Ethics is generally understood as standards that govern people in their everyday activities. Ethics is a set of rules that are closely connected to morality and imply an awareness of how a human should behave. Every profession has its own set of such rules, including addiction assessment and treatment. The American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) have established codes and principles of conduct that are crucial for protecting clients, reputations, and professional licenses. This week’s media, “Starting the Process,” can be used as an example to demonstrate how addictions professionals adhere and violate the code.
In the program, a female speaker conducts an assessment of a male client with symptoms of alcohol abuse. In general, the addiction professional follows the ethical code suggested by APA and NAADAC as she respects the patient’s autonomy and allows him to evaluate his condition. Additionally, the female speaker seems to accept her responsibility to ensure the safety and welfare of the client and demonstrates no sign of discrimination mentioned in Principle I (NADAAC). Therefore, it may be stated that the addictions professional is aware of the ethics code and makes a lot of effort to adhere to it.
There are also some cases that may be treated as violations of the code. For instance, the female speaker suggests that the male speaker may be interested in using the website she has developed “to improve the relationships with their children” (Jackson 1). By this notion, she violates the third principle that allows professionals to provide services only within their scope (NAADAC). Additionally, the addictions professional may be accused of exploitation, as she uses her influential position to sell outside products. Therefore, the transcript of “Starting the process” shows the cases of adherence and violations of the code of ethics elaborated by NAADAC.
Works Cited
Jackson, Justin. Starting the Process. Laureate Education, 2012.
NAADAC. “Code of Ethics.” NAADAC, 2016. Web.