Heather Valentino, LCSW- Kaplan University

Welcome to HN 330- Unit 1Ethics and Other Professional Responsibilities for the Human Services

The Basics For This Class...1. Communication is key. I am fair and flexible as long as you are upfront and don’t take advantage of my flexibility.2. I am easily reached by email and will respond to your email within 24 hours. Usually much sooner (I’m a bit obsessive about checking my email...yikes!)3. Each week you will be responsible for posting in the discussion forum. Each week has two threads so please makes sure you are involved in both discussions. 4. Your discussion posts should thoroughly and thoughtfully answer all of the initial points asked in the initial Discussion Question set. The responses should be supported by course material and your initial posts needs a citation. The response posts need to go beyond being “supportive” to your peers and present some new info, a new point of discussion, or even pose a question to your peers. 5. There are four projects due in this course. One in Unit 2, 5, 7, and 9. Please make sure you are mindful of the due dates. All assignments require support from course material or the noted outside resources. This info should be documented using APA citation guidelines.6. Seminars are Wednesday night at 9pm, EST. I highly recommend that you attend. From my experience, students who attend seminar tend to do better in the course.

Dual Relationships

A dual relationship occurs when you and a client to whom you are giving services have more than one relationship.

Make every effort to a avoid dual relationships.

Your position gives you a position of power.

It is possible to exploit or give the impression of exploiting this power.

When in a situation where a dual relationship cannot be avoided, give the client a choice about continuing services with you.

What would be an example of a dual relationship?

Value Conflicts

Values conflicts occur when religious, moral, and political values play a pivotal role in the client’s problem.

Generally, the client’s values and your values have little to do with why the client is seeking services.

Be prepared by knowing your own values and feelings about certain value-laden issues.

If a major conflict occurs tell the client that this may interfere with services.

As a HSP, do you need to be able to work with every client and situation or is it ok to choose not to work with a certain set of clients?

Clients’ Rights

Helping professionals must be familiar with the rights of the client and make a particular effort to see that clients understand they have rights when they seek help.

What are some issues that need to be considered?

Confidentiality-is both an ethical AND legal right.

What is HIPPA? How does HIPPA direct the way we handle client information?

Self-determination- How does self-determination play out in session or in your work with a client?

Helping professionals must be familiar with the rights of the client and make a particular effort to see that clients understand they have rights when they seek help.

What are some issues that need to be considered?

Confidentiality-is both an ethical AND legal right.

What is HIPPA? How does HIPPA direct the way we handle client information?

Self-determination- How does self-determination play out in session or in your work with a client?

Privileged Communicatio

n

Privilege is a LEGAL concept.

It protects the right of a client to withhold information in a court proceeding.

The right belongs to the client.

When can you give information?

Mandating reporting: Who is included and what are the responsibilities?

Privilege is a LEGAL concept.

It protects the right of a client to withhold information in a court proceeding.

The right belongs to the client.

When can you give information?

Mandating reporting: Who is included and what are the responsibilities?

Diagnostic Labeling

What do we use to diagnose clients?

Agencies that rely on a diagnosis in order to be paid for service by a third-party payer need to inform clients of that fact.

What are diagnoses used for?

Do clients have the right to know what their diagnosis is? Why or why not?

Ethical Responsibility Do not burden clients with your

problems or tell clients the same thing happened to you - only worse.

Do not ask a client to meet your needs such as asking them to buy Avon from you or buy insurance from a friend starting an insurance business.

Do not insist that the client do what you think the client should do. Don’t insist that your solutions are the only solutions.

Do not continue to treat the client as in need of your services when the client has grown beyond needing these services.

Protecting a client’s self-esteem

Work within your scope of practice

Do not burden clients with your problems or tell clients the same thing happened to you - only worse.

Do not ask a client to meet your needs such as asking them to buy Avon from you or buy insurance from a friend starting an insurance business.

Do not insist that the client do what you think the client should do. Don’t insist that your solutions are the only solutions.

Do not continue to treat the client as in need of your services when the client has grown beyond needing these services.

Protecting a client’s self-esteem

Work within your scope of practice

Ethical Dilemma #1

You are locking your case management office door late Friday night, about to leave for the weekend, when your client; 17-year-old Jasmine, shows up in the hallway crying and says her parents threw her out because she admitted she was having sex with her boyfriend. She is scared and has no where to go and this neighborhood is known for late night violence and sexual assaults. You call her parents and they scream at you that their daughter is never stepping foot in their house again. You call the CPS hotline and they say there is nothing they can do for a homeless 17-year-old. The closest all-night shelter is almost two-hours away and you know from experience it is no place a single young woman. All the services that could help Jasmine are closed now until Monday. What do you do???

Ethical Dilemma #2

You are providing case management services to a young woman, Java, who escaped a serious domestic violence relationship. You found safe housing for her and her two young children. Now she is caring for some of her friends children to earn money to support herself and her family. You need someone to watch your son Brad on weekends because you work a second job to earn money for a down payment on a house. Java offers to watch Brad for you and you are tempted to do this because you know Java and you trust her; plus you know she really needs the money. What would you do?

Ethical Dilemma #3

You are a Case Manager working with clients with mental illness and due to a recent separation from your spouse, your debts are building up and your car was recently repossessed. One of your long-term clients sells used cars, and notices you no longer have a vehicle. She offers you a loaner car at no cost until you can afford to buy another vehicle so you can still travel to see clients. How do you respond?

Intake & Assessment

Intake & Assessment Case management can

be broken down into 4 basic categories:

Assessment

Planning

Linking

Monitoring

Case Management IS NOT Therapy

Case management can be broken down into 4 basic categories:

Assessment

Planning

Linking

Monitoring

Case Management IS NOT Therapy