Week 1 Topic 1
Assessment Description
What is the difference between ethics and morals? Give an example of each that applies to the
behavioral health field. Discuss the differences and applications using information from the book,
other sources, and your own thoughts to create a thoughtful, well-reasoned answer.
When discussing how ethics and morals are different, I always try to remember that morals are
my own virtues that I hold, and ethics are used in a more professional setting. Ethics are
guidelines on how we may approach a situation or circumstance, they affect large groups,
organizations, and/or communities. Morals affect the individual rather than the group. An
example of this could be a doctor who is a person of color that is performing surgery on a white
supremacist. They may not agree or like what the patient is involved in, but it is their ethical
obligation to perform the procedure.
Ethics and morals are important while working in any patient care, especially in a behavioral
health setting. I say this because in this setting we will encounter a diverse group of people.
Individuals with a history of mental, physical, or sexual trauma. We may encounter individuals
who are the perpetrators of such events. Understanding that our ethics and morals may not
always be aligned with one another and not allowing it to cause some turmoil within ourselves
could be a battle. Which I am sure is why we are learning about it.
Week 1 Topic 2
Assessment Description
How might ethical principles vary when applied to different behavioral health careers such as AI
technology, telehealth communication, research, clinical practice, and educational settings? Give
three examples to support your claims, taking into consideration the purpose, usefulness, and
limits of confidentiality and informed consent.
No matter which side of the behavioral health setting you are on, ethical principles exist to
protect the person receiving services. Being a person in one of these roles, we are in a position
of power. The ethical principles exist to not harm the individual we are providing the service for.
Regardless of whether you are an educator, provider, or researcher, ethical practices are
pertinent to the safety of our clients.
In research, the focus is on gathering data and delivering results. Integrity happens when we are
honest with our work. Imagine being a part of a research study and the data being corrupted
because you knew that this "tiny" change could work out in your favor. That personal gain
causes harm to the people that could have benefitted from the real research that was done. Being
dishonest with the subjects creates problems and causes harm to them as well. Corrupting the
data to be in favor of A vs B can destroy all the work done by everyone involved.
