Ethics for the Employee Assistance Professional: Act III

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Ethics for the Employee Assistance
ProfessionalAct III

• Bernard E. Beidel, M.Ed., CEAP
• Director, Office of Employee Assistance
• U.S. House of Representatives
• ValueOptions
• November 12, 2009

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 1

• Utilize a contracted network affiliate provider
  who is appropriately licensed but has no
  background or experience in EAP, to see a client
  formally referred by management.

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 2

• Count a simple telephone inquiry, with no
  face-to-face counseling, as a case in a
  utilization report.

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 3

• Delay a planned promotional campaign as a way to
  prevent utilization from exceeding your projected
  utilization rate.

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 4

• Exaggerate the scope and availability of your EAP
  affiliate network in order to procure a new
  account with a multi-location employer.

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 5

• Sell a 1-8 visit short-term counseling EAP and
  routinely refer beyond the EAP to the employers
  benefit plan after one EA assessment session.

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 6

• Provide one counseling session with multiple
  family members and count each family member as a
  separate case in a utilization report.

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 7

• Refer an EAP client for ongoing care to a
  clinical social worker who is a good match for
  the client but also happens to be a partner and
  owner in your clinical practice.

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Business Ethics - Ethical Dilemma 8

• Encourage a client to try telephone counseling
  and review of online educational materials to see
  if these interventions help before setting up a
  face-to-face session with an EAP counselor.

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Ethical Scenario - 1

• An employee who works in the accounts payable
  department voluntarily comes
• to the EAP complaining of financial problems and
  depression. There have been
• many medical problems in his family and
  considerable financial distress as a
• result. No problems with addictions are
  identified during the assessment.
• During the session, the employee mentions having
  borrowed 2,000 to
• 3,000 per month from company funds and he says
  that his embezzlement
• total is now near 75,000. To your knowledge,
  there is no HR policy relating to
• the reporting of embezzlement. However, you are
  confident that evidence of
• embezzlement would lead to immediate termination.
  He is not willing to admit
• this to anyone in the company and will not turn
  himself in to the police. He
• voluntarily came to the EAP to seek help for his
  depression. As the EA
• counselor
•  
• Would you honor his confidentiality and say
  nothing to the company?
• Would your response be influenced by whether you
  were fully dependent upon this employer for your
  salary?
• Clinically, could the depression be treated
  without addressing the issue of theft?
• How would you engage the client in the
  decision-making process?

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Ethical Scenario - 2

• An employee contacts you for stress. During the
  evaluation he
• admits to using cocaine frequently throughout the
  workday. He is an
• accountant, drives a company car and goes to
  jobsites, as well as
• takes clients to lunch. Your evaluation
  determines that he is abusing
• cocaine and is a candidate for treatment. He
  decides he doesnt want
• treatment.
• Would you consider this a safety-sensitive
  position?
• If yes, what is your responsibility to the
  company?
• Would you notify anyone in the company?
• If no release is obtained, would you still notify
  someone in the company?
• What is your responsibility to those whose lives
  may be endangered?
• How would you proceed with your client?
• What other systems could you involve (e.g. work
  group, family)?

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Ethical Scenario - 3

• An employee has been referred to the EA service
  by her supervisor, who also happens to be
• a personal friend of the employees, having
  worked together at the company for nearly
• fifteen years. The supervisor has indicated that
  the employee has been spending a
• significant amount of her work time on the
  internet and has been counseled about this on
• several occasions over the past year. The
  employee has received a final warning regarding
• her use and abuse of the internet during work
  hours, and the supervisor is making a formal
• referral to the EA service in conjunction with
  this final warning. The supervisor indicates
• that another incident will result in the
  employees immediate termination. During your
• review of the employees performance history with
  the supervisor, the supervisor mentions
• that he and the employee used to party together
  and that making this referral has been
• extremely difficult. During the initial
  assessment with the employee, she reveals to the
  EA
• that she routinely participates in sexual
  chat-room discussions, visits hook-up sites
• during work, and has arranged to meet with
  different men for sexual encounters on
• occasion during lunch or after work in the
  evening.
•  
• Given this information, how would you begin to
  approach this case?
• Are there any ethical issues that you are
  concerned about?
• If so, what are they?
• Do you have everything that you need to
  effectively resolve any of the issues that you
  are concerned about?

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Ethics Decision-Making Worksheet
Description of Issue/Incident/Situation
FACTS / ISSUES
STAKEHOLDERS
ENVIRONMENT / CONTEXT
OPTIONS
MOST ETHICALLY FEASIBLE CHOICE
DECISION
ACTION / REVIEW