THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Gail Bieber, LCSW

Clinical Director

Counseling Recovery Services of OK

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Language of Ethics Objectives: 1) Explain descriptive terms that are part of the language of professional ethics 2) Determine individual values through interactive techniques & recognize how these personal values may impact our professional values.

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Root Causes of Ethical Dilemmas

An Ethical dilemma is defined as:

a difficult problem seemingly incapable of a satisfactory solution or a situation involving a choice between two equally unsatisfactory alternatives. Ethical dilemmas arise when moral claims conflict with each other. Competing Values - Confidentiality, Considerations of shrinking

budgets, outcome measurements, time restraints, efficiency Competing Loyalties - e.g. individual versus family, agency Different cultures, races, genders, histories and

religious/spirituality beliefs

CLIENT CLINICIAN

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

HURRICANE KATRINA, THE GILLETE FAMILY, AND CHOICES*

 

For days, all one heard was that Hurricane Katrina was on its way. Social Worker Sharon Gillette’s husband was in Seattle on business and unable to find a flight to return to New Orleans. Sharon could not decide whether to try to leave or to stay because her house was on higher ground. People in New Orleans and throughout the region were struggling with preparations for the expected storm. Sharon’s child care provider, Mrs. Carlyle, called to say she was frightened and would not come the next morning because she had found a ride out of town with her son and family. With her husband still away, Sharon finally decided it would be best for her and her children to leave New Orleans and stay with family in Texas until the storm passed.

 

Sharon phoned her supervisor to let him know she would be leaving New Orleans and would return as soon as possible after the storm passed. However, her supervisor informed her that she was being asked to report immediately to the Civil Emergency Center in the Louisiana Superdome to assist the many people-both able-bodied and those with physical and other challenges- who would be forced to stay in New Orleans because they did not have a way to evacuate. People were confused and anxious; many were trying to contact loved ones.

 

What would Sharon do? Should she leave New Orleans for Texas as planned?

Should she stay in New Orleans to help those in need? If she did stay in New Orleans, should she spend time trying to protect her home and children, or spend her time helping those in the Superdome?

 

 

 *R. Dolgoff, F. Lowenberg, D. Harrington: Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice, eighth edition, 2009, pg. 11-12

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Questions? Are values, ethics & morality (virtues) the same

thing? If not, what is the difference?

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

MORALITY:

Consists of principles or rules of conduct that define standards for right behavior. They define the relationships among members of the society. Goldstein: “a moral sense…involves not only individual thoughts and actions but relationships with others”

In the United States we have a broad consensus about some issues, we have deep divisions regarding what is “moral and what is not”? *

What are some of those issues & how does it impact our practice? * We’d like to have a set of general rules for society, however, they do tend to vary. Morality for one is not morality to another. There are deep divisions in this society regarding morality.

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Values – Serve as guides or criteria for selecting good and desirable behaviors.

“a value is not just a preference but it is a preference which is felt and/or considered to be justified.” (Kluckhohn, 1951) Values are a key element in the ethical

decision-making process.

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Individual values Group values – held by subgroups within a

society (religious, ethnic groups) Societal Values – values that are recognized by

the majority portions of the entire social system or, at least by the leading members or spokespersons of that system.

Professional Values – proclaimed by a professional group

Generally these four value sets are complementary or reciprocal although they can be in conflict & differences can occur in interpretation, prioritization and intensity.

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Professional Values

Clinical practitioners take their basic professional values from societal values; often a reflection and expansion of our personal values.

Professional values are considered as primary in practitioners’ decision making and action.

General consensus: Client participation, self-determination, and confidentiality

Does Value Neutrality exist? Can we achieve Value Neutrality with our clientele?

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Ethics – contemporary meaning focuses upon what actions are morally right and with how things ought to be. Human Conduct Branch of philosophy dealing with human conduct “Ethics is not primarily concerned with getting

people to do what they believe to be right, but helping them decide what is right” – (Jones, Sontag, Beckner, & Fogelin, 1977, pg. 8).

Ethics are deduced from values (even though we often use them interchangeably). Ethics deals with what is right and correct.C. Levy (1976b) called ethics “values in action”

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Bioethics – defined as the application of ethics to matters of life and death. Bio-ethics implies that a judgment should be made about the rightness or wrongness, goodness or badness, of a given medical or scientific practice.

There are times when we, as clinicians, are concerned with both ethics and bioethics

What are some examples of Bioethical Dilemmas we may

encounter in our professional life?

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Professional Ethics – Clarifies the ethical aspects of professional practice.

What is the purpose of professional

ethics?

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Professional Ethics are: intended to help practitioners to

recognize

morally correct practice and learn how to

decide and act ethically in any

professional situation. for the Protection of the public may also be enforced and provide

sanctions through the license bureau

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Values Common to All of the Helping Professions Autonomy – client’s right to choose their own

course of action, commonly known as self-determination (Western tradition).

Some people think the next two are the same concept; they are closely related but differ in an important way Nonmaleficence – “above all else, do no harm” Beneficence – “avoiding” doing harm; stated in

the positive: the value (or duty) of promoting good for and enhancing the well-being of others.s

Justice – Corey, Corey and Callahan define justice simply as “providing equal treatment to all people”

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICS

Values Common to Helping Professionals, cont. Fidelity – Honoring commitments made to

clients. Implication is that of creating a trusting relationship that allows the client space and opportunity to make whatever changes are necessary in his/her life

Veracity – Being truthful; if the worker doesn’t know the answer or can’t provide the answer (confidentiality, court order, etc), it’s far better to tell the client than to lie. Acknowledging errors rather than deceiving

RESULTS OF GOOD PROFESSIONAL DECISIONS Good decisions are supported by sound

reasoning. You are probably acting in an ethically responsible way concerning a client if you:*

Maintain personal & professional honesty*, coupled with The best interests of the client* Without malice or personal gain* and Can justify your actions as the best judgment

of what should be done based on the current state of the profession.*

* Van Hoose and Paradise (1979)

VALUES CLARIFICATION EXERCISE

The following exercise (handout) was produced by the New England Regional Leadership Program. It is posted by the Center for Rural Studies for Public Use.

The Center for Rural Studies assumes no responsibility for the contents.

VALUES CLARIFICATION EXERCISE*

Interpreting the Results:

Question 1: the areas of life that you do well or that seem naturally right to you are also possible sources of your most basic values, but try to discriminate between physical talent and what ‘feels right’ about it for clues about values.

Question 2: Moments of inspiration that cause a change are moments that affect you deeply and shape values related to what you value in life.

Questions 3 & 5: These are directly related to what you value in life!

Question 4: Areas of growing or changing awareness about your life, so they are especially important to understand.

How do you express these values in your work?*Lois M. Frey, UVM Extension, contributed to this material

MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS LINKED WITH ETHICAL DECISION MAKING

Ethical Absolutism Ethical relativists

Deontology?

This philosophy is linked to Plato, Immanuel Kant; rightness by rules rather than the outcomes. “Follow only the principle that you want everyone to follow”. Fixed moral rules which should hold under all circumstances. Ethical rules are right because they comply with such an imperative, or because the principle that supports the decision is sound.

Utilitarianism? –

Rightness based upon outcomes (John Stuart Mill & Jeremy Bentham) “Which choice creates the greatest good for the greatest number?

No fixed rules, and further, the way to judge an action is to examine the ‘goodness’ or ‘badness’ of it’s consequences

AN ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING MODEL*

Helpful, Choices, History of Dilemmas

Professional guidelines, course of action, how to act on the decision

1. Who is Helpful?2. What are my

choices?3. When have I faced

a similar dilemma?

*Strom-Gottfried, K. (2007). Straight Talk about Professional Ethics. Lyceum Books, Inc., pgs. 27-51

4. Where do ethical and clinical guidelines lead me?

5. Why am I selecting a particular course of action?

6. How should I enact

my decision?

MOTIVATION CHECK - #5?Does it pass the decision-making tests?*

1. Publicity – Can it withstand the light of day? 2. Reversibility – presents a version of the Golden Rule; would your choice of options be the same if you were in the client’s shoes or if your child, parent, friend, spouse were subject to the same decision. 3. Smell – Does the choice we’re making live up the community standards, legal standards, or our own gut instincts about right and wrong. 4. Mom or Mentor – Consider an individual whose integrity we trust, who holds us in high regard. How might that person

solve this dilemma? How would they view us in light of the course of action we’re choosing?

*Strom-Gottfried, K. (2007). Straight Talk about Professional Ethics. Lyceum Books, Inc.

ETHICS EXERCISE Rank in order from (1) highest

importance of priority to (7) lowest importance or priority for the following ethical principles:

a. Autonomy and freedom b. Equality and inequality c. Least harm d. Privacy and confidentiality e. Protection of life f. Quality of life g. Truthfulness and full

disclosure

THE LANGUAGE OF ETHICSTHANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY!!!

MY HOPE IS YOU LEARNED MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AS YOU APPROACH ETHICAL

DILEMMA IN YOUR ROLE AS A PROFESSIONAL

Gail Bieber, LCSW, Clinical Director

Counseling & Recovery Services of Oklahoma 7010 S. Yale #215

Tulsa, OK 74136

TELEPHONE: 918.492.2554

E-MAIL: gbieber@crsok.org