+1 862 207 3288 Ethical and Legal Considerations in Supervision
Ethical choices can, at times, be exceedingly complex. This is certainly true for supervisors of therapists-in-training. What could go wrong? What are the available alternatives? What is the best plan? These are all good questions to ask yourself before committing to any supervisory arrangement. Applying the IDEAL (Identify, Define, Explore, Act, Look) model (Bransford & Stein, 1993) that you learned about in your course on ethics may be of great value and assistance in cases such as these. Are all dual relationships taboo? Should they be? What if you were supervising several therapists-in-training and they sat with you at a professional conference or workshop? Is there any potential harm? How might these actions impact variables such as honesty, feedback, and client intervention? Knowing the requirements for licensure in your intended state of practice will help you to avoid legal complications related to supervision.
This week, you will read and think about a variety of ethical and legal considerations regarding supervision.
Objectives
Students will:
Analyze legal and/or ethical issues in supervision in psychology
Apply strategies to mitigate legal and/or ethical misconduct in supervision in psychology
Mitigating Ethical or Legal Misconduct
Violations of professional boundaries, multiple client relationships, confidentiality breaches, and communication difficulties are the four primary areas of potential vulnerabilities for supervisors who oversee the actions of supervisees with clients. It is therefore ethically and legally vital for supervisors to obtain ongoing consultation regarding these issues in order to uphold the highest level of ethical and legal practice.
To prepare for this Discussion, read the Learning Resources. Then, consider the most important and effective methods available to supervisors to ensure that their work is ethically and legally sound.
Post by Day 4 two scenarios that illustrate legal and/or ethical violations that a supervisor might encounter. Be sure that each scenario exemplifies a different category of vulnerability enumerated above (violations of professional boundaries, multiple inappropriate relationships, confidentiality breaches, and communication difficulties).
Be sure to support your post with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.
Respond by Day 6 respond to at least one other colleague’s post by describing in detail how each scenario could be mitigated, avoided, or eliminated.
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