Name

Capella University

PSYC-FPX4900: Psychology Capstone Project

Prof. Name

January 2025

Case Study 

PSYC FPX 4900 assessment 2 It is a case that best manifests the difficulties of addressing bullying, mental health, and cultural sensitivity within a school while, at the same time, building trust in the counselor-student relationship (Fontanez, 2023). Adara is a 15-year-old Muslim-American student who feels isolated because she is the only Muslim-American within her circle of friends, and she has constantly endured bullying on her appearance both online and in school. While Adara clings to finding comfort in the school guidance counselor, Hannah, she has to call Hannah to share her thoughts of self-harm for safety. However, the intervention happened at the expense of breaking the trust between the two. The ethical consideration within cultural sensitivity in promoting mental health is juxtaposed in this situation. Strategies to address the needs of Adara should rebuild trust, keep Adara safe, and promote a supportive school environment. If Hannah can work with Adara’s family to facilitate open communication with Adara, prevent bullying from happening, and provide culturally responsive mental health services, she may be able to help Adara regain a sense of belonging and empowerment while regaining their relationship.

Ethical Concerns and Principles 

There are several ethical issues and principles relevant to Hannah’s role as a school counselor in this case. The primary ethical issue involves the duty of confidentiality while making safety a priority for Adara. Professional ethics in counseling dictate that any disclosure of self-harm or potential harm to oneself mandates intervention, even if it breaks the trust between counselor and student (McGough & Robika, 2024). This moral principle of beneficence—the good of the individual—motivated Hannah to discuss with Adara’s parents her self-harm intentions. This contradicts the autonomy principle, in that Adara did not feel prepared for her family to know, reflecting the need to balance the rights of the student to privacy against the counselor’s obligation to safeguard the student’s welfare. In addition, cultural competence is a critical ethical principle in this case. Adara’s refusal to seek counseling outside the community emphasizes the need to understand and respect her cultural and family setting. Hannah should, therefore navigate these concerns through strategies that preserve Adara’s dignity and respect her cultural values but ensure she is safe and mentally healthy. Through transparent communication and a culturally sensitive plan of action, Hannah will be able to rebuild trust and act in line with the principles of ethical conduct in her professional life.

Applied Ethical Principles and Standards 

The situation with Hannah and Adara requires ethical principles and standards to tackle the complexity of safety, trust, and cultural sensitivity. Beneficence-safeguarding Adara by acting when she claimed to be having suicidal ideation; nonmaleficence-taking measures not to cause harm. The ethical requirement of confidentiality was met by revealing only information necessary to protect Adara, which is in keeping with professional codes that place the safety of the client above privacy in such a critical situation. The principle of cultural competence underscores the importance of understanding Adara’s background and respecting her family dynamics in the decision-making process. Following the principles above allowed Hannah to manifest an ethical duty to protect Adara while showing a responsible move in reconnecting with Adara after a breach of trust. To keep such fidelity standard in check, Hannah would need to help rebuild the trust that Adara lost by being safe through the counseling process as well as properly resource and support her.

Alternative Solutions 

Alternative solutions that are concerned with rebuilding trust and culturally sensitive support, and at the same time, will guarantee the safety of Adara are needed to be considered in the case  (Bickersteth et al., 2024). The strategy can include a collaborative and educative discussion of mental health with Adara’s parents about the need for counseling by an external party that fits into the cultural values of their community. This might, for example be through connecting them with a culturally competent therapist, who is familiar with the Adara background, and through a school-based intervention such as the anti-bullying campaign, peer support group among others to prevent the child feeling isolated and helping to develop a more inclusive environment. Then, Hannah should offer to give Adara some follow-ups to work through the rebuilding relationship based on how she feels, plus her decision in keeping with a promise she would care for Adara. When these approaches were included, there was enough addressing of Adara’s emotional and psychological needs as trust could begin with a trusting school environment.

Research

Alternative solutions to handle the problems faced in this case need to be centered on Adara’s safety while establishing trust and culturally responsive support. This approach may entangle the involvement of Adara’s parents through a concerted discussion regarding mental health issues so that educating them on the pertinence of external counseling would resonate better with their cultural values. In this respect, it may be useful to connect them with a culturally responsive therapist who could understand Adara’s background. The other strategy could be school-based interventions such as conducting anti-bullying campaigns and peer support groups that could create an inclusive atmosphere in order to minimize the alienation felt by Adara. Hannah can continue conducting follow-up sessions with Adara to rebuild their relationship in a way that Adara is acknowledged for her emotions and re-established commitment to her well-being. The strategies can be combined to effectively meet Adara’s emotional and psychological needs while regaining trust and a supportive school environment.

PSYC FPX 4900 assessment 2 Conclusion 

In a nutshell, the case of Hannah and Adara reflects the challenges school counselors face in addressing bullying, mental health conditions, and cultural sensitivity, all of which occur within the ethical context (Tresna et al., 2024). It was an ethical necessity to take such a decision of reporting the self-harm ideas of Adara but unfortunately led to a break in trust with Hannah. This will require an intervention that balances Adara’s best interest, the interest of fostering family collaboration, and is sensitive to the need of Adara within the given culture. Thus, through culturally responsive counseling, programs for anti-bullying, and continuous building of trust with Adara, Hannah can further support Adara’s emotional-psychological need. This case ultimately points out the need to follow ethical principles while developing compassionate, inclusive, and culturally competent practices in school counseling.

PSYC FPX 4900 assessment 2 References 

Bickersteth, J., Macdonald, G., & Meek, L. (2024). Sustainable conservation solutions in a hostile environment: The historic huts of Antarctica. Studies in Conservation, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2024.2350286