Students will be encouraged to consider actual ethical issues beyond case studies presented in class. Student will interview a practicing student affairs professional regarding an ethical issue he or she has faced in practice and how it was addressed. In consultation with the relevant professional ethical code (s), students are to apply an ethical decision-making process to their own resolution of the issue presented. Students must review a minimum of three journal articles to support their paper. Current research must be used to support each stage of the process and the recommended resolution. Papers should include but are not limited to the following sections: overview of the issue as described by the practicing counselor/student affairs professional, their resolution to the issue, the effect of the experience on them, and a step-by-step discussion of the ethical decision-making process. You are also encouraged to share your own thoughts and conclusions on the issue, including how you might use the ethical decision-making model. Writing must be supported by current professional literature and relevant professional ethical codes, and adhere to APA 7th edition. You are encouraged to reach out to the professor for examples and/or feedback anytime during the quarter. (Learning Objectives 1-6)
Please refer to the rubric when writing the paperNo title page is necessary.
Dilemma
Paper Rubric EDUC 564 – Legal & Ethical Issues in Counseling Professionals in the Field Interview Paper – Scoring Rubric Student: _______________________________ Date: ____________ Score → Criterion ↓ 5-4 Exceptional 3-2 Satisfactory 1-0 Unacceptable Presentation of Interview Dilemma Thorough description of dilemma provided from interview; contextual information and resolution provided Moderate description of dilemma provided from interview; limited contextual information and resolution Brief description of dilemma provided from interview; no contextual information provided or resolution Covered each step of Ethical Decision Making Model Each of the 7 steps discussed fully Only 4-5 steps discussed fully Fewer than 4 steps discussed Consideration of Moral Principles & Application of Ethical Codes and Policies Moral Principles and Ethical Codes applied in a thorough manner (multiple professional codes; 3-4 moral principles) Moral Principles and Ethical Codes partially applied (1 set of codes and 1-2 moral principles) Moral Principles and Ethical Codes not applied or only marginally applied APA Style & references Paper written in APA Style; Proper use of APA citation style within the text; Citations accurately noted in reference list; at least three references (articles) Paper written in APA Style but with minor errors; mostly proper use of APA citation style within the text; 1-2 references (articles) Paper not written in APA Style; improper use of APA citation style within the text; Citations not accurately noted in reference list; no supporting references (articles0 Length of paper Paper 10-12+ pages, not including references and cover page. Paper 7-10 pages, not including references and cover page. Paper less than 7 pages, not including references and cover page. Total Score: ______________ Interview with John Doe The case: This took place on a California community college campus. My position was as a classified employee for a special population program for single parents receiving cash aid. Though I had a couple of years of experience, I had very little formal training for the job especially given the nature of this program which worked with students that were also part of a county agency. Because of this, student challenges extended far beyond the college or academic issues. A student that I was working with for over a year and who had developed a good rapport with came into the office bypassing the front check in area of the department and asked if they could close the door. Under normal circumstances I do not like to have a closed door, especially with students of the opposite sex but I could see this student was in distress and the fact that they did not check in at the front was very unusual so I allowed it. To take precautions I asked the student if it was ok to open the blinds a bit for the window to the office. They said it was ok. I used the office instant messenger to let my colleague know that I was in the office with the specific student and that they requested the door to be closed. I told them to please walk by a couple of times to check in on us. They agreed. At this point the student sat down and cried for a bit so I handed them a tissue box and told them to take their time. Once they were able to gain their composure and could speak clearly, they told me that they had tried working it out with their child’s father and that things had been good for about a month but the night before this, they got into an argument and as she was leaving the house he hit her leaving a giant bruise on her back and another on her face. She mentioned that she was in disarray because he had never done anything like that before and that she didn’t know what to do. The first thing I wanted to address was her physical wellbeing. I asked her if she had see a doctor yet and she said she wasn’t in a lot of pain. I recommended that she at least get checked out by our health center to make sure that she was in good health. The next thing I had to address was the legal issue and I had to look at TITLE IX to see if there is anything in terms of responsibility that we needed to do at the college. I found that the college was limited with respect to what we could do given the scope of the jurisdiction established in the Code of Federal Regulations (CRF) 34 CRF § 106.44 . This established that TITLE IX is effective in the context of the institution. This neither happened on school grounds nor was it part of a school activity. The student also did not want to report it to the institution and TITLE IX also states that it must be the individual who must submit a complaint not a 3rd party per 34 CFR § 106.30 . After consulting with the TITLE IX training manual from my mandatory training, and the student refusing to report it on their own, I asked if they felt safe given that they had shared custody of their child. She mentioned that she did but that the unprecedented event left her wondering if it could happen again. She also still had to go get her belongings from the house with the alleged perpetrator. I let he know that I would feel better if she at least made a report for law enforcement even if she didn’t pursue legal action but that this was not my area of expertise. I asked at that point if she would be ok with me asking our campus police to talk to her about what may be a good way to proceed legally (not necessarily pressing charges if she did not want to). At this point she was calm enough to agree that she would want to consult with campus police but not with any other person at the institution. I proceeded to call campus police and they sent over an officer that the student was familiar with and felt comfortable speaking to. They asked to be alone while they spoke and I let them use my office. Once they were finished, the student agreed to heed the advice the officer had given her and made a report but did not file charges. This was a difficult thing to deal with because of the intersectional nature of school policy and law. I am not trained in law but the training provided at the institution is something I am grateful for. As for the student, though they did not press charges, they were able to get their belongings without altercation and even used the report later in mediation when determining the custody schedule and rules. My personal feeling regarding this case have not changed much since then. I wish there was more I could personally do to protect our students. This experience has helped me value the relationships that I foster with the campus community. If not for the relationship with the campus officers it would have been difficult to do much more for the student given their lack of willingness to contact authorities. End of Case Ethical Decision-making model **(USE THIS FOR “COVERED EACH STEP OF THE ETHICAL DECISION MAKING MODEL” IN THE PAPER RUBRIC)** 1. Identify the problem. 2. Apply the ACA Code of Ethics. After having clarified the problem, refer to the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014) to see if the issue is addressed. Also consider any other state or professional codes that may apply to you (Bradley & Hendricks, 2008; Brennan, 2013). When reviewing the ethical codes, be sure to consider any multicultural perspectives of the particular case (Frame & Williams, 2005). Remember to examine all the nuisances that exist when technology is involved. If there is an applicable standard or several standards and they are specific and clear, following the course of action indicated should lead to a resolution of the problem. To be able to apply the ethical standards, it is essential that you have read them carefully and that you understand their implications. 3. Determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma. There are a few steps to follow to ensure that you have examined the problem in all of its various dimensions: • Examine the dilemma’s implications for each of the foundational principles: autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity. Decide which of the 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 you will need to use your professional judgment to determine the priorities when two or more of them are in conflict. • Review the relevant professional literature to ensure that you are using the most current professional thinking and are aware of the diversity issues involved in the particular situation. 4. Generate potential courses of action. • Brainstorm as many potential courses of action as possible. Be creative and list all of the options you can think of, even ones that you are not sure will work. • In this brainstorming phase, you want to generate as many potential solutions as possible. Do not worry about judging and eliminating solutions; you will evaluate them in the next step. 5. Consider the potential 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, being sure to assess the potential consequences for all of the parties involved. Ponder the implications of each course of action for the client, for others who will be affected, and for yourself as a counselor. • Eliminate the options that clearly do not give the desired results or that cause even more problematic consequences. • Review the remaining options to determine which option or combination of options best 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 new ethical considerations. • Apply three simple tests to the selected course of action to ensure that it is