OBSERVING. ori Bert is a counselor at an inpatient program. A male client, Hal, enters the program 10 and is assigned to him. Bert is warned by staff that "this one is going to be tough-a real attitude he's got." From the start of Hal's treatment, Bert starts to notice that bluor the staff is quick to complain about his behavior and seems to be more passionate about correcting his rule breaking than they are with other clients. When a conflict arises between Hal and another client, the staff is quick to blame Hal and take the us word of the other client as truth. They do not seem to see potential in him, only na in flaws. The longer Hal stays, the harder it seems they are trying to get him out. Bert svom has noted that all the involved staff are White and Hal is African American. Hal is loud, argumentative, a clear instigator at times, and stubborn as hell, but does this mean he should be treated that way? He also shows kindness, the will to get well, humor, and hope. When Bert is on a 3-day vacation, he returns to find Hal (continued) VIG THE 204 Protecting of his colleagues. What should he do? by has been discharged for rule breaking. He suspects unethical behavior on the part Wait, this vignette is hard! Ugh, okay, what do we do here? Let's make it authoritative person who was not involved in discharging the client, and to whom easier on Bert and imagine that there is some supervisor, clinical director, or other it is appropriate for him to turn. That would be lovely, as he can bring up his concerns to that official and leave it to him or her to assess the appropriate action. Case solved, next! hwlaviteundza bre But wait, what if he doesn't have such a handy official waiting to hear his I plea and take the mess off his hands? What if superior figures in his agency were involved with discharging the client, then what does he do? He could do nothing, but this would not make him a very responsible clinician. He has an obligation to report the unethical behavior of his colleagues if he observes it, so he can't really get away with just letting it pass. The bravest action he could take would be to approach staff members involved and discuss with them why they chose to discharge the client and gently wonder with them whether there was any unintentional discrimination at play. That works when you have a good enough rapport with your colleagues to explore these issues, especially colleagues who are comfortable exploring their own clinical decisions with a critical eye (that should be you now, reader!). If you have that kind of work environment, do a little dance around the room right now because that is phenomenal, and probably rare. You should also never ever leave your job! But let's say poor Bert is not blessed with such a collaborative and nondefensive environment; what should he do? The first thing Bert can do is ask himself if there is anything he can do for the client. If there is a chance of revoking the discharge and keeping Hal on as a client, then Bert will want to try to do that. The best way to do that is to go to the highest person in charge and make his grievance. However, if Bert doesn't believe he can help the client, he can still do his part in helping the agency and the staff within. He can go to the same authority figure to make his grievance, and suggest they use the experience as a learning tool to prevent it from happening again. If Bert is correct that discrimination was at play, the staff are in danger of repeating the unethical behavior unless they receive training and supervision to prevent it. If the agency is unwilling to even entertain his grievance, or if they decide to do nothing about the case, Bert can go to his ethics board and run the issue by them. They supposedly are trained to investigate claims, and should tell Bert if he has something reportable or not. Bert definitely does not want to make any decision alone. He should confidently discuss the case with his trusted advisors and his therapist, if he has one. He can also check with an external supervisor, a mentor, teacher, colleague, friend, or family. They all have different gifts, and talking out his thoughts, feelings, and plan of action before making a move may be helpful. It can help immensely to gain a healthy perspective. 0 note