Prior to beginning work on this discussion, be sure to read the required articles for this week. You are a consulting psychologist for a local clinic and have been asked to follow up on a consultation you completed four years ago. There are current developments in this case that require further consideration. Please review the PSY699 Week Five discussion case file or detailed information on the current case under review. In your initial post, explain how the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct can be used to guide decisions in this ethically complex situation. Provide a suggested course of action for the clinic staff. Given the daughter’s age and the situation presented, integrate concepts developed from different psychological content domains to support your suggested course of action. Be certain to use evidence-based psychological concepts and theories to support your arguments. You may wish to consider the following questions as you construct your post. Should the staff encourage the daughter to inform her mother that she is sexually active? Would knowledge regarding her daughter’s sexual activity influence the mother’s stance regarding disclosure? Should the staff break confidentiality and inform the mother that her daughter is sexually active? Should the staff encourage the mother to inform the daughter of both her and her daughter’s HIV status? Does the daughter’s boyfriend have any rights in this situation? If so, what are they? Based on the daughter’s age, does the mother have a right to not disclose the diagnosis to her daughter? Does the mother have a right to the privacy regarding her own diagnosis, which could be threatened if her daughter learns of her own status? Are there other approaches the staff can take? If so, what are they? Is further information required in order for you to create an ethically sound suggested course of action? Case Summary Client: Victoria, 16-year-old HIV positive Latina Consultation and suggested course of action regarding disclosure of Victoria’s HIV positive status was received 4 years ago. Clinic decision was to honor mother’s request that HIV status not be disclosed to her daughter Victoria, who was then 12 years old. Current issue: Victoria is now 16 years old and has a boyfriend. Victoria has explained to her physician at the clinic that she and her boyfriend are sexually active and do not always use condoms. Victoria is unaware that she is HIV positive because of her mother’s insistence on non- disclosure. The physician has not broken Victoria’s confidentiality about sexual activity, but has expressed to her mother, Tina, that it is time for Victoria to know her diagnosis. This is based on Victoria’s age, the statistics that many girls are sexually active at this age, and that Victoria could endanger her partner(s). Tina continues to object to disclosure. She states Victoria’s regular church attendance and her belief that Victoria will remain abstinent until marriage as ...

1. Prior to beginning work on this discussion, be sure to read the
required articles for this week.
You are a consulting psychologist for a local clinic and have
been asked to follow up on a consultation you completed four
years ago. There are current developments in this case that
require further consideration. Please review the
PSY699 Week Five discussion case file
or detailed information on the current case under review.
In your initial post, explain how the APA Ethical Principles and
Code of Conduct can be used to guide decisions in this ethically
complex situation. Provide a suggested course of action for the
clinic staff. Given the daughter’s age and the situation
presented, integrate concepts developed from different
psychological content domains to support your suggested course
of action. Be certain to use evidence-based psychological
concepts and theories to support your arguments. You may wish
to consider the following questions as you construct your post.
Should the staff encourage the daughter to inform her mother
that she is sexually active?
Would knowledge regarding her daughter’s sexual activity
influence the mother’s stance regarding disclosure?
Should the staff break confidentiality and inform the mother
that her daughter is sexually active?
Should the staff encourage the mother to inform the daughter of
both her and her daughter’s HIV status?
Does the daughter’s boyfriend have any rights in this situation?
If so, what are they?

2. Based on the daughter’s age, does the mother have a right to not
disclose the diagnosis to her daughter?
Does the mother have a right to the privacy regarding her own
diagnosis, which could be threatened if her daughter learns of
her own status?
Are there other approaches the staff can take? If so, what are
they?
Is further information required in order for you to create an
ethically sound suggested course of action?
Case Summary
Client: Victoria, 16-year-old HIV positive Latina
Consultation and suggested course of action regarding
disclosure of Victoria’s HIV positive status was received 4
years ago. Clinic decision was to honor mother’s request that
HIV status not be disclosed to her daughter Victoria, who was
then 12 years old.
Current issue: Victoria is now 16 years old and has a boyfriend.
Victoria has explained to her physician at the clinic that she and
her boyfriend are sexually active and do not always use
condoms. Victoria is unaware that she is HIV positive because
of her mother’s insistence on non- disclosure. The physician has
not broken Victoria’s confidentiality about sexual activity, but
has expressed to her mother, Tina, that it is time for Victoria to
know her diagnosis. This is based on Victoria’s age, the
statistics that many girls are sexually active at this age, and that
Victoria could endanger her partner(s). Tina continues to object
to disclosure. She states Victoria’s regular church attendance

3. and her belief that Victoria will remain abstinent until marriage
as evidence for non-disclosure.
The staff is again wrestling with whether or not they should
inform Victoria that she is HIV positive. In doing so, they
would enable her to make informed decisions about exposing
her boyfriend to the sexual transmission of HIV. However, her
legal guardian (her mother Tina) does not wish for this
information to be disclosed to Victoria, who may still be
considered a minor. The clinic staff is concerned as this
situation presents several ethical dilemmas and requires further
consultation.
Previous Case Summary (from 4 years ago)
Client 1: Tina, a 36-year-old HIV-positive Latina woman
Client 2: Tina’s daughter, 12-year-old Victoria (also HIV
positive)
Tina became infected through a former boyfriend who had a
history of intravenous drug use. Tina gave birth to an HIV-
positive daughter, Victoria. Tina does not want Victoria to
know that either of them has HIV.
Victoria is now 12 years old and has been told by her mother
that she takes medications for “a problem in her blood.”
Recently, Victoria stated that she does not like taking the
medication and occasionally misses doses. The clinic staff has
raised the issue of whether Victoria should be told about her
diagnosis. They’ve warned Tina that in the near future, Victoria
will be at an age at which girls often become more interested in
boys or sexual behavior. The clinic’s therapist feels that if
Victoria knew her diagnosis she might be more adherent to her
regimen of medications. However, Tina absolutely does not
want her daughter to know. Tina believes Victoria is still too

4. young and will be emotionally devastated. Tina believes that it
is her responsibility — and only her responsibility as a mother
— to “protect” her child, and that her daughter is “not ready” to
know. Tina also believes that Victoria is “a good girl” and will
not be sexually active until she is married.
The clinic’s therapist thinks Tina’s guilt about having
transmitted the virus to her daughter is causing her to take this
stance. Still, the clinic staff is concerned and wants Tina to
reconsider. This situation presents several ethical dilemmas and
requires further consultation.