CPSS Ethics & Cultural Competency 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A peer support specialist learns that a colleague is sharing a mutual peer's private health information with other staff. What is the most appropriate first step?
- Ignore it since it involves a colleague, not the peer
- Address the concern with the colleague directly or report it to a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Tell the affected peer what the colleague has been saying
- Document the behavior and wait to see if it continues
Correct answer: Address the concern with the colleague directly or report it to a supervisor
Peer specialists have an ethical obligation to address confidentiality violations, either by speaking with the colleague or escalating to a supervisor.
Question 2: Cultural humility in peer support is best described as:
- Mastering the cultural norms of every group you serve
- Maintaining a lifelong commitment to self-reflection and learning about culture (Correct answer)
- Treating everyone identically regardless of their background
- Avoiding discussions about race or ethnicity to prevent offense
Correct answer: Maintaining a lifelong commitment to self-reflection and learning about culture
Cultural humility emphasizes ongoing self-reflection and learning rather than claiming mastery of any culture.
Question 3: A peer specialist working in a rural North Carolina community should recognize which barrier to culturally competent care?
- Rural peers tend to have fewer mental health needs
- Geographic isolation can limit access to culturally specific resources and providers (Correct answer)
- Rural communities are more culturally homogenous and easier to serve
- Transportation is never an issue if telehealth is available
Correct answer: Geographic isolation can limit access to culturally specific resources and providers
Geographic isolation in rural areas limits access to culturally tailored services and specialized providers.
Question 4: When a peer's personal values conflict with a peer specialist's own values, the specialist should:
- Encourage the peer to adopt the specialist's values
- Set aside personal bias and support the peer's self-determination (Correct answer)
- Refer the peer to someone who shares their values
- Avoid discussing the topic to prevent conflict
Correct answer: Set aside personal bias and support the peer's self-determination
Peer support ethics require specialists to respect self-determination and not impose personal values on peers.
Question 5: A peer specialist who suspects a peer may harm themselves is ethically required to:
- Maintain complete confidentiality because the peer has not requested help
- Break confidentiality and take steps to ensure the peer's safety (Correct answer)
- Wait until the peer explicitly states a plan before acting
- Only act if the peer's family contacts the specialist
Correct answer: Break confidentiality and take steps to ensure the peer's safety
Imminent risk of harm is a recognized ethical and legal exception to confidentiality that requires protective action.
Question 6: Which of the following best illustrates appropriate professional boundaries in peer support?
- Sharing your personal phone number for 24/7 availability
- Connecting with a peer on social media to stay updated on their progress
- Keeping personal disclosures purposeful and focused on the peer's recovery (Correct answer)
- Meeting a peer outside of work to build a stronger relationship
Correct answer: Keeping personal disclosures purposeful and focused on the peer's recovery
Appropriate self-disclosure in peer support is intentional, limited, and always in service of the peer's recovery.
Question 7: A peer specialist notices that agency materials are only available in English, but many clients speak Spanish. The ethical course of action is to:
- Ask peers to bring their own interpreters
- Advocate for multilingual materials and language access services (Correct answer)
- Use online translation tools to communicate without telling supervisors
- Only serve English-speaking peers until resources improve
Correct answer: Advocate for multilingual materials and language access services
Cultural competency includes advocating for equitable access and language services for all peers served.
CPSS Ethics & Cultural Competency 2
A peer support specialist learns that a colleague is sharing a mutual peer's private health information with other staff.
What is the most appropriate first step?