RUNNING HEAD: DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES
Guided Imagery: Unintended consequences and responsibilities
Joshua Cagney
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
ETHICAL VIOLATIONS STEMMING FROM PURE MOTIVES 2
Abstract
Professor Weaver used a classroom exercise which has a proven record of efficacy and
power in a clinical setting for the sake of an educational experience. When taken in that context,
Dr. Weaver’s motives are unquestionably wholesome and her goals are seemingly true in the
academic environment. The ethical failure might have begun at the point at which she lost track
of the fact that her students are human beings prone to the same issues and clinical diagnoses as
the clients with whom they are likely to work.
Substance abuse is an incredibly pervasive issue in the modern American home, and even
though we cannot assume that Meredith’s issues were directly related to substance abuse, we can
clearly deduce that imagery is a tool which brought her to some troubling issues related to her
childhood.
As applied to the decision-making which went into whether or not to use imagery as an
exercise, one can hope that it might at least raise some cautionary flags related to just how this
exercise ought to be introduced and applied to the class as a whole.
ETHICAL VIOLATIONS STEMMING FROM PURE MOTIVES 3
The Ethical decision-making model applied
It is worth noting that a potential pitfall exists which makes the first step of the model so
important: we need to be very clear on what the issue is that we are trying to work through. The
decision, in this case, is whether or not to use this sort of guided imagery demonstration as an
exercise in the classroom setting. If used, what sorts of ethical obligations are present so that the
exercise is safe, productive, achieves the intended results, and does no harm?
The result shown below is what I would envision this process looking like if Dr. Weaver
approached it ahead of time, as opposed to retroactively looking at the situation, as we are
allowed to do in the case study.
DECISION-
MAKING STEP
RATIONALE BEHIND THE
STEP
CONTEXT OF THE STEP IN ACTION
The challenge here exists in
The central issue is that Dr. Weaver wants to be able to
demonstrate to her class the use of a proven technique
