CWP Ethical Standards and Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A wellness practitioner notices a client is developing an emotional dependency on their sessions. What is the most ethical response?
- Encourage more frequent sessions to support the client
- Address the dependency directly with the client and discuss appropriate boundaries (Correct answer)
- Refer the client immediately to a mental health professional without explanation
- Ignore the situation unless the client brings it up
Correct answer: Address the dependency directly with the client and discuss appropriate boundaries
Ethically addressing transference or dependency directly with the client maintains professional boundaries while respecting the client's autonomy.
Question 2: Under HIPAA, which of the following is a permissible disclosure of protected health information without client authorization?
- Sharing records with the client's employer upon request
- Disclosing information to a life insurance company for underwriting
- Reporting a communicable disease to public health authorities as required by law (Correct answer)
- Providing records to the client's family members for their convenience
Correct answer: Reporting a communicable disease to public health authorities as required by law
HIPAA permits disclosure to public health authorities when required by law to prevent or control disease.
Question 3: A CWP is asked by a colleague to co-sign documentation for a wellness session the colleague conducted but the CWP did not attend. The CWP should:
- Sign the document as a professional courtesy
- Decline, as signing would misrepresent facts and violate ethical standards (Correct answer)
- Sign only if the colleague is a trusted friend
- Review the colleague's notes and then sign
Correct answer: Decline, as signing would misrepresent facts and violate ethical standards
Co-signing documentation for services not personally provided constitutes fraud and violates professional ethical standards.
Question 4: Which principle requires a wellness practitioner to avoid actions that cause harm to clients?
- Beneficence
- Justice
- Nonmaleficence (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Nonmaleficence
Nonmaleficence is the ethical obligation to avoid causing harm, complementing beneficence which focuses on doing good.
Question 5: A wellness practitioner working in a corporate setting receives pressure from management to report details of employee wellness sessions. The practitioner should:
- Comply with management requests since they are the employer
- Report aggregate, de-identified data only while protecting individual confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Disclose session details to avoid conflict with the employer
- Immediately resign from the position
Correct answer: Report aggregate, de-identified data only while protecting individual confidentiality
Wellness practitioners must protect individual client confidentiality even in corporate settings, sharing only aggregate non-identifiable data.
Question 6: When a CWP suspects a client may be experiencing domestic violence, the most appropriate first step is to:
- Contact law enforcement immediately without informing the client
- Create a safe environment to ask directly and provide resources (Correct answer)
- Avoid the topic to prevent client discomfort
- Document suspicions without taking any action
Correct answer: Create a safe environment to ask directly and provide resources
Creating a safe space to inquire and offering resources respects client autonomy while addressing a potential safety concern.
Question 7: A wellness practitioner who practices outside their scope of competence is violating which ethical principle?
- Justice
- Fidelity
- Beneficence
- Competence (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Competence
Practicing within one's scope of competence is a fundamental ethical obligation to protect client welfare.
CWP Ethical Standards and Practice 2
A wellness practitioner notices a client is developing an emotional dependency on their sessions.
What is the most ethical response?