Keeping Confidence- Suicide copy PDF

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Written response to the keeping confidence: suicide helper studio assignment which includes my mock response to the video and answers to the 3 questions. I used this to read as a script while recording my responses....

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KEEPING CONFIDENCE: SUICIDE Mock Response I am sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances, Sophie, and I am so sorry that you are in so much pain. Before we begin, I do have to explain my ethical responsibility of confidentiality as a social worker before I allow you to continue. Your privacy is important to me and I want you to feel comfortable disclosing whatever will help you in our work together. Whatever we talk about here stays between you and I unless you pose a threat of harm to yourself or another person. In that case, I am obligated to ensure your personal safety by breaking confidentiality and sharing your circumstances with other professional so I can ensure that your personal safety and the safety of others is protected. Moving forward. You expressed how overwhelmed you have been feeling because of work, school, and helping your mom. That is a lot for anybody to try and constantly balance, especially for a 25-year-old young woman. You feel unsure as to how to keep moving forward with the weight of the responsibilities you take on day after day, which leaves little to no time for you to take care of yourself. I believe it would be helpful for me to understand exactly what school, work, and helping your mom entails so we can explore how you feel during those times and how it affects you. What concerns me, though, is you saying that it would be “better if all of this would end right now.” What do you mean by “this?” Are you thinking about hurting yourself, Sophie?

1. Which of the cardinal social worker values will you utilize as Sophie’s social worker?  Access to resources - This cardinal value mentions that social workers are expected to put service to others above their own self-interest  This is relevant to me because I cannot deny the discomfort that I felt while listening to Sophie speak of being in so much emotional pain. But, because of this value, I must put that discomfort aside and ensure that I can provide Sophie with the best help I can give her. - In addition, this value states that all human beings deserve access to the resources they need to deal with life’s problems and to develop to their fullest potential  Because of this, I know that I have to identify the proper resources, like inpatient hospitalization, and refer them to Sophie so she can get the help she needs to get out of her suicidal mindset.  Value of integrity - This cardinal value of social work maintains that the value of integrity means that professional social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.  This is relevant to Sophie’s case because in my mock response, I mentioned my ethical responsibilities and explained the circumstances of confidentiality within our work together in that I will not break confidence unless I believe that she poses a harm to herself or somebody else.

 I believe that she is making suicidal threats, so I must stay true to my word and maintain my professional obligations that I explained to her. 2. What ethical dilemmas might arise as you begin your work with Sophie?  I have identified a few ethical dilemmas that have come up in my short time with Sophie. The most significant being the potential breach in self-determination and confidentiality.  Self-determination o The ethical principle of self-determination is defined as recognition of the right and need of clients to have freedom in making their own choices and decisions. A social worker can only limit a clients self-determination when, in their professional judgment, the clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious risk to themselves or others.  Sophie explicitly stated that she believed it would be “better if all of this would end right now.” I am certified in ASIST, or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, so I know when somebody makes a vague statement like that, they are probably implying suicide but do not want to say it outright. This is why I asked Sophie to clarify what she meant by that exactly.  Confidentiality o Confidentiality is another ethical principle I feel will become a dilemma in my work with Sophie. If she continues to make suicidal implications, and I find it to be a serious threat to her wellbeing, I will have to break confidentiality, disclose her circumstances to external resources, and bring in additional help that can more appropriately manage what she is going through. 3. What competency or competencies apply to this client and your work with her?  Competency #1: Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior - The first competency, ^^^, is the most obviously applied in Sophie’s situation as it applies to the need for social workers to make ethical decisions by applying standards by the National Association of Social Workers. The NASW clearly outlines in their code of ethics that I must intervene and break confidentiality to protect the personal safety of my client if I feel that she is at risk for hurting herself. - By preventing Sophie’s suicide, this not only saves her life, but saves me from facing a lawsuit....