Substance Abuse Counselor Case Study

For the purpose of this ethical decision making paper, I chose to use scenario 2. As a current professional working as a substance abuse counselor, this is an ethical dilemma that I have been presented with. In the time of a heavily technological society in which we live, the decisions we make about the information we share online has the potential to blur the lines of the counselor client relationship. It is our ethical duty to prevent engaging in activities that have the potential to harm our clients while protecting the therapeutic relationship we have established. As a clinician you are responsible to know what is expected of you that is specific in your particular field. It is possible that your employer’s ethic code and your specialty ethic code conflicts. In consideration of the standards offered by most organizations as broad, general and not specific or precise, we must act in our own awareness and ability to problem solve to determine ethical behavior. It is vital that we are familiar with the ethical standards of our specialization. Scenario 2 presents an ethical, …show more content…
As an intern, John has been tasked with co-leading groups with the current clients enrolled in the program. After working with the facility for 9 months, John has understandably gotten to know many of the clients. The scenario states that John received a friend request from a current client, Ben, to join his Facebook. Further, John reports having enjoyed his interactions with Ben and accepted his friend request. However, a few days later John receives another friend request from Jeanne, who is another current client at the facility, and John refuses this request. The scenario stated that John feels she is often argumentative in the group and he is not fond of this client. Further, John advised Jeanne that he does not befriend women on his