Barbara is a substance abuse counselor working for a nonprofit social service agency. Many of the clients in the agency are female domestic violence victims who also have substance use disorders. The director of the agency has asked Barbara to develop a counseling group to serve the needs of these individuals.

Topic 7: Scenario Analysis
The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate the application of ethical knowledge in different scenarios that you might experience in both public and private practice.

Directions: Do not change the worksheet format of this assignment. Read the five scenarios below. Provide a 75–150-word response to each question in each of the scenarios presented below. Use the NAADAC Codes of Ethics, your textbook and other scholarly resources to support your responses. You must provide at least one properly formatted APA in-text citation and accompanying reference to support your responses for each scenario.

Scenario One

Barbara is a substance abuse counselor working for a nonprofit social service agency. Many of the clients in the agency are female domestic violence victims who also have substance use disorders. The director of the agency has asked Barbara to develop a counseling group to serve the needs of these individuals.
1. What ethical matters should Barbara consider as she plans this group?

2. What methods should Barbara use to ensure confidentiality in the context of group counseling?

3. If breaches of confidentiality occur, how should Barbara manage them?

Scenario Two
David is a substance abuse counselor working for a family counseling center. Steve, one of his adult clients, would like his wife to attend some sessions with him.
1. What ethical matters should David consider before beginning to see Steve and his wife?

2. What special issues of confidentiality may arise in this case? How should David address these issues?

3. How might differences in personal values and gender/cultural issues create ethical dilemmas in this case?

Scenario Three
Stephanie is a licensed substance abuse counselor who is currently employed by a public agency and has decided to start a private practice. As she makes her plans to transition, there are many ethical issues she must consider. While these issues are of concern to all counselors, she must consider how they specifically impact a counselor in private practice.
1. How can she ethically handle limited resources, deal with cost containment issues, respond to discrimination, and promote community change?

2. As a service provider, with what ethical issues and practices related to state insurance laws and managed care must she be familiar?

3. What are the ethical obligations and limitations faced by a counselor who serves clients who have been the victim of discrimination, injustice, poverty, or lack of access to behavioral health services? What best-practice community-based interventions could she refer her clients to?
4. List the licenses offered in your state and if independent licensure is an option. What is the difference between independent licensure and dependent licensure?
Scenario Four
Amari is an independent substance abuse counselor in her state. Her husband is in the military, and they travel often. Amari hopes to strictly provide distance counseling in her private practice. She has never provided distance counseling nor does she know of anyone who does. Utilize the HIPAA resource located in the topic material to support your response. Rely heavily on Section H: Distance Counseling, Technology, and Social Media of the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics to consider the following.

1. What are your state’s guidelines or requirements to be able to provide telehealth services? If there aren’t any guidelines or requirements, what steps would you take as a counselor to ensure you are compliant with HIPAA and FERPA regulations?

2. What cultural and ethical factors would she need to consider?

3. How would building rapport differ with an in-person client as compared to a virtual client? What strategies could she use that would be culturally and ethically appropriate?
Scenario Five
Will is a substance abuse counselor who is also in recovery himself. He regularly attends AA for his own recovery. He has recently accepted a position in a methadone clinic where they use a combination of counseling approaches including 12-step facilitation.
1. What is the 12-step facilitation counseling approach?
2. How can a recovering substance abuse counselor balance professional boundaries, self-disclosure, 12 Step anonymity, and professional confidentiality?
3. Where can you find quality training or continuing education courses for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in your state?

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