Question

You are a counselor working at a publicly funded alcohol and drug treatment program. Your client, Doug, attends one of your counseling groups. Although he has a previous conviction and is on probation for possession of an illegal substance, he entered treatment as a voluntary client. Doug's probation officer recently learned from another probationer that Doug is in treatment, and the doug probation offieder has sent you a letter requesting that you provide a progress report and an assessment of Doug's likelihood of relapse. The probation officer will use this information, if favorable, to petition the court for Doug's early release from probation or can be used against doug at his early release petion is Doug probaiton officer allowed to ask for dougs records without doug perission? Why or why not? is this ethical and can the you the couselor give the records up to the probation officer?

Discuss your options for responding to the probation officer's request and describe what you would do. Cite relevant legal issues, including federal confidentiality and privacy regulations in your discussion. Identify the specific circumstances under which you would provide the information requested by the probation officer. How would you handle this differently if Doug were involuntarily attending the group?

Answer 1

Answer:-

Consuming an illegal substance is a crime subject to punishment by law,now a days there are many cases of young generations consuming the illegal substance which has serious illeffects on them.Doug was on probation for possession of an illegal substance and came for counseling and to be a part of alcohol & drug treatment program to recover from addiction.As a counsellor the efforts were made to support and protect every client,highly trained addiction recovery specialists were there having clinical professionalism.A supportive enviroment is provided for long term healing and positive hopes of progress.

In an rehabilation program the client is educated about the drugs he was taking and the harmful affects it has on mind and body.client will understand that it is serious and its life-threatening condition.The treament start with detox ,Inpatient treatment,life skills and planning is done and Relapse prevention provide certain skills which will help in minimizing the risk of relapse.

As the treatment was given and Doug was progressing as well so progress report was given to Doug's probation officer was that he was progressing through the treatment and we have came to know about the substance he was having , from where doug was getting and its serious affects on him as there were many rehabilation programs so it was showing the possibilities of recovery and Relapse prevention skillswere told which will minimise the risk of relapse.

According to federal confidentiality and privacy regulations we would not give any information about doug's drug treatment to third party even to general public.As it was categorised under a" controllable substance" which can one of the legal issue if not categorised so doug's consumption of substance was very much controllable and his probation officer will use this favourable information, to petition the court for Doug's early release from probation so we would provide him the information for doug's support as he has voluntarily attending the group.

If Doug were involuntarily attending the group then he might not be given that support and petition would not filed in favour of him to release him from probation.