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Ethical Decision-Making Processes

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Ethical Decision-Making Processes

In counseling, ethical practice underpins professionalism. Counselors are bound to face some ethical dilemmas that require the application of the right ethical principles and values for good decision-making. Several ethical models have been developed to improve the quality of the ethical decision-making process. The following is an evaluation of an appropriate decision-making model and its application in an ethical dilemma in counseling.

Intuition, Critical Evaluation, and Ethical Principles

The most common way of solving ethical dilemmas in counseling is by references to ethical guidelines and codes of practice. The most common ethical guideline used in counseling psychology is the American Psychology Association (APA) Code of Ethics. Many would believe that ethical guidelines can help to solve all ethical dilemmas. However, Kitchener (1984) believes otherwise. Ethical principles and guidelines are not always a great solution for ethical dilemmas. Intuition, critical evaluation, and ethical principles are three components of decision-making that should be considered by counselors when faced with ethical dilemmas. Two levels of moral reasoning ought to be applied when faced with ethical dilemmas. The intuitive level depends on one’s beliefs of what is right and wrong. Some situations need not be included in ethical guidelines for one to know whether they are right or wrong. When faced with such issues, intuition can be used to make the best decision. The second level of reasoning is the critical evaluative level. At this level, it is necessary to evaluate the situation using abstract forms of justification to arrive at the best decision. At the critical evaluative level, one relies on ethical rules, principles, and guidelines to make the best possible decision. Therefore, Kitchener (1984) suggests that counselors should not always be limited by ethical principles and rules when making decisions. It is okay to use one’s intuition to discern between right and wrong, especially in situations where ethical principles can hardly be solved.

Application of Kitchener’s (1984) Decision-Making to an Ethical Dilemma

One of the leading ethical issues in counseling is consent. Before counseling services are performed, it is important that the client gives their informed consent. However, consent is usually limited to people with the capacity to give it (Herlihy & Corey, 2014). Children and incapacitated adults are examples of people considered to lack the capacity to give their consent. In this case, a boy named Danny was brought into the counselor’s office. Danny is 11 years old; therefore, by the standards of ethical guidelines, he is not qualified to give voluntary consent. Adrienne, the counselor, believes that Danny still has the right to choose what should occur in his treatment. Therefore, she gives a verbal explanation to Danny’s mother in a language that Danny can understand and ensures that he comprehends. By doing this, Adrienne ensured that Danny voluntarily developed the willingness to participate in the counseling (Herlihy & Corey, 2014, p.42). In spite of not being legally protected by ethical law, he wanted Danny to voluntarily decide on his health without being influenced by his mother.

The ethical dilemma in the situation above is whether to strictly follow ethical rules on the age of consent or allow the client, who is interested in his own health outcomes, to have a say in what happens in his life. Adrienne applied her intuition in this case to provide the best possible care for Danny. Although ethical principles may guide otherwise, she believed in the maturity of the child to understand issues related to his care and make the best decision. This is a demonstration that ethical principles are not always the pathway guaranteed to make the best decision in an ethical dilemma. Other thinking strategies, such as the use of intuition, can also be an appropriate way of ethical decision-making.

However, when using intuition, it is important to consider the multicultural issues that can affect decision-making. Differences in cultural backgrounds can affect one’s beliefs and values or those of the client. For instance, Adrienne’s decision was driven by her position on the maturity levels of children when it comes to making decisions. She might be likely to be dealing with a parent, who also believes in the maturity of the child. In a different case, she may have met a parent who wants to make all decisions for the child. In such a case, she may be forced to stick within the boundaries of ethical rules.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this analysis shows that there is more than one way of making the best ethical decisions in counseling. Kitchener’s model of decision-making relies on different levels of thinking, including the intuitive levels and the critical analysis level. Sometimes, one can rely on one’s intuition to make the best decision, while in other instances, it is advisable to critically evaluate the situation to make the best decision.

References

Herlihy, B., & Corey, G. (2014). ACA ethical standards casebook. John Wiley & Sons.

Kitchener, K. S. (1984). Intuition, critical evaluation and ethical principles: The foundation for ethical decisions in counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 12(3), 43-55.

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Question 

Ethical Decision-Making Processes

Essay #3: Ethical Decision Making Processes –Including Multicultural Implications.

Common Assignment 3: Ethical Decision Making Processes

Discuss one (1) of the following ethical decision-making models:

Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. (1996). A practitioner’s guide to ethical decision-making. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Corey, G., Corey, M., & Callanan, P. (2007). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (7th ed.) Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Kitchener, K.S. (1984). Intuition, critical evaluation and ethical principles: The foundation for ethical decisions in counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 12, 43-55.

Describe the application process of one of the above decision-making models to the following ethical dilemma – include multicultural implications as part of your response:

The course instructor will list a specific counseling related ethical dilemma for the student to apply an ethical decision making model. Ethical scenarios should be selected from: Herlihy, B., & Corey, G. (2006). ACA ethical standards casebook (6th edition)(or latest edition). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association

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