Week 6: Ethical and Legal Considerations in Supervision

I’m stuck on a Psychology question and need an explanation.

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.

Write 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).

Readings

• Cobia, D. C., & Boes, S. R. (2000). Professional disclosure statements and formal plans for supervision: Two strategies for minimizing the risk of ethical conflicts in post-master’s supervision. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78(3), 293–296.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P. (2004). Clinical supervision: A competency-based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Appendix A, “Sample Supervision Contract Outline” (pp. 233–236)
  • Appendix G, “Competencies of Supervisors” (pp. 257–263)
• Koocher, G. P., Shafranske, E. P., & Falender, C.A. (2008). Addressing ethical and legal issues in clinical supervision. In C. A. Falender & E. P. Shafranske (Eds.), Casebook for clinical supervision: A competency-based approach (pp. 159–180). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.