Tight Ethical Situations

Handling tight ethical situations is part and parcel of being a helping professional.  Living in a small community where I am one of only several therapists I frequently run into my clients in social settings.  It is not uncommon for me to see clients at weddings or the like.  My mother, a therapist in a large metropolitan area, has been in the field for over thirty years.  She claims to be able to count on both hands all the times she’s ever seen a client in a social setting.  The question arises of whether to be neutral (as one might be with a total stranger), nod in casual recognition of an acquantance, or to make small talk.  Naturally there are no easy answers.  Today, as I was picking my son up from school, I ran into a previous client.  He was pleased to see me and shared with me his latest accomplishment.  I gave him several seconds of a listening ear as I would do for friend or stranger alike, and then excused myself and went on my way.  Although there are no easy answers for this question, and I’m not sure what the ethicists would say, it seems to me that whenever in doubt, leaning to the side of greatest normalcy until the matter is formally clarified is always the best policy.

For more about ethics visit the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics at:
www.naswdc.org.