How do these ethical issues influence how you move forward to help Shana and her family?
How do these ethical issues influence how you move forward to help Shana and her family?
Thus
far, each project you have completed focused on some of the different types of
assessments and tests you will use as a psychology professional. In Unit 3, the
focus of the project was on interviewing. In the Unit 5 project, your attention
was drawn to the importance and use of informal assessments. In this unit you
read about cognitive and educational ability.
For
this project you will draw on your past learning and write a paper in Standard
American English. This means that your project is well-organized, that your
ideas flow in a logical sequence and that your perspective and arguments are
well-articulated. This project should be between 1200 and 1800 words in length
not including the title and reference page. Before submitting your project, be
sure to proofread your paper so it is free of typographical errors, and to be
sure that the style and mechanics (spelling and grammar) support your ideas
clearly and coherently. Remember to follow APA formatting and make sure that
you review the APA Ethics Guidelines at http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html In addition, review the material on ethics that
you used in your previous units’ work.
Begin
this project with a thorough analysis of the following case study where you are
the therapist. When you are ready, address all of the points below the case
study in your project.
Case Study:
Shana,
31, mom
Jason,
15, son
Maria,
13
Adam,
11
Ex-husband,
the custodial parent, name unknown
Shana
takes her three children to see you. They are now in your office, the four of
them. Shana talks for herself and her three children and here is what she says:
“I
really need help and my neighbor said you would be the best. Thank you. I am 31
years old and these kids are all having some trouble. I need help. I divorced
their father and he got custody of them but after a while, because now I am
sober, he brought all three back to me. He married some woman with a 7 year old
and now they have a baby. They don’t think they can handle teens any more.
These are good kids. I was a bad mom. I mean I was sick, I guess. I drank a lot
but now I am 3 and ½ years sober and working and doing good.
Jason
is 15, Maria is 13, and Adam is 11, and they are all here today to tell you
they want help to stay with me. I just cannot afford three teenage kids. Their
dad needs to help with the money. Jason wants to quit school and work to keep
us all together. Maria is with her boyfriend all the time and Adam is never
around. I guess he’s at the mall or something. His dad says he gets good grades
but I don’t see how. I think he is doing marijuana or something. I want them
all to go to Alateen or something and I need help. I live with my mom, but she
drinks and is on some government pension of some kind. She got hurt in the
military, real bad. She’s okay. But she can’t manage these kids. I don’t know;
she may even be using some smoke, too. Not me though. I learned to keep
straight and go to meetings and call my sponsor but we are losing money galore
now.
Can
you call my husband and tell him these kids are his responsibility and even if
we are divorced he still has custody? I mean, I could take him to court or
something but that doesn’t seem right. Just call him for me and explain things
for me and get him in here to help. Would you please talk to each of the kids
now and see what is going on with each of them then tell me so I can talk to
them? We could get somewhere then. Thanks. I think they like you already, huh
guys? Thanks. You are great. I knew you would help if I just got in here. My
neighbor said you would help.
Here,
I wrote down the teacher and school number for each of my kids. If you would
call and say we are working on things and have them send the homework home with
a note, then I could check it for them before they leave in the morning. Whew.
I feel better already. I knew you would start doing something for us. Thanks.
Oh, by the way you should call my family doctor. I got some Prozac and put the
kids on it to help them through this thing. I thought the two oldest needed
some but I guess the third one could use some too. I just did it until we could
get here and find some help for all of us. I guess it would help the youngest
one with depression, too. What do you think? The last time I heard the word
suicide was before the medicine. I guess you should talk to the doctor. Here is
his number. Just call him now and he will call you back. He’s real good about
that stuff. The youngest has been on something for ADD I think. Better check
that, too.”
Directions: As
the therapist, you know that helping Shana and her family is going to take more
than making the phone calls she requests. Begin your paper with a discussion of
the ethical issues that are presented in this case:
-
How do these ethical
issues influence how you move forward to help Shana and her family? -
With these ethical
considerations in mind, which assessments/tests (remember to think back to past
learning in this course) would you want to have done, for whom and for what
purpose? -
Who should do these
assessments/tests and why? Would you, or would you not, conduct the
assessments/tests yourself?
