Reference no: EM133316511

Question: What are the ethical dilemmas according to Forester-Miller and Davis (1996) Ethical Decision Making Model?

Case Study: As a recent graduate of a counselor education program, you have been working at a community agency for the past 13 months. You just completed an intake session with a 70-year-old Hispanic female (Isabel) who spoke in broken English and had a very strong Spanish accent. She was accompanied by her son (Arturo) who spoke fluent English, which was helpful given that you do not speak Spanish and had some difficulty understanding her. Arturo stated that he wants to be involved with the counseling process by attending each counseling session and agreed to translate when needed during the sessions. The son did most of the talking during the intake session and interrupted his mother on several occasions when she attempted to speak. He stated that he knows what is best for his mother because he is now the man of the house (Isabel's husband of 52 years [Ruben] died recently) and this is how things are done in his family. Isabel shook her head in agreement at this statement and agreed to sign a consent allowing her son to be involved in her counseling. During the middle of the psychosocial portion of the session, in the midst of your assessing for the presence of suicidal or homicidal ideations, Isabel began to shake her head in affirmation and stated, "Without Ruben around, life no is worth..." and then Arturo jumped in and stated that his mother would never think about harming herself. You tried reengaging Isabel, but she would not meet your eyes and shook her head negatively in response to your question. Pressed for time, you continued through to the rest of the intake process. At the end of the session, Isabel thanked you for your help and gave you a small wrapped package, stating that it was a traditional piece of jewelry from her country and was her way of saying "thank you." You accepted the gift and set up the following week's appointment.
Following the intake, you feel very frustrated with how the session unfolded; particularly with the fact that you don't know if Isabel is safe from harming herself and that Arturo would not allow her to speak for herself. You think that you might try calling Isabel sometime next week to see how she is doing. You are also considering the use of an agency-approved interpreter for future sessions and informing Arturo that you do not need him to attend any future counseling sessions. Finally, Isabel's lack of assertiveness raised a red flag: given the success you had during your internship using assertiveness training with females (particularly with middle-age Caucasian females), you see this as a real possibility in your work with her. After careful deliberation, you decide to implement an ethical decision-making model to help you in deciding what to do in this situation.