Discussion Forum 2 - Case Analysis (180 minutes)

In this activity, you will analyze a case study discussing ethical issues in treating patients with eating disorders.

Step 1: Review

Review the following case study:

Lisa is a 21-year-old college student who has been reporting four to five binge-purge episodes per day for the last six months. She shares a house with 4 other college students. Lisa reported that the other women in the house all seemed thin and pretty, which caused her to begin to perceive herself as overweight. Her housemates encouraged her to attend counseling. Lisa told her counselor how she had considerable secrecy and shame. Lisa stated she did not mind including her peers at some time during her counseling sessions. The counselor thought immediate contact with her peers would be helpful. Consequently, without any signed releases, the counselor contacted three of Lisa’s peers and invited them to attend the next individual session scheduled with Lisa and the counselor. The counselor believed it would be helpful and supportive. She thought the open dialogue could help Lisa to realize how many young women struggle with similar body image issues and how they wanted her “to get better.” The counselor left a phone message for  Lisa indicating her peers would be attending the next session. Lisa did not show for the next appointment. The counselor tried to contact her to schedule another appointment but received no response.

Step 2: Respond

Write a post of 200-350 words in which you address the following:

1. What ethical issue is evident in this case?
2. Which code of ethics is this case linked to?
3. How should the counselor have handled the situation, and why?

Step 3: Share

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work in the “Message” box. Make sure that you have addressed all the required information. Please ensure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts)

4: Interact

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “post to forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”