Case Study: Ethical Dilemmas In School Counseling

2. An academically and socially struggling 11-year-old female student, Irina, comes to speak with the school counselor, Mrs. Moon, about her increasing awareness of herself as lesbian. Irina’s parents are conservative Catholics and the culture of the school community is likewise politically conservative. She would like to meet in a group with other gay and lesbian students in the school. As a result of the school’s emphasis on the Common Core, group counseling has been eliminated this year. Using an ethical decision-making model, identify what ethical issues exist in this case that a school counselor needs to consider including how to respond to Irina’s request?

Step 1: Identify the Problem There are a number of ethical concerns that Mrs.

However, even if this were an effective way to serve her student, the fact that group counseling has been eliminated as an option still hinders the school counseling program’s effectiveness. When confronting the administration about reinstating group counseling, she risks her job and relationship with other school professionals. This course of action requires tact, data, and facts. By bolstering her student’s self-efficacy to help her disclose her identity to her parents, Mrs. Moon risks her student’s emotional wellbeing if her parents do not accept her. By defying the order of the school and providing group counseling unofficially, she severely risks her job and her reputation as a school

Moon decides that she will create a few example small group lesson plans to show the potential effectiveness of group counseling to her principal and school staff in order to potentially reinstate group counseling. In the meantime, she will ensure her student’s needs are being met and continue to promote her self-efficacy while providing a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for her to speak freely. This is especially important given the conservative nature of the community. By developing Irina’s confidence and autonomy, she prepares her for future encounters where she feels comfortable disclosing her identity and receiving support from other trusted people (perhaps even her parents). She will provide the student with various resources from the community and help her in any way possible through this time of transition. Upon receiving reinstatement of group counseling, if it were to occur, Mrs. Moon would diligently inform the parents of her participation in a group counseling while also expressing the need for confidentiality regarding the nature of the group counseling