Framework for Ethical Decision Making

Ethical decision making provides a framework for dealing with complex issues. An ethical dilemma implies that there may be some question about more than one course of action with differing outcomes or consequences for the client(s). Ethical dilemmas may emerge where there is concern for the client's well being or a conflict of interest in which there is a question of the appropriateness of an action and whether such action is in the client's best interest.

When confronted with an ethical dilemma, a practitioner needs more than a code of ethics for guidance. She or he also needs some understanding of how to use that code, as well as other resources, in order to make an informed decision about the best course of action.

The model of ethical decision making outlined here includes two approaches that come into play when a practitioner is confronted with an ethical situation. One is the emotional-intuitive approach which is the way the practitioner responds to the facts of a situation or the sense of what to do, based on one's subjective experience of the situation. The other is the critical-evaluative approach which includes consideration of the basic and specific ethical rules, such as appropriate professional codes, laws and legal precedents. Best practices in ethical decision making integrate both emotional-intuitive and critical-evaluative approaches.

An ethical decision should also take into account how the practitioner's personal experience and involvement are factors in the decision making process. The practitioner's personal characteristics (e.g. gender, area of training, years of experience), as well as her/his values and culture cannot be separated from the decision that she or he makes. Personal and cultural characteristics may affect ethical decisions and should thus be open to scrutiny.

Finally, an awareness of the power difference between the practitioner and the client is a critical component in ethical decision making. Practitioners should be aware of the power differential and not exploit it.

The following model is presented in a linear way, but the steps may not always occur in this order, and certain steps may be repeated depending on the nature of the ethical dilemma. The actual process of ethical decision making will weave back and forth between a more cognitive evaluation of the dilemma and attention to the practitioner's experiential or feeling sense of the situation.

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