Posted: March 16th, 2017

Ethically, is this the right thing to do?

You are a drug and alcohol counselor working in a local community clinic. One of your clients, Bobby, has just told you that he was laid off from his job and can no longer pay the small fee the clinic charges for your services. Bobby has 3 months of sobriety, and has been making great progress. He and his wife have reconciled, and are participating in marriage counseling. Bobby has had this job for a long time, and his supervisor supported him when Bobby revealed that he needed to get treatment for his drinking. The lay off had nothing to do with Bobby and how he does his job; he was just a victim of the economy. As his counselor, you are very concerned that the financial stress of losing his job and trying to find another one may be more than he can handle, so you offer to see Bobby at no charge, after hours at the local cafe. Bobby is visibly relieved that he will still have your support, and you make arrangements for your next meeting.

Morally, is this the right thing to do? Ethically, is this the right thing to do? What happens when there is a conflict between your personal values/ morals and what the code of ethics says you have to do?

Please make sure you base your answers on the code of ethics found at the NAADAC website listed in Lab Assignment 7. Annotate which part of the code you are using to justify your responses.

Your initial posting should be around 250-300 words.