and addresses the priorities you have identified. 6. Evaluate the selected course of action. Review the selected course of action to see if it presents any newfangled ethical considerations. Stadler (1986) suggests applying three simple campaigns to the selected course of action to ensure that it is appropriate. In applying the turn out of justice, value your own sense of beauteousness by determining whether you would treat others the very(prenominal) in this situation. For the test of publicity, ask yourself whether you would wish your behavior reported in the press.The test of universality asks you to assess whether you could recommend the same course of action to another counselor in the same situation. If the course of action you have selected seems to present new ethical issues, then youll need to go back to the beginning and reevaluate each step of the process. Perhaps you have chosen the legal injury option or you might have identified the problem incorrectly. If you can serve in the affirmative to each of the questions suggested by Stadler (thus passing the tests of justice, publicity, and universality) and you are satisfied that ou have selected an appropriate course of action, then you are ready to move on to implementation. 7. put through the course of action. Taking the appropriate action in an ethical dilemma is much difficult. The final step involves strengthening your egotism to allow you to carry out your plan. After implementing your course of action, it is good practice to follow up on the situation to assess whether your actions had the anticipated effect and consequences. The Ethical Decision Making Model at a Glance 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Identif y the problem. Apply the ACA Code of Ethics.Determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma. Generate potential courses of action. Consider the potential consequences of all options, choose a course of action. Evaluate the selected course of action. utilize the course of action. It is important to realize that different professionals may implement different courses of action in the same situation. There is seldom one right answer to a complex ethical dilemma. However, if you follow a systematic model, you can be conscious that you will be able to give a professional explanation for the course of action you chose.Van Hoose and Paradise (1979) suggest that a counselor is probably acting in an ethically responsible way concerning a client if (1) he or she has maintain personal and professional honesty, coupled with (2) the outflank interests of the client, (3) without malice or personal gain, and (4) can justify his or her actions as the best judgment of what should be done grou nd upon the current state of the profession (p. 58). succeeding(a) this model will help to ensure that all four of these conditions have been met.