Ethical dilemmas are an inevitable aspect of individuals work within the field of psychology. Professional psychologists are constantly challenged and faced with decisions that place them in precarious positions as they execute their roles with the different clients they serve. An ethical dilemma is defined as “a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two courses of action, either of which entails transgressing a moral principle” (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ethical_dilemma). Ethical dilemmas extend beyond professional obligations to situational contexts which places competing ethical principles at stake (Knapp, Gottlieb, & Handelsman, 2015). On the same note, ethical dilemmas may occur in response to
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In making ethical decisions, my moral qualities are usually deeply considered in conjunction with the APA code of ethics, the policies governing the organization that I am a part of, multiculturalism and competence. Within the field of psychology, psychologists at some point in their career are likely to experience or be faced with ethical challenges which may prove difficult to resolve. Consequently, the use of a formal code of ethics which in this case that of the APA accompanied by a formal ethical decision-making process is often encouraged to obtain comprehensive solutions (Freeman, 2000). In accordance with an ethical framework for good practice, when things go wrong with own clients, psychologists should respond promptly and appropriately to any complaint made by their clients through complying with agency policies and procedures (Bond, 2010). In cases where psychologists believe that they have acted in accordance with good practice, but their clients remain dissatisfied, they may wish to employ independent dispute resolution techniques such as mediation or seek a second professional opinion (Bond, …show more content…
The relationship I have established with the family was very useful in assisting me to formulate an appropriate way to communicate DCF's filing intent to the family. I also informed the mother about the possibility of having her 17-year-old son removed from the home in the event an investigation was conducted. The mother was also given a week to improve the home conditions and was offered support and encouragement in communicating this to the children as she needed to solicit help from them. Initially, her response appeared inappropriate as she jokingly looked at her son and uttered "you wanna go live with another family?". The son in response looked at his mom, swore and said "really". His affect immediately changed and he became shut down for about five minutes and paused the basketball game he was engaged in. I processed the news with him and he reported that he was "frustrated" and thought "they were done with this shit" about the family's ongoing experience with
In making ethical decisions, my moral qualities are usually deeply considered in conjunction with the APA code of ethics, the policies governing the organization that I am a part of, multiculturalism and competence. Within the field of psychology, psychologists at some point in their career are likely to experience or be faced with ethical challenges which may prove difficult to resolve. Consequently, the use of a formal code of ethics which in this case that of the APA accompanied by a formal ethical decision-making process is often encouraged to obtain comprehensive solutions (Freeman, 2000). In accordance with an ethical framework for good practice, when things go wrong with own clients, psychologists should respond promptly and appropriately to any complaint made by their clients through complying with agency policies and procedures (Bond, 2010). In cases where psychologists believe that they have acted in accordance with good practice, but their clients remain dissatisfied, they may wish to employ independent dispute resolution techniques such as mediation or seek a second professional opinion (Bond, …show more content…
The relationship I have established with the family was very useful in assisting me to formulate an appropriate way to communicate DCF's filing intent to the family. I also informed the mother about the possibility of having her 17-year-old son removed from the home in the event an investigation was conducted. The mother was also given a week to improve the home conditions and was offered support and encouragement in communicating this to the children as she needed to solicit help from them. Initially, her response appeared inappropriate as she jokingly looked at her son and uttered "you wanna go live with another family?". The son in response looked at his mom, swore and said "really". His affect immediately changed and he became shut down for about five minutes and paused the basketball game he was engaged in. I processed the news with him and he reported that he was "frustrated" and thought "they were done with this shit" about the family's ongoing experience with