Ethics in Psychology Case Study
PSY430 Ethics in Psychology Case Study
Joe, a 35-year-old, male mental-health counselor, received a client referral, 35year-old Jill, from a community-counseling clinic. He began providing counseling services to her. Jill's problem was that she was unsatisfied with her current job as a bank teller and was experiencing mild anxiety and depression. Joe had been providing services to Jill for three weeks when she disclosed that she was confused about her sexuality because she was sexually attracted toward women. Joe immediately responded to Jill with wide eyes and a shocked look. He told Jill that he was a traditional Catholic, who felt that this type of feeling was immoral and wrong. He informed her that she should avoid thinking about this and pray for forgiveness. He also told her that he felt uncomfortable talking about the issue any further. Jill continued to talk to Joe about dealing with her family issues. Joe had recently read about a new technique and immediately became excited about trying it in therapy. He explained to her that he read an article in a magazine about a new technique called rebirthing. The new technique was being used in Europe to help people change their views about their relationships with their family. "It is supposed to be really effective in almost wiping out your memory of your family; it is like hypnosis" Joe said. "I would really like to try it on you today, what do you think?" Jill declined his offer and continued to talk about her family. Joe thought to himself that even though Jill said no, he was still going to try to hypnotize her as they talked. He thought she could benefit from hypnosis. Jill disclosed that she was raised in a traditional Asian-American home with many cultural influences and culture-specific rules and behavior. Jill was struggling with balancing her individualism and her cultural heritage. Joe explained to her that because he was living and working in a rural community, mostly consisting of people of East
Joe, a 35-year-old, male mental-health counselor, received a client referral, 35year-old Jill, from a community-counseling clinic. He began providing counseling services to her. Jill's problem was that she was unsatisfied with her current job as a bank teller and was experiencing mild anxiety and depression. Joe had been providing services to Jill for three weeks when she disclosed that she was confused about her sexuality because she was sexually attracted toward women. Joe immediately responded to Jill with wide eyes and a shocked look. He told Jill that he was a traditional Catholic, who felt that this type of feeling was immoral and wrong. He informed her that she should avoid thinking about this and pray for forgiveness. He also told her that he felt uncomfortable talking about the issue any further. Jill continued to talk to Joe about dealing with her family issues. Joe had recently read about a new technique and immediately became excited about trying it in therapy. He explained to her that he read an article in a magazine about a new technique called rebirthing. The new technique was being used in Europe to help people change their views about their relationships with their family. "It is supposed to be really effective in almost wiping out your memory of your family; it is like hypnosis" Joe said. "I would really like to try it on you today, what do you think?" Jill declined his offer and continued to talk about her family. Joe thought to himself that even though Jill said no, he was still going to try to hypnotize her as they talked. He thought she could benefit from hypnosis. Jill disclosed that she was raised in a traditional Asian-American home with many cultural influences and culture-specific rules and behavior. Jill was struggling with balancing her individualism and her cultural heritage. Joe explained to her that because he was living and working in a rural community, mostly consisting of people of East