Ethical Decision-making For Human and Social Services; As you explored, ethical dilemmas are referred to as such because they involve conflicting values and are not easy to resolve. Furthermore, ethical standards and codes do not often give prescriptive advice for specific situations. For these situations, it is useful to employ ethical decision-making models. These models are frameworks that provide sequential steps to guide your research, thinking, and actions regarding dilemmas you may face.

Your course text presents one ethical decision-making model in detail, but it mentions several others. In your current or future roles as a human and social services professional, the organization for which you work may have adopted models they wish you to use, or you may be free to choose your own. As you become more familiar with the models available, you may wish to select models that closely align with your professional values and perspectives. Finally, remember that when you make ethical decisions in your professional practice, clients should be included in this process whenever possible.

For this Assignment, you apply the ethical decision-making model in your course text to a specific event or issue relevant to working within a family system.

To Prepare:

Select a current event or issue related to ethics for human and social services professionals working within a family system. It is not necessary to select an issue for this Assignment that contains cultural elements, although you may if you wish.
Review the “Ethical Decision-Making Model” found in Chapter 3 of your course text Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions. Consider how you would apply this model to the event or issue you selected. If your selected issue does contain cultural elements, you may consider applying the transcultural integrative ethical decision-making model discussed in the article “A Transcultural Integrative Model for Ethical Decision Making in Counseling.”

Using the ethical decision-making model, write a paper in which you:

Describe your selected ethical event or issue related to working within a family system. Be concise yet specific about the ethical issues present.
Explain how you, as a professional, would resolve the dilemma using the steps of the ethical decision-making model. Use the NOHS standards as your relevant code of ethics to clarify the dilemma. For the step regarding consultation, explain what type of professional(s) you would need to contact for consultation

In modern times, there is significant discussion about “justice” and “rights.” We often hear that something does or does not achieve “justice” or that someone has a “right” to something. Please address the following issues in your paper.
1. Define justice and rights from a biblical perspective. This should set a standard by which claims to justice and rights can be analyzed.
2. Select a specific, contemporary legal issue in the United States where individuals assert a “right” to something or state that something is inconsistent with standards of “justice” and apply a biblical understanding of “justice” and “rights” to conclude whether the specific asserted right or claim of injustice you selected is indeed a denial of a “right” or fails to achieve “justice.” Be sure to fully explain each part of your answer.
Be sure to use materials from the reading, the Bible, and outside sources.
Please use “Faith and Order: The reconciliation of law and religion” By Harold Berman

Refer to the “Social and Cultural Diversity Paper Writing Instructions” for a detailed explanation of the requirements for the Social and Cultural Diversity Paper that you have been developing throughout the course.

Complete the final draft of the Social and Cultural Diversity Paper, structured in three parts, in which you address the content criteria provided in “Social and Cultural Diversity Paper Writing Instructions.”

Complete any revisions needed in the final paper based on the feedback that the instructor provided after review of your first draft.

The paper must include scholarly references in addition to the textbook. More references may be used if necessary.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies and professional standards:

MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling

3.1: Explain issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society in the practice of professional counseling.

3.2: Evaluate the importance of social and cultural competence in providing counseling services to diverse populations.

3.3: Assess their own social and cultural awareness, attitudes, and biases.

This assignment is informed by the following CACREP Standard(s):

2.F.2.a. Multicultural and pluralistic characteristics within and among diverse groups nationally and internationally.

2.F.2.b. Theories and models of multicultural counseling, cultural identity development, and social justice and advocacy.

2.F.2.c. Multicultural counseling competencies.

2.F.2.d. The impact of heritage, attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and acculturative experiences on an individual’s views of others.

Mental illness affects one in five adults each year. Watch the following TED talk about understanding mental illness.

Toward a New Understanding of Mental Illness (Links to an external site.)
(Links to an external site.)

Choose one of the following mental illnesses to research. Explain why this illness should not be considered a behavioral disorder. How can describe the illness as a brain disorder aid in treatment?

ADHD
Bipolar
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Addiction
Depression
Anxiety