Global LGBT Rights. U.S. Department of State, sociology homework help
Global LGBT Rights. U.S. Department of State, sociology homework help
Please separate each discussion response…at least 150 words each. Please do not just say “I agree” go into depth.
POST 1:
A possible scenario for a social worker involving their ethical and moral values can involve working with a client who is anti LGBT, while the counselor fully supports their interests. The counselor may find the client’s way of thinking backwards, repulsive and savage. In this situation, where the worker holds strong personal beliefs and values regarding supporting the LGBT community and individuals, it may cause the to worker to experience serious conflict between their personal values and beliefs and the professional ethics and values espoused in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
When one enters the profession of social work, there are many values to learn and uphold (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2012). One is that personal opinions, beliefs and values are put aside for professional ones. This means for anything a worker believes is wrong or inferior, such as having a client who opposes the rights of LGBT persons, workers must lay these aside, or leave them at the door so to speak, in order to treat the person with whom they are working with dignity and respect. This can be one of the hardest parts of being a social worker. Our own values and ethics are set and uare a very important part of ourselves. Social work does not ask us to change or deny those values, but rather encourages us to be aware of them so that they do not interfere with treating our clients.
Social workers should be aware of their own personal values and be careful not to impose those values on their clients and be prepared to work with diverse populations and should seek professional development if they do not feel competent to work with certain clients (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2012). Counseling clients who hold beliefs that are different from ours, no matter how repugnant we may find them, requires patience, understanding and a genuine concern for the well-being of all people. Most likely we will encounter a situation in which we work with someone whose views and opinions are contrary to our personal ones. However, if we are to be effective in our practices in serving all people, we must make an attempt to assist all clients in resolving their issues — in spite of our differences and without compromising professional ethics. Workers will confront a diversity of situations, each with its own questions, demands, and responsibilities. Every worker is unique and so is every client. Ethics and values that are out need to be in touch with realities of clinical work and with the diversity and changing nature of the therapeutic process.
Zastrow, C & Kirst-Ashman, K. (2012). Brooks/Cole Empowerment Series: Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Cengage Textbook. Kindle Edition.
POST 2:
A scenario that may arise conflict in a social worker’s personal, ethical, and moral values in relation to working with the LGBTQ community is a religious social worker. Believing in God is an important part of a lot of people’s lives. There are specific pillars in which we, as believers, are to follow such as a commitment to family and a love and non-judgment for all of mankind. In the Bible, God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah due to engagement in homosexual activities. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah would make one believe that God is intolerant of homosexuals thus giving believers the platform to follow suit.
A social worker’s personal, ethical, and moral values can lead to them trying to fix the client. Sexual orientation change efforts, also known as SOCE, is an approach that includes therapeutic interventions that attempt to change a client’s sexual orientation. “SOCE includes any form of reparative therapy, conversion therapy, and/or transformational ministries that use interventions claiming to “repair” or “convert” a person in order to reduce or eliminate a person’s sexual desire for a member of his or her own gender. The use of SOCE can include use of psychotherapy, medical approaches, aversion therapy, religious and spiritual approaches, as well as the use of sexual violence (referred to as ‘corrective rape). There are no studies of adequate scientific rigor to conclude whether or not SOCE or conversion therapy can modify or change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression” (NASW, 2015).
As professionals, our professional ethics and values are to help individuals who are oppressed reach their full potential. In doing so we must understand that it’s our responsibility to treat the LGBTQ community the same as we would the heterosexual community. We must understand that members of the LGBTQ community are coming for the same reason that their heterosexual counterparts are seeking help and we should treat them as such.
References:
Clinton, H. R. (2011). United Nations Address on Global LGBT Rights. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved from http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttra…
National Association of Social Workers’ National Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues. (2015). Sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) and conversion therapy with lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender persons [Position Statement]. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/diversity/new/docume…
