Issues & Legal Issues in Human Services, Essay Example

Topics clients need to know for informed consent

The first topic pertains to professional exchange. A client must understand the role of each health care provider who is responsible for his/her care before giving consent. For example, the professional may be a psychiatrist. The purpose of the professional practice must be explained to ensure that the client is informed concerning the specific care expectations. Secondly, the client must be fully aware of his/her diagnosis. The diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM) specifies how counselors ought to present information to clients. They have special needs in relation to other categories of patients who do not have a mental disability.Thirdly, apart from taking a professional approach the client ought to know the limitations and extent of their consent request (Corey, Corey & Callanan, 2014).

Besides, since it may be a complicated exercise counselors ought to communicate with clients clearly about their mental health condition/ diagnosisbefore acquiring informed consent. A fourth feature is communicating the need for ongoing assessmentswhentreatment adjustments become mandatory overtime.  Clients need to know why they have to engage in these assessments and the importance to their health.  Fifty, the client must understand the context specific language to enable clarity of consent to treatment information. Every science has its peculiar jargon. A client would not know certain words. As such before giving consent to just a set of words which has no meaning to thje client b efore they must be explained in language relative to the client’s culture (Corey et.al, 2014).

Confidentiality is not absolute

According to counseling ethics while confidentiality is mandatory thereexceptions to the general rule of confidentiality. The first is if the client expresses suicidal thoughts. The counselor cannot wait to ask the client, could I share this information? This is a life threatening issue and must be addressed immediately by engaging the expertise of someone who can help prevent the act from occurring. The client does not have the mental capacity to process giving consent issues. Consequently, it is switch in time saves nine approaches to this issue (Kress & Hoffman, 2013).

Secondly, confidentiality is not absolute in mental health is when a client is physicallyabused. Mental health counselors have the authority to intervene and make a report to the police concerning the incident once it is brought to their attention. Thirdly, is  sharing information concerning sexual battery on mentally ill person who cannot reason adequately is permissible Fourthly,  information can be shared  for court case reports tendered for legal purposes and confidential information is shared for legal.Fifty, is when information has to be shared for the purposes of treatment among specialists involved in the client’s care. For example , if a pateint has to be referred for further evaluation confidentiality can be broken in communicating the diagnosis and treatment to the other healthcare provider. All other patient information must be kept confidentialduring  caremanagement ((Kress & Hoffman, 2013).

NEWYounggren’s Article: Ethical Decision Making and Dual Relationships

A mental health counselor realizes that his/her client even though mentally challenged has a thriving supermarket business, during conversation the client asks if she could bring a gift for her counselor. Readily the counselor accepts the gift invitation

Overtime the client continues to bring gifts of food items and other products she marketed. Eventually the counselor offers to pay for some of the items, but the client refuses to take the money. I do notfeel that this was crossing the boundary because it was a gift. Besides he counselor offered to pay for the services.

In this scenario whereby crossing the boundary is considered unethical/unacceptable, the client offers to pay for extra counseling session, the counselor advises he client that he/she does not have a client clinic ,but works with an organization.

After repeatedly making the same request the counselor decides to schedule extra sessions in the office and accept payment from the client.This is considered unacceptable boundary crossing because once the counselor is working with an organization he/she is fully paid to conduct sessions with the client. While accepting payment may not be quite unacceptable, but conducting private business on company’s time is grossly unethical. From my understanding both of these situations demonstrate clear understanding of boundary crossing/maintenance.

References

Corey, G. Corey, S., & Callanan, P. (2014). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (9^th ed). Brooks/Cole

Kress, E.,&   Hoffman, R. (2013). Informed Consent, Confidentiality, and Diagnosing: Ethical Guidelines for Counselor Practice. Journal of Mental health Counselling.

Younggren, J. (2014). Ethical Decision-making and Dual Relationships. Retrieved on January 28^th, 2015 from http://kspope.com/dual/younggren.php