Ethical Dilemma Whether to Give Information About the Patient

Yeung has in this scenario is whether to give information about her patient, Aiden, to the emergency services or not. Aiden has angrily threatened to deal with his mother and girlfriend after being drunk. This has happened occasionally in the past, but he had never acted upon his words. He leaves a message to Dr. Yeung and refuses to answer her calls. Dr. Yeung’s in dealing with Aiden’s issue is at crossroads because she wants to ensure that people around Aiden are safeguarded and does not want to judge him wrongly by reporting the matter to the emergency services. Since in the previous occasions Aiden had been involved in threatening his mother and girlfriend and ended up doing nothing, it complicates the issue because he communicated with Dr.

Yeung about dealing with it that day. He had shared his frustrations with her and opened his personal life on drinking problems and violent imaginations. This increases the complexity of the situation because a wrong judgment by Dr. Yeung can result in injustice for Aiden’s mother and girlfriend. She is required by the law of psychologists to eliminate the biases, expertise limitations and boundaries existing in her competence to make a sound judgment that is just to all; this principle makes the scenario a dilemma. Lastly, the principle of having Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity is another one that makes the scenario a dilemma. Psychologists are expected to respect the worth and dignity of every individual as well as their rights to privacy, sovereignty, and confidentiality.

Besides, the fact that Dr. Yeung is a research psychologist working with the federal government without professional training or licensure in clinical practice may cause a significant influence on the ethical decision made. First of all, given that she does not have sufficient knowledge of psychologists’ ethical principles, standards, and code of ethics, she may make a decision that ends up making her liable for her decision. Ignorance and utilization of mere knowledge as a standard to make an ethical decision do not exempt a psychologist from being responsible for the consequences (Fisher, 53). If she decides not to inform security departments about the impending issue fearing that she is not certified and her license may be invoked, she complicates the issue by not being faithful to the law and not acting in good faith.

This standard is relevant to Dr. Yeung’s scenario because it involves an emergency that requires an informed decision to be made to ensure Aiden and his families are safe. If she is not qualified enough to handle the case after the emergency is over, she can refer her client to another more qualified psychologist. Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments It requires that psychologist to base their work or decision on recognized professional and scientific knowledge; this gives foundation to the judgment or decisions made because they follow a prescribed guideline (Fisher, 65). This is relevant to Dr. Hence, Dr. Yeung should discuss with Aiden on people and institutions that are allowed to access his data. This eases the complexity of making ethical decisions because they show the confidentiality limits.

Terminating Therapy It requires psychologists to terminate services when there is reasonable ground that the client or patient does no longer need them. Hence, Dr. Dr. Yeung should report the matter to the security department who would accompany her to his client’s home. She should also explain that the patient had been earlier convicted of violent behavior; this makes her require protection when visiting him. Besides, she should visit Aiden’s mother and girlfriend and explain to them about Aiden’s issues for their security purposes and request them to be giving her feedback about how they relate to him. This would help in monitoring their security and safety at any given time. This standard is relevant to Dr. Yeung’s scenario because it involves an emergency that requires an informed decision to be made to ensure Aiden and his families are safe.