Question:
Case: Counseling and Sexual Orientation
You are also a fundamentalist Christian and a strong believer in the importance of homosexuality.
A gay client comes knocking on your door, having been referred by a colleague who has had difficulty treating the client.
You have a lot of experience in the field and you know that if you accept the person as your client, you will be listening to his/her talk about gay/lesbian behaviors, practices, and commitment to the cause.
This prospect creates a moral dilemma.
Do you accept this prospect as your client?
If you have to turn someone down, be ethical and explain why. Keep in mind that you are the only effective and good psychologist in the town, which is approximately 30 miles from the nearest city.
How would you handle him/her if you accept him/her as your client?
The second is to explain your decision.
Instructions
In this instance, use the AJ Method.
Argumentative essay format: Your way to moral-decision-making in light of the above-mentioned methods (AJ).
Answer:
It is an honor for me to be the best counselor and psychologist in my community.
You must travel approximately 30 miles to find a counselor or psychologist who is as experienced and knowledgeable as me.
People consider me very respectable in my town.
Nearly every social and humanitarian event that takes place in my town is invited me to be the chief guest.
I am regarded as one of the most valuable citizens by both the people and the government institutions.
Being the best psychologist in town gives me multiple benefits.
I am a trustee of all three schools in my town, as well as the only college.
When I’m available, many people want to meet me.
Many famous people have had sessions with me, and many are still in touch.
Because they got good results.
Sometimes they even recommend to their friends and family to attend counseling sessions with me.
In my 28 years of working in psychology, I have met many people with different mindsets.
It is fascinating to see how these people view their environment.
One client was too sad and quiet about what was going on in his life, while another was happy about what was happening for a specific period of her life.
One of them was extremely picky about his clothes, while another was so concerned about his family, he lost his 3-year-old daughter on Christmas Eve.
The human mind is filled with suspense. No one can tell what it will do, but they can predict some symptoms.
These symptoms are why psychologists recommend one method of living and not another.
This is what I have done for almost two decades.
I also follow Christian fundamentalism.
Although I was raised in a communist household (my father was one the most famous cardiologists of his day), I have always been drawn to Christ and the stories of his miracles and the sufferings he endured.
I believe in God’s Word inspired Bible.
Perhaps I’m regarded as racist by some critics, but I don’t mind spending my time listening to them. I believe in God only and follow the principles he has given his followers.
One person in his mid-30’s came to my room on a beautiful day.
Samuel Henderson, a colleague of mine, referred him to me. Unfortunately, he was not able to treat the client.
To be honest, I didn’t like his appearance.
I was annoyed by his manner of talking to me and how he looked at me.
It was difficult for me to decide whether or not I should accept this client.
Being a Christian and a follower of Christ, I find it a sin to interact with homosexuals. However, as a psychologist, I have a duty to help any person who comes to me with expectations.
I was in confusion, so I asked the client to contact me after one week. I didn’t have any other options but to self-analyze.
It was a difficult situation that I had to think about deeply.
It was very difficult for me.
It is not my job to hear anything about homosexuality or the activities of this client, so I decided to cancel any future meetings.
I realized that the client had come to me expecting that I would be the best counselor and psychologist in town. I was not the best person to consult for him.
This client is also from my profession.
As a professional, I cannot refuse to accept him. Clients reach out through their close connections.
Given the circumstances, I decided to help this person, despite my fundamentalist beliefs.
Yes, I sent him to a similar facility not far from my home.
The AJ Method deals with ethical analyzing, reasoning, and justification of any issue.
The AJ Technique’s four initial stages are nonpartisan. They include a careful examination of the issue. Only the final stride requires that everyone be clear and legitimize the issue.
The above case showed that the information regarding the counselee was collected and used to determine the planning procedure for the creative thinking process.
This type of counseling can also be used in this case.
This is where justification plays an important part.
In order to help the man and guide him in the right direction, I had to leave my Christianity fundamentalism behind.
Our religion doesn’t support heterosexual marriages.
The AJ method is a very effective tool for solving ethical and critical issues.
It requires a moral strategy that is reasonable and can be rejected on the basis of moral reasoning.
It deals with ethics reflection with a bit of luck and ends with creativity by acknowledging for the consistency of the principles and the difficulties faced by ethics (Noddings).
Role Of Ethics
There are many ways to define ethics.
Utilitarianism teaches that what really matters is how satisfied and endured a man’s actions.
Accordingly, the act of acting properly means increasing the satisfaction level and decreasing the misery.
Kantians’ ethical theory is concerned with the stressors and standards that underlie activities, rather than their outcomes (Ward).
This requires that you are inspired by a set of legitimate rules that treat everyone with respect (Hursthouse).
The theory of contract suggests that morals should be considered as well as understandings between people.
VanHooft states that making the best decision means adhering to the understandings reached by individuals in a balanced society.
Virtue ethics theory places moral consideration on the importance of connections over different variables.
Consequently, good acting means building, strengthening, and maintaining solid connections.
These actions show that you are willing to help others and support the connections they make.
Connections are essential to moral thinking (Swets) for care ethicists.
This case focuses on Virtue ethics, which sheds light on the moral dilemma.
Being a Christian fundamentalist, I believe and follow the religious instruction never to support homosexuality. However, I felt compelled to help the homosexual man to ensure his future.
Refer to the Reference List
Read Books Ltd.
Caring: A relational approach for ethics and moral education.
Univ of California Press.
Ethics and Education (Routledge Revivals).
The Collected papers on signal detection theory and ROC analysis in diagnostics and psychology.
Psychology Press.
Van Hooft S.
Ethics and Christianity (Vol.