Ethics in Case Conceptualization and Diagnosis: Incorporating a Medical Model Into the Developmental Counseling Tradition
✍ Scribed by Jennifer L. Dougherty
- Publisher
- American Counseling Association
- Year
- 2005
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 594 KB
- Volume
- 49
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0160-7960
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
In this literature review, the author focuses on several ethical considerations in case conceptualization and diagnosis, including diagnostic training and competence. Meeting the American Counseling Association's (1 995) ethical standard for diagnostic training has several ethical implications for counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors. For counse!ors who might struggle with how to meet their ethical responsibilities in diagnosis but who want to remain true to their developmental counseling emphases, the author discusses some of their concerns, the implications of and possible approaches to this aspect of their work. iagnosis has been defined as any classification system commonly used y mental health professionals for determining a client's problem or D condition (Welfel, 2002). The most commonly used and accepted model for diagnosis among mental health professionals is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ofMental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psyhatric Association [APA], 2000; Mead, Hohenshil, & Singh, 1997; Seligman, 1999). However, diagnosis is more than the medical model established by the DSM-IV-TR. In fact, many practitioners and educators subscribe to a developmental model of conceptualizing client cases, characteristics, concerns, and behaviors. Regardless of the theoretical or philosophical model for diagnosis, the American Counsehg Association (ACA, 1995) Code @Ethics states, "Counselors take special care to provide proper diagnosis of mental disorders" (E.5.a). This ethical standard and the diagnostic process can raise several ethical issues and implications for counselors. To address possible ethical issues related to counselor diagnosis and preparation/training in diagnosis, this literature review examines (a) communicating a diagnosis to clients, @) diagnosis and managed care, (c) assessment techniques in diagnosis, and (d) diagnostic training and competency (APA