Equal treatment of all students is one ethical standard that Dr. Jones has violated. He has separated Miriam from the rest of the group and during the assessments. In addition, he spends extensive time with the other students in the group reviewing recorded sessions and providing valuable feedback while this is not the same treatment that is shown to Miriam. “All students; regardless of the religious affiliations, ethnic background and gender among other forms discrimination, are supposed to be treated the same (Carroll & Walton, 1997).
” This is not just because they have paid the same amount for the course but because it is stated in the laws that govern higher education trainers and lecturers. Seclusion of some students based on whatever reason is a violation of the code of conduct. Supervisors of students on counseling training are supposed to assist their students in their assignments and give credible feedback that is based on credible evidence (Janosik & Creamer, 2003). Dr. Jones has violated this principle because it seems like he does not really pay much attention to Miriam.
Miriam can choose to lie about the assessments so that she passes but this cannot be ascertained if he allows her to give a brief summary of the sessions which he only gives minimal feedback. Obviously, he is not motivating her enough to be contented with her course. ACA Ethical Decision Making Model In order to solve such ethical problems, ethical decision making models are used. These models are supposed to counselors and managers of various institutions in solving ethical dilemmas they face on a daily basis.
In addition, the model helps in making decisions in a well defined manner by using institutional ethical principles and laws that govern the professional conduct of individuals. The ACA Decision Making Model will be used to show how issues of discrimination and proper supervision of students can be solved. The model follows a series of steps as outlined below. 1. Identify the problem. This stage entails identifying the root cause of the problem and finding out the root causes of the problems. In this Scenario, Dr.
Jones; an assistant professor at XYZ University who supervises masters’ level students working on their practicum and internship experience in the counseling departments’ on-site counseling clinic, is the person who is treating his student unequally. Because Miriam is the only Hispanic student in the class, she has been assigned to work with all the Spanish speaking clients. This is unfair treatment as she will not have the experience what the other students will learn in the course of the internship program. In addition, her work is not taken seriously because Dr.
Jones does not understand Spanish therefore he gives feedback on whatever Miriam presents to him. 2. Applying the ACA Code of Ethics Equal treatment of all people by counselors as well as their educators is mandatory. Students in the counseling profession are supposed to be competent people and if they are inhibited to achieve this because they were limited by unfair activities, then they will not have enough skills to be able to counsel others. “According to the ACA ethical code section F. 2. b, counseling supervisors are aware of diversity and are supposed to make sure that they treat their students well (ACA Code of Ethics).
” In addition, it is stated in the same section F that supervisors and counselors are supposed to be fair, honest and accurate when they evaluate the students in training. 3. Determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma. An ethical dilemma that arises in this study is seen when Dr. Jones sees that because Miriam knows Spanish, she can easily relate with Spanish speaking clients and that is why he assigns all of them to her. This is a good initiative but it cuts her from the rest of the students as they are evaluated better than her because more attention is given to the work they present.
4. Generate potential courses of action. In order to solve the problem, the issues identified need to be critically looked into and the potential actions formulated taking into consideration the underlying ethical principles. In formulating the decision, all forms of biasness will need to be eliminated, proper assessment of the student is necessary and making the student more involved in training with the other students. 5. Considering potential consequences of all options and choosing a course of action. It is never late to amend actions done and that is why Dr.
Jones can redesign his working plan to include rotation of the students; Miriam included, so that they are able to deal with different people from all ethnicities. Another possible reason is that he can let her work with the Spanish speaking clients but get an interpreter to interpret Miriam’s recorded sessions so that proper feedback can be got. Dr. Jones instead of dwelling on the reasons for Miriam’s divided attention in her work; he should assist her in becoming a better counselor. For this reason, the first option of making Miriam part of the larger class so that they deal with different clients is the best option.
6. Evaluate the selected course of action. When minority people are made part of the larger group, they feel accepted and the services they offer are valued. This further builds on their self esteem and will always aim to be the best in the field. Miriam’s involvement in the group will enhance the ethical code of equal treatment which the supervisor will have followed. Moreover, this action will help in improving their relationship such that Miriam will be more willing to learn rather than talk on diversity issues with clients (Janosik & Creamer, 2003). On the other hand, Dr.
Jones will be more willing to help by evaluating her well. This decision is better than the other option because an interpreter will make the evaluation process longer and further complicating it. 7. Implement the course of action. Having decided on the action to take, both Dr. Jones and Miriam will be told of the decision and why the reasons for choosing the decision. They will be expected to offer their views; if any, on the issue. And the decision agreed upon will have to be executed with immediate effect so as to enhance the training process. What Miriam needs do to resolve this ethical dilemma?
For Miriam to resolve the ethical dilemma, Miriam needs to properly communicate with the supervisor so that she can tell him that the arrangement does not suit her while stating clearly that it makes her not get the assessment she was hoping for. This will enable understanding on Dr. Jones side and possibly prevent her engagement in lengthy diversity talks with clients. If talking to the supervisor is difficult, she can consult other top people in the department as they are able to assist her in many ways.
References
ACA Code of Ethics, Retrieved on April 16, 2009 http://74. 125. 95. 132/search? q=cache:9l6lvVd_Q1YJ:educationandcounseling.sdstate. edu/ACA_Code_of_Ethics. pdf+ACA+Code+of+Ethics&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke&client=firefox-a Boylan, J. C. & Scott, J. (2008). Practicum and Internship: Textbook and Resource Guide for Counseling and Psychotherapy, 4th Ed. CRC Press, p. 183 Carroll, M. & Walton M. (1997). Handbook of counseling in organizations, SAGE, p. 322 Janosik, S. M. & Creamer D. G. (2003). Supervising new professionals in student affairs: a guide for practitioners, Routledge Mental Health, pp. 199-213 Koocher, G. P. & Spiegel P. K. (1998). Ethics in psychology: professional standards and cases 2nd Ed. Oxford University Press US, p. 228