Reference no: EM133983391

Question: Susan's situation should be handled with immediate action while still respecting her dignity. Because she is expressing suicidal ideation and has access to a firearm, arranging for her to go directly to the hospital is necessary to ensure her safety. Although she does not want her mother informed, the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) explains that confidentiality does not apply when disclosure is required to protect clients from "serious and foreseeable harm" (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014, B.2.a). At the same time, counselors are expected to protect client privacy (American Counseling Association, 2014, B.1.c), so I would first attempt to gain her consent and only disclose the minimum information necessary. Get AI-free online assignment help by the best tutors.

Three ethical and legal concerns stand out: duty to protect, limits of confidentiality, and practicing within boundaries of competence when psychiatric referral is warranted (ACA, 2014, C.2.a).

Standard B.2.a (Serious and Foreseeable Harm and Legal Requirements): "The general requirement that counselors keep information confdential does not apply when disclosure is required to protect clients or identifed others from serious and foreseeable harm or when legal requirements demand that confdential information must be revealed. Counselors consult with other professionals when in doubt as to the validity of an exception. Additional considerations apply when addressing end-of-life issues."(American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014, B.2.a).
Standard B.1.c (Respect for Confidentiality): "Counselors protect the confidential information of prospective and current clients. Counselors disclose information only with appropriate consent or with sound legal or ethical justifcation." (ACA, 2014, B.1.c).

Standard C.2.a (Boundaries of Competence): "Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience. Whereas multicultural counseling competency is required across all counseling specialties, counselors gain knowledge, personal awareness, sensitivity, dispositions, and skills pertinent to being a culturally competent counselor in working with a diverse client population." (ACA, 2014, C.2.a).

Looking beyond Susan individually, Chapter 13 emphasizes that counselors must address systemic and community trauma (Corey et al., 2024). As part of an interdisciplinary outreach or emergency response team, my role would include advocating for trauma-informed practices, collaborating with school personnel, providing psychoeducation, and supporting long-term community healing efforts-not just crisis stabilization. Overall, our focus should remain on doing what is best for the stakeholder and following legal and ethical practices in doing so.