The Code Of Conflict: The Ethical Dilemma In Personal Conflict

The ethical dilemma in my conflict is that I, as an individual providing information and listening to the stories of domestic violence survivors, do not allow my past life experience effect the outcomes of clients. Being that my agency oversees the eighteen domestic violence agencies in the State of Connecticut, I work with a very diverse population and at times encounter situations where self-disclosure is a complex issue. Self-disclosure to clients raises numerous boundary issues which in turn can result in conflicts of interest with a relationship with a client. By over identifying with clients, I risk boundary line becoming blurred and the possibility of treating my own needs and experiences rather than my clients. The Code of Ethics (2015) states that a social worker should not let their own person problems interfere with their professional judgement and performance which can jeopardize the best interest of the people for whom they have a

Social workers agree that they should not disclose detailed personal information to clients about their intimate martial or relationship struggles however, there is no clear guidelines in regards to previous experiences that do not necessarily provide personal information (Reamer, Self-Disclosure in Clinical Social Work Eye on Ethics, 2006). There are also instances where a social worker may disclose personal information to strengthen the therapeutic alliance and nonphysical connection with clients. This approach is not always helpful for the client and can be rooted in the social workers own emotional and dependency needs (Reamer, Self-Disclosure in Clinical Social Work Eye on Ethics, 2006). This is where I feel as though I am facing an ethical dilemma. I first have to ask myself, “By sharing this information, am I helping the client or myself?” My primary obligation is to the client and I need to make sure that the client’s needs are being