Ethical decision making paper. Social Sciences. Term Paper

Ethical Decision-Making
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Ethical Decision-Making
Abstract
Ethical dilemmas require a series of decision-making considerations through the evaluation of the potential outcomes. Counselors find themselves with the need to consult different avenues in orders to make ethical decisions which adhere to moral principles. Different parameters dictate the course of action taken by the counselor with the focus of legality, ethicality, and professionalism with the main goal being to protect the client from any potential harm. The step-by-step decision-making process in handling ethical dilemmas includes its identification in relation to the ACA Code of Ethics to categorize it and determine the suitable course of action. Amy, a private practice intern taking her PhD in counseling advertises the Live Healthy Industries’ products in her office and professional website where her clients can see the promotions and inquire about the products. The ethicality of such a decision can be determined by analyzing the parameters along which it affects the clients, the profession and Amy. Analyzing such situations, rooting the ethical values, principles and standards helps counselors navigate the complex decision making parameters to ensure credibility.
Identification of the problem
Amy is a PhD student struggling to make her ends meet, which makes her consider advertising Live Healthy Industries' line of multivitamins and homoeopathic remedies in her office as well as in her professional web page. She uses the opportunity to sell the products to her clients through the inquiries attained form the information she displayed. This decision is fueled by the need to supplement her income to support the postgraduate program and not the specific benefits that the product has on its patients. With the main focus being the profits, there are various points of concern that Amy and the company she is advertizing can overlook concerning the state and welfare of the clients who are the consumers of the adverts.
One of the assumptions of the scenario is that the products Amy advertises are fit for human consumption and have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other consumption regulators. According to Miller (2019), for drugs and other medical products approval must be sanctioned by the FDA with the test results, manufacturing capabilities and the labeling indicating its uses and the possible associated risks. This is one of the assumptions that Amy might not have considered about the company before advertising the products on her website. Her clients bear the same assumption on the products as patients trust their care providers and this could be the reason that Amy’s patients buy the products from her assuming that her endorsement means that they are safe. Another situation arising from the scenario is that some of her clients might not be able to make their own decisions and only choose to buy the products because their counselor endorses them. Another consideration that can be picked from this situation is that the company Amy works for allows advertising products that are not related to their practice.
From the above considerations, the problem can be classified as ethical, professional and legal depending on how the products affect the patients. In terms of ethicality, the scenario raises the questions of whether Amy or the company knows the full details of the products she is advertising to her clients. Professionally, Amy should be allowed by her company to include outside products into her website, and if her profession allows or endorses the type of products. The situation spreads to legal avenues if the products end up harming one of the clients even after following the directions, which can place Amy or the manufacturing company liable for the outcome. The scenario is about self if the company does not allow for external products and covers the institution if the firm sanctions the advertising. It would extend to the client if the products bought end up affecting or producing undesired results to the consumers.
Application of ACA Code of Ethics
There are different purposes of the ACA Code of Ethics including establishing the basis for the modeling of professional practice and articulation of responsibilities, promotion of values and the procession of ethical complaints (American Counseling Association, 2005). The codes are meant to assist counselors in ensuring a succinct decision making when faced with ethical dilemmas that require an effective model. Depending on the nature of the decision, several codes can be involved in addressing the various areas that the scenario covers.
Amy's case covers several Codes of Ethics highlighted by the ACA. According to the scenario, Amy's reasons for advertising the products id because she attends Live Healthy Industries' seminar, which made her believe in their benefits. She, in turn, imposes her beliefs about the benefits of the multivitamins on the clients that cover the code A.4.b on personal values. The Code states that counselors should avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling goals. The use of multivitamins does not affect the mental health of the clients, which is why it is a value fronted to the customers by Amy. The code A.12.h requires counselors to provide electronic links to licensures and certification boards to protect consumer rights. This is one of the aspects not mentioned in the scenario as she ought to have linked the adverts to FDA or the Live Healthy website for further clarification. According to the ACA Code of Ethics section A.12.h.8, the counselors should help the clients in the verification of the reliability and validity of the information published on their websites. It is also Amy’s responsibility to ensure that the information relayed on the advertisements is accurate and adequate to help the clients in making informed decisions according to the requirements of section C.3.e of the ACA Code of Ethics. As Amy used the advertising posture on her consulting room, this is against the code C.3.f, which bars counselors from promoting to customers in a manner that influences the vulnerable individuals. This may be applicable if the products negatively affect the customers through instances like addiction or other health complications. If the products are confirmed to affect the clients’ health, the Code under section H.1.b directs the case to legal and regulatory control.
Dimensions of the Dilemma
The various moral principles and the professional regulations determine the nature of the dilemma and show the areas that a counselor overlooked during a scenario. Identifying the dimensions of the dilemma also help the counselor in formulating ways to resolve the issue. In Amy’s case, the first principle that is affected by her decision to advertise on her website is respect for autonomy. Acco...