Ethical Dilemma Paper

483 Words2 Pages

Ethical Dilemma #4 1. What should the therapist/counselor do regarding informing his/her clients about the impending absence? Oklahoma LMFT 86:15-3-1 g-i, the therapist is required to give written notification to his/her clients that a disability or illness will temporarily prevent him/her from continuing therapy with them (Liscensure, 2015). The letter will allow for the client to be informed and provide insight as to an approximate timeline and plan of treatment during the recovery process. It is important for the therapist to also begin procedures for referring the clients to qualified therapists. It is imperative that the therapist work with the clients and clarify that they understand the need for referral to another therapist, and they are not being terminated or abandoned (Corey, 2015). As or right now, this may only be a temporary change; termination refers to ending the client therapist relationship. Preparing clients for unforeseen circumstances is essential and can also be a part of the Informed Consent. It is vital that the clients continue therapy because a large percentage of clients drop out of therapy when they are …show more content…

655)This is why it is important to work closely with the clients to provide assistance in obtaining another therapist who is qualified to treat them and involve the client in the process as much as possible. (Corey, 2015, pp. 308-310). Client confidentiality must be maintained throughout the referral process not only when consulting with potential temporary therapists, but also when handling the client’s records. The therapist should make arrangements for any original records to be transferred following the guidelines for confidential treatment of records; this is defined in the Oklahoma LMFT 86:15-3-2 g-h (Liscensure,