Adolescents are often aware that they are simply a portion of the family’s problem. While many kids indicate an interest in being involved in treatment choices, few are given a chance to do so in a systematic fashion (Baird & Mollen, 2018). Kody’s household consisted of an alcoholic mother and an abusive father. As a result, Kody’s expulsion from school may have been a sign of familial problems rather than his own. Family counseling appears to be a viable choice despite his mother’s reassurance that he is the issue.
Instead, as in Kody’s case, family sessions were canceled, and individual consultations were suspended. This was largely owing to the ethical difficulty of treating individuals rather than families. From an ethical standpoint, the effort at transformation should not have taken place without sufficient consultation with the family. Convincing Kody that this is beneficial isn’t enough because the mother may see it as an opportunity to absolve herself of duty and shame. As a result, despite the family’s apparent dysfunction, the family’s strong opposition to family sessions may be reasonable. Furthermore, there is a legal issue here since some jurisdictions compel you to file a child abuse report with Child Protective Services as a result of suspected verbal and emotional abuse, which Kody indirectly implied (Baird & Mollen, 2018).
Moreover, the canceling of the individual sessions signs another ethical issue, namely, should the therapist have encouraged Kody to continue his therapy? Despite the need for family sessions, it is not the only issue within the family since individual sessions would also benefit Kody, especially in controlling his anger. Thus, the ethical issues, in this case, present a complicated matter, and the main conclusion is the therapist’s mistake in sudden encouraging family sessions.
Reference
Baird, B. N., & Mollen, D. (2018). The internship, practicum, and field placement handbook: A guide for the helping professions. Routledge.