MFT5102 > Professional Development for MFTs > Week 11 > Signature Assignment

To complete your Signature Assignment you are required to examine the
presented clinical vignette and address specific questions attached to
the vignette. Please support your answers with references to the
readings assigned throughout this course. Also, when providing your
reflections pertaining to the ethical decision, please provide
references to the specific Standards of the AAMFT Code of Ethics. Please
be mindful to outline your reasoning for each decision that you are
making pertaining to the chosen course of action. In addition, you can
modify the information of the vignette by adding any necessary details
that will help you to illustrate your ethical and legal decisions.

This assignment will be used to verify that you have met the Ethics
requirement for clinical readiness (seeing clients in the clinical
training portion of the program) as a part of the Practicum Preparation
Process (PPP). Please be sure to apply all that you have learned
throughout the course to the analysis of the vignette and to your
responses to the questions. In order to meet the Ethics requirement of
the PPP, you must receive a score of 83% (B) or higher on this
assignment. Failure to achieve this score will result in the need to
complete a separate ethics essay during the PPP. If you have questions
about this assignment, you are encouraged to consult with your faculty
member before you submit it.

Vignette:

Your client is a 10-year-old boy, who was referred by his mother
following his disruptive behavior at school and at home. The mother was
the referring person, while the father also supports the mother’s
decision to initiate therapy. You are able to establish a good rapport
with the boy and work through some of his issues.

Provide your answers to the following questions:

1. The mother informs you that a family physician who recently
   diagnosed her son with a Sleeping Disorder, would like to know more
   about the boy’s therapeutic work and his success in therapy. The mother
   informs you that the physician will be contacting you shortly. Describe
   how you will manage the mother’s request to establish communication
   with the physician in light of therapeutic mandates for privacy and
   confidentiality.
2. One day, your client comes to the session and tells you that if he
   refuses to go to bed at a certain time his father closes him in a
   bathroom for the rest of the night and does not give him anything to eat
   the next morning. Please describe your actions in light of your
   obligations as a mandated reporter.
3. One day you conducted a family session: the boy, the mother, and the
   father are all present. After the session, you realize that the boy’s
   father was your parent’s lawyer. Please discuss your possible actions
   keeping in mind Standard 1.3 from the AAMFT Code of Ethics.
4. Ten sessions into the therapy, your client’s mother informs you that
   their insurance panel did not approve further treatment. Discuss your
   actions, keeping in mind Principle 1.11 from the AAMFT Code of Ethics.
5. One year after the termination of the therapy, you receive a
   subpoena from the mother’s lawyer asking you to be part of the court
   proceeding, following the divorce of your client’s parents. The mother
   is asking the court to end joint custody in favor of sole custody. The
   subpoena asks you to provide information concerning the divorce and
   child custody as addressed in the previous therapy and that you will be
   called to testify. Please describe your actions.

Please provide an outline of your notes of your first session using
SOAP or an alternative format. Describe essential components of the
progress notes and address how long you will be required to keep records
on file. Length: 350-450 words per question – 6-8 pages

References

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Caldwell, B. E., & American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2015). User’s guide to the 2015 AAMFT code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

California, & California. (2004). Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act Task Force report. Sacramento, Calif.: Dept. of Justice.

Cameron, S., & Turtle-Song, I. (2002). Learning to Write Case Notes Using the SOAP Format.Journal of Counseling & Development, 80(3), 286-292. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00193.x

Carnesale, R. L. (2012). Ethics for Child Abuse Prosecutors. Ethics in Forensic Science, 293-

311. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-385019-5.00011-7

COTTONE, R. R. (2005). Detrimental Therapist-Client Relationships—Beyond Thinking of “Dual” or “Multiple” Roles: Reflections on the 2001 AAMFT Code of Ethics. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 33(1), 1-17. doi:10.1080/01926180590889284

(scbar.org)https://www.scbar.org/media/filer_public/01/c0/01c0a4e2-31ce-431c-9546-8436ddbc4363/galbrochure.pdf

Wilcoxon, S. A., & Gladding, S. T. (2007). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in the practice of marriage and family therapy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.