Psychology, law, and ethics

Psychology Law and Ethics

In presenting my analysis of the legal and ethical issues involved with Beverly's and Ron's situation, I've tried to push aside many of my own personal feelings that would bias me in my considerations. For starters, I've tried to consider that a woman can just as easily abuse a man despite my beliefs about traditional gender roles and that males are usually the aggressors in domestic abuse. I also believe there may be a class and educational bias on my part because of the way that Beverly has communicated her response to Ron's allegations. Here, she appears to be mentally unstable, but I've tried to consider that she may either lack the education and social skills to relay her feelings in a more meaningful way, may herself be the victim of abuse who is too traumatized to relay a calmer response, or that she may have a serious physical disease. I've also had difficulty giving Beverly fair consideration because I believe that adult children will intervene in a situation where their mother is a victim of abuse. Here, I've try to consider that children may not always know the truth about their parent's situation and that even if they did they make take the view that it's none of their business.

Under Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse Reporting Laws, there may be a legal requirement to report abuse. And, to further complicate matters, there may well be abuse issues related to both Ron and Beverly. Ron's complaints that Beverly has become abusive and angry are the more obvious candidate for an abuse issue. But, Ron's treatment of Beverly's health is also suspect. He has six pages documenting Beverly's behavior, implying that he was fully aware of her health issues for months, but neglected to seek physical or mental health treatment for her. Instead, he's seeking treatment because he's had it, not for apparent concerns about what's wrong with his wife. Reporting Laws now cover physical abuse and also non-physical abuse issues such as neglect. Finally, more exploratory work is needed to find out exactly what is making Beverly sad and angry to rule out the possibility that Ruth herself is a victim of physical abuse. Ron's statement that "their children don't understand why he stays with her," shows signs of degradation of his wife and it also lacks credibility. How many children do you know that recommend that their father abandon their mother? Ron's credibility issue is reinforced with Beverly's pronouncement that this is a lie. Also, Ron's statement that "he's had it" shows signs of lack of patience and a possible short fuse.

The therapist in this situation must take care to represent Ron and Beverly within the context of the family, rather that serving the interests of one or the other. This may be challenging because Ron is the one that has sought counseling and he initially appears to be the more lucid of the two. And, it's simply not clear what type of therapy to treat the couple is required. There could be physical and mental health issues related to either spouse; this does not at first glance appear t be a type of situation where marriage counseling would necessarily be the most beneficial to either party. If this is the case, it's the responsibility of the therapist to advise them of appropriate alternative treatment (s).