Question

question 9 (2.5 points) retake question
james and mary attended counseling for marital problems. the counselor decided to meet each partner in an individual session before meeting them as a couple. james confided that he was hiv positive and was not going to tell his spouse because she would know that he had been unfaithful. the counselor decided to break confidentiality after their attempts to encourage james to inform his wife of his condition were unsuccessful. the counselor’s action ______.

was unethical but legal
was legal and ethical
was ethical and meets the american counseling association standard regarding contagious diseases, which states that practitioners must report when a client is hiv positive
may be considered ethical, but the practitioner could be in violation of a legal

Explanation:

In counseling ethics and law, when a client has a contagious disease (HIV) and their spouse is at risk, counselors have a duty to protect the spouse. The counselor tried to get James to disclose, then broke confidentiality to protect Mary. This aligns with ethical standards (protecting others from harm) and legal requirements in such cases. The option "was legal and ethical" is correct as the counselor acted to prevent harm, following ethical (duty to warn/protect) and legal norms. Other options are incorrect: it's not unethical, the ACA standard isn't to "must report" HIV status broadly but to protect those at risk, and it's not a legal violation here.

Answer:

B. was legal and ethical