4.3 Complexities of Ethical Behavior
Let’s dig a little deeper into some of the ethical standards and how they might lead to questions and dilemmas for practitioners. In this section, we will do the following:
- Focus on the ways that individual standards may support or conflict with one another.
- Contrast and compare common standards with national culture, policies, and practices.
- Focus on social justice.
- Draw attention to the importance of examining your own values more deeply and how those connect to the Ethical Standards for Human Services Professionals.
It is worthwhile to view the ethical standards in these multiple contexts, as in figure 4.6. Using and interpreting the ethical standards is a career-long process. Reminding ourselves that ethics is not something done when everyone is watching but when it is not always convenient and continual practice in the gray.
Privacy, Confidentiality, and Safety
Let’s start with something you may already be familiar with: privacy, confidentiality, and safety. While these may seem straightforward, there are other factors at play. Here are the full standards that describe these behaviors:
STANDARD 3: Human service professionals protect the client’s right to privacy and confidentiality except when such confidentiality would cause serious harm to the client or others, when agency guidelines state otherwise, or under other stated conditions (e.g., local, state, or federal laws). Human service professionals inform clients of the limits of confidentiality prior to the onset of the helping relationship.
STANDARD 4: When a human service professional suspects a client’s behavior may endanger themselves or others, they must take appropriate and professional actions to ensure safety, which may include consulting, seeking supervision, or, in accordance with state and federal laws, breaching confidentiality. (NOHS, 2024)
These two standards helpfully highlight the conflict between them in the last sentence of Standard 4, which states that it might include “breaking the confidentiality of the relationship.” Similarly, conflicting ethical standards appear in most codes for helping professions. Facing the dilemma of whether to break confidentiality in order to preserve someone’s safety is one that many human services professionals will confront during their careers. In those circumstances, the worker should take into consideration:
- Applicable laws and regulations of the region (e.g., when and to whom are reports made)
- Workplace policies
- The worker’s role (e.g., counselor, manager, student, receptionist)
- The Ethical Standards for Human Services Professionals
- Any other resources and expectations
Notice that the professional’s own personal beliefs and values are not on this list. Nor are local or religious beliefs and values considered relevant to putting someone in danger. This relates to Standard 34 and the self-awareness that each professional is bound to keep regarding their own cultural backgrounds, val