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           Katie is a 23-year-old recent graduate of Ashford University. She has recently been hired on as a behavioral aid at an outpatient center.  Katie was lucky to get this job because most of the people working there have a master’s degree. Thus far, Katie is enjoying her job, and the people she works with. However, a little while ago Katie found herself facing an ethical dilemma when her bosses’ s daughter Darlene, came to work.  Darlene was 14 years old, therefore, Katie didn’t think much about it when she was on her phone the whole time.  However, at one point Darlene began crying, and Katie asked what was going on.  Darlene was reluctant at first but then began to explain that she wanted to break up with her boyfriend, but he wasn’t letting her. As Katie wrapped her arms around Darlene to console her, Darlene winced in pain.  Katie instantly knew there was more to this story and asked Darlene if her boyfriend had hit her.  Darlene reveled that he had, but only once. Katie explained that this was not okay, even if it was only one time, and told Darlene she needed to tell someone.  Darlene begged Katie not to tell her dad, or anyone else, and if she did tell, Darlene would deny it, and attempt to get Katie fired.

            Katie didn’t know what to do, thus she tried to put herself in her bosses shoes, and felt that if she were a parent, she would want to know what was happening with her child.  Even though Katie knew she should tell someone, she really didn’t want to lose her job, because it was a huge opportunity that might never come her way again.  Katie was aware that if she was going to tell she had to do it soon, while there was still physical evidence of the abuse, otherwise no one would believe her.

           Objectively Katie had two options; the first option is to not tell, the second is to tell her boss about the abuse.

If Katie were to choose option one, she ran the risk of letting Darlene continue to be abused, and potentially losing her life.  However, there was also a chance that Darlene was telling the truth, and this was a one and only time occurrence, and all abuse would stop hereafter.  Consequently, if the abuse didn’t stop, and someone else eventually found out that Katie had known, and not come forward, she would be worrying about a lot more that losing her job.

            If Katie chose option two, she ran the risk of her boss not believing her, and Katie losing a once in a lifetime opportunity. On the other hand, Katie’s boss could already be concerned about Darlene’s boyfriend, and thus, would be more inclined to believe her.  The other benefit of telling, would be that Katie wouldn’t have to worry about Darlene's safety, and Darlene’s boyfriend (being a minor), could be provided paramount help for anger management.

            One of the educational outcomes Katie now possess is the ability to demonstrate breadth of psychological knowledge, and defend ethics and social justice, through the analysis of information. Katie understood that the risk of losing her job, or not being believed, was a chance she had to take if she wanted to demonstrate good ethical behavior.  Furthermore, Katie understood that she had a moral obligation, to advocate for those, who could not it do for themselves. Katie also considered objective information from reputable sources and remembered reading survey information from the CDC that said, 23% of females who had recently reported being raped or victim to intimate partner violence, had their first encounter of dating violence between eleven and seventeen years of age ("Teen Dating Violence," 2016).  Lastly, Katie understood that adolescence is a critical time period, in which adolescent create identities and world views out of the emotional experiences they have encountered.  Moreover, by not telling, Katie was creating a social injustice to all victims of intimate personal violence, and to the professionals who have tried so hard to prevent this behavior. Therefore, after considerable refelection Katie took the intiaetive and reveled the information about Darlene to her boss.

               Brian recently noticed that his 16-year-old sister Alexa was visiting the bathroom frequently after meals, and spending three or more hours a day at the gym. He was beginning to suspect that Alexa was struggling with bulimia nervosa.  However, no one else in Brain’s family seemed to be concerned about Alexa’s recent behavior change, thus he was unsure if he was being paranoid.

               From this point Brian had a two options, both of which came with potential consequences. The first option was to do nothing, and let Alexa figure it out on her own.  However, if Alexa is really battling an eating disorder serious mental and psychical health issues will manifest, and Brain will forever feel guilty that he did nothing to help prevent this behavior.  The second option was to empathically confront Alexa about his concerns, with hopes that she will be receptive. However, Brain knew from his education that bulimia nervosa is a disease that carrys a lot of shame, and thus, Alexia might be resistant to the conversation.  Furthermore, addressing this issue might alienate his relationship with his sister and incline her to internalize her feelings even more, becoming more secretive about her behavior.

              Evaluating the pros and cons of each potential outcome, Brain knew he had to talk to his sister.  However, Brian knew it had to be approached in sensitive way, and Brian’s education taught him that if he doesn’t know the answer to something, he must put in the work to figure it out.  Therefore, Brain began researching appropriate ways to confront someone with bulimia nervosa, and generated a list of resources he could give use in the conversation.   To maximize effectiveness of his communication, brain followed seven recommended professional steps; focuses on the feelings of concern, not on food behaviors; express a concern for their health but don’t invade their privacy; avoid comments about body shape; avoid expressing fat prejudices, such as “you’re not fat”; avoid making demands about their eating behavior; avoid “you” statements for they will make the individual feel ashamed or guilty; don’t provide a list of simple solutions (Smith, Robison, & Segal, 2016).  Brain’s commitment to lifelong learning, and efficient communication skills led to a successful conversation with Alexa, where she admitted that she was struggling, but was willing to get help.   

 

 

 

Case Study One - A Review on Katie

Case Study Two - A Review on Brain

In the midst of trying to complete a degree at Ashford University, a student’s ability to see the positive effects of acquired knowledge can be unclear, because the mind is focused exclusively on completing assignments in a timely fashion.  However, during the stress that is associated with learning and completing assignments, knowledge and skills are being cultivated that foster critical competencies in one’s personal and professional life. While many see college as just a means to an end, there is plenty of evidence that suggests personal and professional problems can be handled successfully by meeting the requirements in Ashford University’s institutional outcomes. 

 

 

 

 

References

Case study - Google Search [Photograph found in Case Studies at DSP Clinical Research]. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2016, from https://www.google.com/searchq=case+study&biw=1366&bih=651&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSmOLNrtzMAhUFNj4KHQqPD8kQ_AUIBigB

 

Smith, M., Robison, L., & Segal, J. (2016, April). Helping Someone with an Eating Disorder.Retrieved May 14, 2016, from     http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/bulimia-nervosa.htm

 

Section Seven: Online Undergraduate Programs. (2013). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from http://www.ashford.edu/catalog-online-undergraduate-programs.htm#catalog11900

 

Teen Dating Violence. (2016, April 19). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from             http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teen_dating_violence.ht ml

Case Studies

 

Ashford university list nine institutional outcomes for Psychology undergraduates

1.)Demonstrate breadth of psychological knowledge

2.)Analyze information and data with scientific thinking

3.) Defend ethics, social justice, and diversity

4.)Illustrate professional communication skills

5.)Apply professional skills to career planning and success

 

In the two examples provided below, we can see that  the skills and abilities developed through education played a significant role in Katie's proffessional life, and Brain’s personal life.

 May 16, 2016  Miller Kavanagh 496 Final Project 

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