STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Kim Strom-Gottfried, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Ethics is a complex and high-stakes area of professional practice. Too often, though, when practitioners think of ethics, they think of high-minded philosophical discussion far removed from the challenges of their daily lives. Straight Talk about Professional Ethics offers a different take on ethics, one intended to make ethics accessible to experienced practitioners as well as students. Professor Strom-Gottfried examines the ethical standards governing social service practice as they might be applied in a variety of situations.

Provides

• Practical guidance and sound resources
• Framework for examining ethical dilemmas
• In-depth look at the various areas of ethics
• A discussion of what it means to be ethical
• Authentic cases and conclusions in each chapter

Part I The Groundwork for Ethical Practice
Chapter 1:	On Ethics and Ethical Behavior
	Elements of Ethics
	Ethical Development
	Professional Ethics
	Acting on Ethics
	The Issue of Risk
	How This Text Will (and Won’t) Help You with Ethics
Chapter 2:	Ethical Decision Making
	Ethical Decision-Making Models
	The Decisions That Result
	Putting It All Together
	Conclusion
Part II Applying Standards for Ethical Practice
Chapter 3:	Self-Determination
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Self-Determination: Hostile in Hospice
	Conclusion
Chapter 4:	Informed Consent
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Informed Consent: Advertising for Adoptions
	Conclusion
Chapter 5:	Conflicts of Interest
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Conflicts of Interest: The Case of the Angry Parent
	Conclusion
Chapter 6:	Professional Boundaries
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Boundary Maintenance: The Sleepless Sleepover
	Conclusion
Chapter 7:	Confidentiality
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Confidentiality: Suicide and Secrets
	Conclusion
Chapter 8:	Competence
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Competence: The Case of the Shirking Violet
	Conclusion
Chapter 9:	Professionalism
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Professionalism: A Rock and a Hard Place
	Conclusion
Chapter 10:	Nondiscrimination and Cultural Competence
	Upholding the Standard
	Violating the Standard
	Resolving Dilemmas in Discrimination and Cultural Competence: The Telltale Office
	Conclusion
Chapter 11:	Sustaining Ethical Habits
	Impediments and Avenues to Ethical Habits
	The Integrated Self

About the Author

Kim Strom-Gottfried (PhD, Case Western Reserve University;MSW, Adelphi University) is the Smith P. Theimann Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Professional Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Professor Strom-Gottfried teaches in the areas of direct practice, communities and organizations, and human resource management. Her practice experience in the nonprofit and public sectors focuses on suicide prevention, intervention, and bereavement. Professor Strom-Gottfried’s scholarly interests involve ethics, moral courage, and social work education, and she is active in training, consultation, and research on ethics and social work practice. She has written numerous articles, monographs, and chapters on the ethics of practice.

2007, Paper, 256 Pages, ISBN 978-1933478-03-6, Price $36.95