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Case Study #1: This Could Get Messy

Farris Jones
The University of South Carolina

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Abstract

In this case, social worker Angelina Pettit faces an ethical dilemma when her
husband, Phillip, invites two men over for a supportive holiday dinner, who
are also Angelinas clients at a rehab facility. Angelina often has a crossover
between her clients and those she interacts with in her community and at
church and wonders if she is going too far in terms of engaging in dual
relationships. As the title of the case vignette states, Angelina worries that
things could get messy.

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Introduction
The protagonist of this case is Angelina Pettit, a licensed social worker
who is currently employed at Interfaith Mission House (IMH) in Dallas, Texas.
Angelina and her husband, Phillip Pettit are active members of the Church at
Union Station. IMH and Church at Union Station are very closely related
organizations, primarily due to the fact that the director of IMH, Thom
Buddy Corgan, is also the main founder and pastor at Church at Union
Station. The case text states within the community, people always
mentioned IMH and Church at Union Station together, hey would say that the
two organizations were like two peas in a pod (Scales & Wolfer, 2006).
Both organizations are faith based and have religious values and goals.
Phillip hosts a Sunday school class and a bible study group for men;
within his group are Jacob and Raymond Estes, two individuals who are also
members of IMH for rehabilitation. The Estes brothers are also clients of
Angelinas. Angelinas main job at IMH includes managing the cases of all
clients within each social service program (Scales & Wolfer, 2006), including
Zion, the community in which Jacob and Raymond both reside until Jacob
tests positive for drug use and is removed from the program temporarily
until he is able to reenter from the beginning of the program in the
Community House nd work his way back to living in Zion. Often, when Philip
hosts the members of his bible study group for external activities, the
members of the group and their families interact, including interaction
between Angelina and the members of the group.

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Problem Statement
Angelina, bound by her profession and the NASW Code of Ethics
(2008), is engaging in inappropriate dual relationships. She has friendly
interactions with her clients outside of work (due to their relationship with
her husband and membership at her church) and is facing an ethical
dilemma because of it.
Contextual Analysis
It appears that Angelina has set up her lifestyle to inevitably involve
dual relationships. Firstly, Angelina and her husband decided to live in the
community Zion the community in which patients of IMH eventually reach if
they are doing well are able to live in community with other persons of faith.
This means that Angelina and her husband interact with members of IMH and
the church on a daily basis. Angelina states I really love working at IMH; my
clients and I feel free to discuss our faith, if the clients want to (Scales &
Wolfer, 2006). She later states that To live with those who suffer and have
great need is how I try to develop community intentionally. This suggests
that Angelina mixes her personal beliefs with her work and with the
community that she resides in.
It is also apparent that since the two organizations are so closely
related, members of the church will often join IMH for rehabilitation
assistance and vise versa. Jacob and Raymond were referred to IMH through
their membership at the church; and this is the case for many members of
the church and of IMH. Angelina must know that there will be an overlap of
her professional life, her personal life, her church life, and the community
that she lives in. The situation that presents itself in this case specifically is

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that Phillip has invited Jacob and Raymond to an annual Christmas dinner
even though they are the clients of his wife Angelina. Angelina wants to
engage the members of Philips bible study and make them feel comforted
during the holidays, but she also does not want to engage with her clients on
a personal level outside of her job.
The NASW Code of Ethics states, on the matter of dual relationships:
Social workers should not engage in dual or multiple relationships
with clients or former clients in which there is a risk of exploitation or
potential harm to the client. In instances when dual or multiple
relationships are unavoidable, social workers should take steps to
protect clients and are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and
culturally sensitive boundaries. (Dual or multiple relationships occur
when social workers relate to clients in more than one relationship,
whether professional, social, or business. Dual or multiple relationships
can occur simultaneously or consecutively.) (NASW, 2008).
Since Angelina relates to these clients in multiple ways, and since these two
clients are brothers, she should take steps to avoid the collision of her
professional and private life at all costs. There is potential for sensitive
information to be let out during a friendly exchange that could be harmful to
the rehabilitation of the two clients. Angelina is bound by her profession to
keep the different facets of her lifestyle separate.
Alternative Strategies

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1. The first alternative strategy to this situation is to not allow for the
Estes brothers to attend the Christmas dinner that the Pettits are
hosting. This is solution is the most full proof in that the possibility for
exploitation is eliminated completely. Angelina must also not allow for
any overlap of her patients and social life to occur ever again. It may
be a good idea for her to find a new job completely, since her work at
IMH is so closely related to her personal and religious identity. It may
be easier for her to avoid these situations in an unbiased way if her
profession is somewhere unrelated to the other areas of her personal
life.
2. A second suggestion for this situation would be to ensure that the
members of Philip or Angelinas bible study groups or Sunday school
classes are not also clients of Angelinas. Angelina could talk to Buddy
and inform him that she wants to be an active member of the church
while simultaneously adhering to her professional standards by not
engaging with her clients on such a personal level. If Angelina could
make sure that the people she closely interacts with at church are not,
and will not, be clients of hers then she can carry on in a professional
manner.
3. The final suggestion for this situation would be to discuss this ethical
issue with the brothers themselves. Angelina could inform the Estes of
the dilemma that she is facing and try to gauge how they feel about
the situation. Based on their reactions and their comfort level with
engaging with Angelina on such a personal level outside of their

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rehabilitation, Angelina could make an informed decision from there

about whether she will host them for Christmas dinner and how she
will handle engaging with clients outside of her profession in the future.
Recommendation
My final recommendation for this situation would be the third option. I
believe that in the immediate future Angelina should discuss the situation
with her clients and try to determine the best path to take from what they
think. On the matter of dual relationships, according to Younggren (2002) In
the spirit of minimizing risk, the therapist who chooses to enter into a dual
relationship with a client, or one who is even forced into the dual
relationship, must manage the relationship in such away that the therapeutic
component is not damaged by the secondary relationship. In this spirit, the
therapist has an obligation to discuss this factor in detail with the patient
prior to entering into the dual relationship and must also keep this topic and
related issues at the forefront of treatment to avoid any damage to the
therapeutic alliance (p. 1). In compliance with this statement, I believe that
it is in the best interest of the clients to discuss the nature of the overlapping
lifestyles in order to see how the client feels about the situation.
I believe that if Angelina can discuss the needs of her clients and lay
out suitable boundaries for both parties involved, then she will be able to
continue working at IMH, living in Zion, and attending Church at Union
Station without hurting or exploiting any of her clients It will be tricky for

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Alicia to separate her personal and professional beliefs, but if she is truly
dedicated to being an active member of her church and to being a
professional social worker, then she will be able to engage with her clients on
different levels without causing any harm. As long as Alicia puts the clients
needs first, then she will be able to continue with the overlapping lifestyle
that she currently leads.

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References

Scales, T. L. & Wolfer, T. A. 2006. Decision Cases for Generalist Social Work
Practice. Belmont, California: Thomson Learning.
Workers, N. A. (2008). NASW Code of Ethics (Guide to the Everyday
Professional Conduct of Social Workers). Washington, DC: NASW.
Youggren, J. N. 2002. Ethical Decision Making and Dual Relationships.
Articles, Research and Resources in Psychology. Retrieved from:
http://www.kspope.com/dual/younggren.php.