CPSS Ethical Practice 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A peer support specialist posts about a 'difficult client situation' on their personal social media without using names. This practice:
- Is acceptable since no names were used
- May still violate confidentiality if contextual details could identify the person (Correct answer)
- Is encouraged as peer specialists should share challenges publicly
- Is only a violation if the person themselves sees the post
Correct answer: May still violate confidentiality if contextual details could identify the person
Even without names, contextual details can allow others to identify who is being described, which violates confidentiality.
Question 2: Regular supervision for peer support specialists is important primarily because it:
- Ensures that the agency can monitor what the specialist tells clients
- Provides a structured space for ethical reflection, boundary maintenance, and professional growth (Correct answer)
- Is required only for peer specialists who are new to recovery
- Replaces the need for peer specialists to seek their own mental health support
Correct answer: Provides a structured space for ethical reflection, boundary maintenance, and professional growth
Supervision in peer support focuses on ethical reflection, boundary reinforcement, and supporting the specialist's professional development.
Question 3: Which step should come FIRST in an ethical decision-making process when a peer specialist faces a dilemma?
- Consult the agency's legal team
- Identify and clearly define the ethical issue at hand (Correct answer)
- Ask the person being supported what they want
- Review the agency's liability policy
Correct answer: Identify and clearly define the ethical issue at hand
Ethical decision-making begins with identifying and clearly articulating the nature of the ethical problem before exploring options.
Question 4: A peer specialist 'befriends' someone they support on social media after the support relationship ends. Under CPSS ethics, this is:
- Acceptable since the professional relationship has ended
- Discouraged because former relationships can still carry a power dynamic and boundary risks (Correct answer)
- Required as part of maintaining community connection
- Only problematic if the person initiates the request
Correct answer: Discouraged because former relationships can still carry a power dynamic and boundary risks
Power dynamics and relationship boundaries do not disappear when formal services end, making social media connections with former clients ethically risky.
Question 5: The concept of 'mutuality' in peer support ethics means:
- The peer specialist and person they support share equal decision-making authority over treatment plans
- Both parties benefit from the relationship, but the focus remains on the person being supported (Correct answer)
- The peer specialist must share all personal details to match what the person discloses
- The specialist and the person must agree on all goals before moving forward
Correct answer: Both parties benefit from the relationship, but the focus remains on the person being supported
Mutuality acknowledges the shared humanity and reciprocal learning in peer support while keeping the focus on the person receiving support.
Question 6: When a peer support specialist notices signs that a colleague may be violating ethical standards, the appropriate action is to:
- Confront the colleague publicly to deter future violations
- Report directly to the state licensing board without speaking to a supervisor first
- Raise the concern with a supervisor following the agency's reporting procedure (Correct answer)
- Ignore the situation since it does not directly involve their own caseload
Correct answer: Raise the concern with a supervisor following the agency's reporting procedure
Peer specialists have a professional obligation to report observed ethical violations through proper internal channels such as supervision.
Question 7: A peer support specialist is asked to attend a legal proceeding and testify about what a person disclosed during support sessions. The peer specialist should first:
- Refuse to attend under any circumstances
- Consult with their supervisor and the agency's legal counsel before responding (Correct answer)
- Share everything disclosed since it is now a legal matter
- Ask the person being supported for verbal permission and then testify
Correct answer: Consult with their supervisor and the agency's legal counsel before responding
Before responding to any legal subpoena or request for testimony, a peer specialist must consult supervision and agency legal counsel to navigate confidentiality obligations.
CPSS Ethical Practice 5
A peer support specialist posts about a 'difficult client situation' on their personal social media without using names.
This practice: