¶ … human service professional in the helping process has many dimensions. One of the most important of these, according to Murphy and Dillon (2012) is the ethical aspect, because "ethical codes stress the primacy of the service obligation to the client, confidentiality, integrity, and follow-through." The needs of the client should be the primary concern of the human service professional, which is why years of training and practice are required before they are truly qualified and fully prepared to take on the responsibility of helping other individuals who are in crisis. Adherence to strong ethical codes is of crucial importance in this profession. Having a clear and specific set of ethical guidelines is essential because human service professionals are human beings with their own personal values. They have sets of beliefs which may be deeply engrained, including prejudices formed from their cultural, social, and educational backgrounds. These are sometimes so deeply rooted that they are expressed unconsciously, and they may show up unexpectedly in relationships with clients who may trigger a memory or experience that is long forgotten. Human service professionals are also subject to using stereotypes in their assessments of individuals; this is a natural tendency and one that workers must be aware of in their interactions with others if they are to offer quality therapeutic care to their clients, without bias or prejudice.

There are a number of issues which may affect the human service professional in her attempts to deliver therapeutic services to clients. For example, there is the work environment of the agency in which the worker is employed. In additional, the political and economic environment of our

This, in turn, may limit the worker's ability to provide a sufficient amount of necessary services, or in some cases to provide essential services at all. According to Murphy and Dillon (2012), "with the privatization of mental health services and the increase in managed care, clinicians may find their clinical decisions increasingly affected by their own or their agency's financial concerns and pressures." Thus there are a number of variables that must factor into a worker's decision about treatment modalities. The ability to balance these variables with the integrity to be certain that the worker is putting the client's needs first can be a difficult terrain to navigate.
Case Study

Potential barriers I might have while working with Todd and Reggie would have to do with some of their behavioral patterns, such as using alcohol and drugs. Because both of them have issues with substance abuse, and because substance abuse has a strong impact on their individual lives and on their relationship with one another, I would have a strong tendency to come down hard on them about learning to live without these substances. While this is certainly a valid viewpoint, I am aware of my own issues with people who use alcohol and drugs, and I feel very strongly about these substances and the damage they inflict on those who use them and all those who come into contact with them. Because I am aware that I have this issue, I would have to be particularly careful not to impose my own values upon my clients. After all, it is their best interests that I am charged with upholding, not my own.

I do not feel that the criminal histories each of them has would be a problem for…