Ethical Dilemmas: Gut Reaction and Decision Analysis

Ethical Dilemma: Initial Reaction Paper
Student Name
Program Name or Degree Name (e.g., Master of Science in Nursing), Walden University
COURSE XXX: Title of Course
Instructor Name
Month XX, 202X
Ethical Dilemma: Initial Reaction Paper
Introduction
An ethical dilemma is a situation in which a difficult choice must be made between two or more courses of action. Such decisions often entail the transgression of a moral principle. Moral dilemmas are inherent in the counseling profession where a counselor may encounter situations in which their ethics can be tested. Counselors face an ethical dilemma when they feel they are hindered in their decision-making. Such hindrances include 1) a conflict or inconsistency between standards of ethics, 2) complex situations in which current ethical standards, and 3) a conflict between the moral principles that underlie ethical codes. The current paper focuses on the third aspect based on the scenario described below.
Section 1: Gut Reaction (solution)
Gut reaction refers to the first solution that comes to mind once the dilemma has been identified. It can also be described as an intuitive decision, a decision made within a short period in which rational thinking did not play a role. Such decisions can either be excellent or poor, depending on the outcomes. However, it is essential to understand the current paper's setting before looking at the gut decision.
Scenario Description
Donald M (DM) is a forty-year-old distressed man facing marital problems. He reports that lately, his wife has grown distant and hostile and that they barely talk. DM is worried and confused because he does not know what is going on. During a therapy session with Ivy T (IT), DM's counselor reveals that he thinks his wife is having an affair with another man. After explaining how he came to this conclusion and his feeling of anger and betrayal, DM hints that he is thinking about killing his wife's lover. IT tries to ask direct questions to establish whether DM might seriously consider carrying out his thoughts. However, at the end of the session, IT is unsure whether DM is serious.
Dilemma Description
As a counselor, IT is exposed to different people, each with personal information that they may never want other people to know about. In other words, her position places her in access to the personal information of individuals who seek her services. Therefore, she is obligated to assure and maintain the integrity and privacy of such information in the sense that a third party should never share it. However, she has access to information that DM might be contemplating an assault or murder in this situation. In this case, because there is a crime and potentially murder involved, IT may need to prevent it by reporting to the relevant authorities. Doing so, however, would violate counselor-client confidentiality. The dilemma, therefore, is whether IT should share this information with a third party or not.
The current dilemma has an impact on potentially four parties. The first party is IT, whose decision will shape how subsequent events will unravel. For instance, she might want to warn the potential victim, which means she must go through DM's wife. The second party is DM because when he goes ahead and commits the crime or murder, his life will be worse than it is now because of potential interaction with the criminal justice system. The third party is the potential victim. IT must decide whether he should be warned or not. Lastly, DM's wife is the fourth part...