Global Grief Network logoGGN Advanced Applied Grief Practice
Global Grief Network Education Center
Module 3 of 6

Ethical Decision Making

About 1 hour

If you or someone you know may be in danger right nowCall 988Text 988Immediate danger: call 911

988 is the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States. It is free, confidential, and open 24/7 by call, text, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Veterans: dial 988 then press 1. Outside the US, use your local emergency number or crisis line. This program is education, not crisis care. If you are struggling as you read, please pause and reach out now.

Lessons in this module
  1. Common ethical tensions
  2. A GGN decision process
  3. Confidentiality and limits

Objectives

By the end of this module you will be able to:

Lesson

Common ethical tensions

Practitioners may face tensions between confidentiality and safety, a person's wishes and family wishes, cultural practices and organizational rules, or wanting to help and staying within scope.

A GGN decision process

When facing an ethical question, pause and ask: What is happening, and who is affected? What values are involved? What are my options? What are the likely effects of each? What is within my role? Who should I consult? Then act, and document as your organization requires.

Confidentiality and limits

Confidentiality builds trust, but it has limits. When someone is at risk of serious harm, safety comes first. Explain these limits at the start of support so no one is surprised.

GGN reminder: When the path is unclear, slow down, return to values, and consult.
GGN practicePractice the process (about 15 minutes)

Choose an ethical tension from this module. Walk through each question in the GGN decision process and write your answers. If this brings up pain, pause and reach out to someone you trust, or call or text 988.

Fictional composite caseFictional Composite Case 3.1: The secret

This case is a fictional composite written by the Global Grief Network for learning. It does not describe any real person.

A teenager in a grief group, Riley, tells the facilitator, Sam, that she has been thinking about suicide but begs Sam not to tell anyone.

Questions to consider:

  1. What should Sam do?
  2. How could Sam have prepared earlier?

Discussion: Safety comes before confidentiality. Sam should stay with Riley, thank her for sharing, explain that he cares and needs to involve others to keep her safe, connect with 988 or 911 if there is immediate danger, and follow his organization's procedures for involving guardians and professionals. Explaining confidentiality limits at the start would have prepared Riley.

Reflection Prompts

  1. Which ethical tensions do you face most often?
  2. How do you explain confidentiality limits?
  3. Who do you consult?

Module 3 Quiz

Choose one answer per question, then check your answers. You need 4 of 5 correct to pass, and every critical item must be correct. You can retake it any time.