The ethical obligations of the counselor in this case is not so much in question as the timing of disclosure. The main question is: Should the counselor disclose the dangers of withholding HIV status before clients disclose this? This would be more ethically acceptable to clients' need to be informed of the disclosure obligations of the therapist before entering therapy. On the other hand, the drive to safeguard lives could result in a lack of initial disclosure, as this might discourage clients from disclosing possibly incriminating behavior.
However, withholding this type of information from John or future clients like him could result in legal difficulties for the counselor, and indeed for the counseling profession in general. The counselor is obliged to disclose all ethical obligations to the client, and particularly those that could impact upon the confidentiality of the client. Only in this way can the client make an informed decision regarding the information he or she wishes to disclose to the counselor. Furthermore, it is only on this basis that the client can be obliged to disclose vital information to those who are affected by his actions.
In the decision-making process then, the counselor is obliged to follow a code of ethics that obliges him or her to provide full disclosure to potential clients. Only on this basis can the counselor then provide disclosures to other entities, as these could potentially harm the client. Any information that client provides to the counselor subsequent to such disclosure is then subject to the laws and ethics governing counseling in Indiana.
In a personal sense, counselors are human, regardless of professional obligation. In John's case, a sense of revulsion...
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