Ethical Decision-Making

Ethical Decision-Making

Making ethical decisions is vital in behavioral health to ensure that healthcare providers follow moral principles while treating patients. Ethical considerations are especially significant in mental health, where the trust-based therapeutic relationship relies on empathy, confidentiality, and respect for patient autonomy (Chapter 2). The main goal of ethical decision-making is to prioritize patients' welfare while protecting their rights. Therefore, this paper delves into an ethical predicament surrounding a confidentiality breach in behavioral health. The case highlights a scenario where a therapist encounters a patient's plea to reveal confidential info to their partner, despite the patient's direct instruction to maintain secrecy. In this paper, we'll explore the ethical principles at play in the given scenario and provide guidance for the therapist on what actions to take. Our main argument is that keeping confidential information in the realm of behavioral health is vital for ensuring autonomy and beneficence in healthcare. We recommend that healthcare providers only break confidentiality when it's legally obligated or when it's necessary to prevent harm to the patient or others.

I.Scenario

This paper will explore a situation where Dr. Smith, a licensed clinical psychologist, is helping John, who suffers from severe depression and suicidal thoughts. During one of their sessions, John confesses that they are being physically and emotionally abused by their partner, Sarah. Dr. Smith faces a moral dilemma as they must choose between respecting John's confidentiality or intervening to protect them from further danger. The main parties involved are...

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