GENERALIST PRACTICE IN SOCIAL WORK

Running head: Correlation of the Code of Ethics 1

Correlation of the Code of Ethics 8

Correlation of the Code of Ethics

Gabrielle Lewis

North Central University

The correlation between COVID-19 and mental health is one of the many social problems faced in today's world. This paper focuses on the impact of mental health with COVID-19 and how social workers are playing their role in helping people. According to the preamble of NASW codes of ethics, social workers' primary purpose is to help the public in all possible ways regardless of their self-interests.  Social workers are pursuing the interests of individuals and working for their well-being. In the first week, I have explained that social workers helped the public through telehealth during a pandemic which motivates them to face the problem with courage and firmness. While everyone is suffering from acute effects of the virus, one of the strongest professions is social work. This profession is rooted in numerous ethical and legal limitations that affect their ethical decision-making. 

1st Code of Ethics: Conflict of Interests 

The first code of ethics is "conflict of interests" from NASW that can become an ethical challenge while addressing the social work problem. While dealing with the public through telehealth, conflict of interests could occur because social workers will be dealing with a huge number of people. To console the public and help them overcome trauma, the first thing that a social worker will do is make them comfortable with him/her. 

Treatment could be effective when the patient is comfortable with the social worker and accepting their counselling and absorbing all the words. But this code of ethics says; "Social workers should not engage in dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients in which there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the client. In instances when dual or multiple relationships are unavoidable, social workers should take steps to protect clients and are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries" (Code of Ethics, 2020). Social workers cannot build any relation with clients, but the question raised is that if there won't be any relationship with the client and the social worker, how can we expect that the treatment would be effective or bring satisfactory results. 

In last week's assignment, I have discussed ways in which social workers can help people during COVID. Such as, "during and after the pandemic, social workers' change to telehealth can be a better solution for both social workers as well as the patients. Social workers can hit a button to share the screen and use Zoom to help children with homework for parents who may not understand the criteria. This increases engagement and frequency when clients are being seen" now considering this. How can we imagine that we can teach their children or help them without establishing or developing any relationship with the client? In order to help them understand the criteria and come upon the solution, there should be semi-formal interaction between the client and the social worker (Reamer, 1998). 

My ethical values contrast with this code of ethics in ways that I believe that maintaining the trustful relation with clients should be a priority. As a professional counsellor and patient's health and well-being, their loyalty is also important for counselors that can be enhanced by establishing a steady relationship. As a professional social worker, I will pursue an authentic social worker's goals and meet those expectations. While offering health opportunities to people through telehealth, the state's ethical and professional standards must be followed. If I focus on NASW's ethical standards will contrast with my personal, professional, ethical beliefs as a social worker (Reamer F. G., 2003).  because commitment and having any sort of physical, emotional and sexual relation with the client is prohibited under NASW. Although I am not advocating to develop any sort of such relation but at least understanding and readily communicating to share information should be ensured.

2nd Code of Ethics: Impairment of Colleagues 

The second code of ethics of NASW   is the "impairment of colleagues", and according to this code of ethics, the impairment should be discussed with clients in order to avoid complications in treatment. For example, while offering treatment through telehealth, patients suffering from stress because of COVID-19 might have some rooted cause because of some family issues. Thus, to design the treatment plan, social workers should consult patients to make the plan more effective. During the pandemic, there were numerous reasons social workers can help people and solve their problems. But in the previous week, the major focus was on how mental health was affected during a pandemic and how medical social workers coped with the situation through a telehealth system. But there could be a limitation in this code of ethics because, through the telehealth system, social workers will be unaware of whether the client is providing accurate information. 

This code of ethics will be a challenge for social workers because it will affect the quality of the treatment or help provided to clients. There is no doubt that the client's impairment will interfere in the counselling or the type of help social workers provide. Based on my professional beliefs, I would say that clients' impairment should be the part of counselling so social workers can offer them right and effective treatment and help them deal with the scenario. By staying within described limits and keeping legal, professional and ethical standards in place, social workers can integrate these practices. 

Recommendations

1. The recommendation for social workers is to follow ethical codes and maintain client's loyalty. They can develop an informal relationship that will not violate the NASW code of ethics of social work. For example, there should be no physical, sexual, or emotional relationship. Based on the purpose of social work, well-being for individuals can only be brought when they are satisfied and trustworthy. According to the State Board of Social Work, those who provide planning, counselling, consultation, and assessment are termed as certified social workers. Thus, certified social workers must align their practices and the code of ethics (Caruso, 2020). 

2. In the case of impaired client's counselling, social workers can conduct an informed consent in which they can ask open-ended questions from people and motivate them to share if they have any impairment and any other way social workers can help. This will help social workers follow the code of conduct and resolve client's impairment simultaneously (Zur, 2016). 

Social workers' ethics codes support these recommendations because they are made between personal preferences and the stated ethical and professional limits. Implementation of these recommendations will bring effective results.

References Caruso, K. A. (2020). State Board of Social Work Examiners. https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/sw. Code of Ethics . (2020). https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English. Reamer, F. (1998). Ethical Standards in Social Work: A Critical Review of the NASW Code of Ethics. NASW PRESS, 1-8. Reamer, F. G. (2003). Boundary Issues in Social Work: Managing Dual Relationship. EBESCO, 121-129. Zur, O. (2016). Codes of Ethics on Therapists' Impairment, Burnout and Self Care. https://www.zurinstitute.com/ethics-of-burnout/.