Ethical Problems in Health Care - Coursework Example

Ethical Concerns in Multiple Relationships A multiple or a dual relationship arises when the therapist of a patient does not only act as a therapist but also a friend, neighbor, college instructor or a student. The boundaries of a dual relationship must be respected to reach better results. Ethical problems originate when therapists mix their professional relationships along a different relationship. When the professional links two or more relationships with their client, ethical problems may arise if not handled well. Simultaneously, working along dual relationships where the therapist is not only the therapist, but may also turn out to be his client`s teacher or etc, ethical issues can cause hindrance in the treatment. If any information regarding the personal life of the client leaks through the therapist then the client may lose confidence and trust. Trust is, however, significant for a therapist. In the field of psychology trust owns value. The treatment will fail if the client does not express everything ad hides even the tiniest details of his problems. Before maintaining multiple roles, dual roles need to be maintained. Before initiating a secondary role, primary roles are to be focused on. A dual relationship is acceptable if it stays within the boundaries. Boundary crossing sometimes becomes inevitable. In small communities such as, rural and military, people do not stay within the limit. This is however, unavoidable. (Gapsychology.org, 2015) According to the APA Ethical Code boundary crossing do not always aim to offend the dual relationship. If the therapist and the client have reached friendly terms with each other it is probable that they might hang out a little more. The therapist and the patient might have a dinner together or go out for a coffee. The therapist may prefer to take the client for a hike. In this way, during the hike, they can exchange comments about several things. The therapist will be assisted in his treatment. Dual relationships are when the therapist and the client share a same church or they are members of a same integrated activity. Exchange of gifts, introducing the therapist to their friends, inviting them over to dinner, hugging, sharing an experience are not dual relationships. Boundary crossing regarding dual relations can be altered based upon the client`s need and perspective. A client with less friends suffering from underconfidence and lack of competence may grow closer to the therapist. Taking a step back may offend the client. This should be avoided. Attending the client`s wedding or a birthday party is within the ethical boundaries as long as the therapist shares no piece of information concerning his client`s life. The client`s colleagues or friends may know about the personal information the client was not comfortable sharing with them. A married couple seeing the same therapist may exchange some confidential information with the therapist they have not talked to each other about. It is recommended that the therapist respects that and be careful not to forward what he knows. Great Valley Publishing Company, 2015) Dual relationships are avoided because they may violate the client. Exploitation is inevitable and should be strictly avoided. A mixed connection may raise issues. A criteria are set by American Psychological Association, which help us decide whether the dual relationship is appropriate or not. The quantity of time spent since the treatment is started is kept in note. Moreover, the nature of the relationship between the client and the therapist is respected too. How the client feels about something and how he would react to something is what the therapist can ponder over too before extending his relationship with him. American Psychological Association stresses upon the need of looking out for these objectives before taking any significant decision. (Zurinstitute.com, 2015) Consulting The below scenario takes place with a 30-something female therapist and 20-something male client. The male client lacked competence. He had trouble making friends and found it hard to blend in. He had no social life. The client`s family was also unable to cope up with him due to which he would spend hours in his room,keeping the light off. The therapy sessions started two months ago. At first the client was unable to express himself, but with the passage of time the client and the therapist grew closer. He became comfortable with the therapist. As the weeks passed the client would skip school to pay the therapist a visit. The client would insist her to give of her time to him. Initially she took her as a patient and felt he requires medical assistance. So she would listen and gave him extra time. But gradually she realized how others were affected so she decided to maintain a distance. This abrupt changed affected the client mental status even more. The client started calling her frequently even at non working hours . he also followed her where possible. At several locations the client was found outside her house. The issues that were created involved emotional instability. This involved both the client and the therapist. The therapist was unaware of his clients nature. Her consulting therapy failed to produce productive results Clinical In clinical settings every person should remain within the boundaries. They should respect each other. Interference should also be avoided in each other`s work. A 30 year old, male therapist practicing psychology meets new clients every week. He has been practicing for the past one year and is well respected by his colleagues. The patients also respect him for his work. He satisfies his patients. For the past two months, the therapist was allotted a case. The case included a 27 year old male. The client and the therapist hold a special bond, as witnessed by the therapist`s colleagues. The client prefers to be treated by only this therapist due to reasons which were unknown to the staff. They were found spending more time with each other. The therapist would give more time to this particular client. He would also delay appointments with other clients. His corner of work was severely affected. The other clients suffered due to this. The therapist would wind up his work immediately at the unofficial times. The other clients started losing hope. Their investment was also affected due to which several cancelled their appointment and started seeing new therapists. Complaints were filed against the therapist by the staff members. The House of Department (HoD) came into action and a meeting was held to discuss the complaints filed against the therapist. The therapist was called in too. After various arguments, the verdict was made. It was revealed that the therapist held confidential relations with his 27 year old client for the past four months. This gave rise to a series of problems. The reputation of the clinic was challenged as the word spread. The number of patients expected every week were reduced to half. The therapist failed to give adequate medications to his other clients as he was always too preoccupied. This affected the lives of his other clients. Decrease in the number of patients resulted in less generation of money. Lack of capital caused hindrance in the purchase of new modern equipment in the clinic. The clinical staff started resigning too. In this way, the clinic lost its skilled and competent workers. The clinic lost its importance. The environment of the clinic was disturbed. References Gapsychology.org,. (2015). Psychology Article: Dual Relationships and Psychotherapy - Georgia Psychological Association. Retrieved 30 June 2015, from http://www.gapsychology.org/?282 Great Valley Publishing Company, I. (2015). Respecting Boundaries — The Don’ts of Dual. Socialworktoday.com. Retrieved 30 June 2015, from http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/012610p18.shtml Zurinstitute.com,. (2015). Dual Relationships, Multiple Relationships, Boundaries, Boundary Crossings, & Boundary Violations in Psychotherapy, Counseling & Mental Health - by Ofer Zur, Ph.D.. Retrieved 30 June 2015, from http://www.zurinstitute.com/dualrelationships.html Appendix Introduction to APA Ethical Code of Conduct and the factors effecting the need for dual relationships………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..pg1 Scenarios concerning ethical concerns for therapist and the client on consuling and clinincal settings.pg2 Read More