CASE B: Closet & Dr. Knowsitall
Inda Closet had always felt attracted to other women but had dated men from time to time because it was what her parents and society seemed to expect for her. Concerned about sexuality, fearful of social rejection, and wondering about how to explore her sexual feelings, Ms. Closet built up the courage to consult a psychotherapist and an appointment with Heda Knowsitall, PhD. After taking a brief history, she informed Ms. Closet that based on her “history of dating men” she had a heterosexual drive. When Ms. Closet hesitantly, attempted to raise her concerns about the conclusion, Dr. Knowsitall brushed her aside and in a confident voice reassured Ms. Closet that she was well qualified in these matters and that the focus of therapy needed to be on how to get over her fear of dating and learn how to date men with more confidence.
Pick one of the above cases and answer each of the three questions for the selected case:
1. Based on your reading of textbook chapter(s) what are the ethical issue(s) in this case, if any? Describe them in a sentence or two referencing the textbook.
2. Explain the ethical challenge by drawing on the necessary elements of ethical code(s) & principles. Use either AAMFT or APA as per your discipline. In your words, tell us which ethical principle(s) (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2016, p.5) are you drawing upon?
3. Based on the case you picked, if you were the therapist on the case a. For Case A: How would you respond to Arnold? OR for Case B: How would you have responded to Ms. Closet when she raised concerns about your clinical conclusions of “heterosexual drive?”
b. Tell us how you decided YOUR best course of action? Which factors did you consider? What is/are the relational ethics issue(s)? How are you attending to it? (Clue: think about the therapeutic relationship, the client & your values, the law, the context, your competency, theory, etc in addition to ethical principles/codes etc).
