| Course | PS311 Ethical Practice in a Diverse World |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 460 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Psychology |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PS311 Unit 1
The Text I Was Asked Not to Forward: A PS311 Unit 1 Discussion Post on an Ethical Dilemma
PS311 · Unit 1 Discussion Board Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The writer, the coworker and the classmates are composite; the sources cited are real.
Initial Post
I started as a case manager trainee at an outpatient recovery program in Tucson four months ago. Last month a client I will call Mr. D., who is on probation and in our program as a condition of it, texted my work phone late on a Saturday: "I used Friday. Please don't tell my PO. I'll be at group Monday." I forwarded nothing that weekend, and on Monday a senior colleague told me to delete the text and "let him handle it," because reporting would likely send him back to jail and end his treatment.
What made it hard was that I could see good reasons on every side. Mr. D. trusted me, and treatment depends on that trust. His probation agreement, which he had signed, allowed the program to share attendance and drug test results with his officer, so the court was relying on us. And deleting a client's message felt wrong in itself, whatever happened next.
Every option protected one person's trust by risking someone else's.
I did not delete the text. I took it to my supervisor, who explained that the program shares only what the client's signed consent covers, that a separate federal rule shields records from programs like ours more tightly than ordinary medical files (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024), and that the right step was to encourage Mr. D. to tell his officer himself while we documented the contact. He did, on Tuesday, and he stayed in treatment.
I learned that I did not know the rules well enough to make the decision alone, and that the colleague's advice, though kind, would have broken them. Corey et al. (2019) describe the first step in any dilemma as identifying the problem and the people affected, which I skipped in my rush to protect the client.
My question for the class: when two obligations conflict at work, how do you decide which comes first, and whom do you ask?
Reply to Nadine
Nadine, your dilemma about a friend asking you, a pharmacy tech, for an early refill sounds like loyalty against legal duty too. Did your pharmacy have a policy that settled it, or did you have to decide yourself?
Reply to Curtis
Curtis, I appreciate that you named your own discomfort. Your choice to tell your manager about the coworker's timecard sounds like honesty winning over loyalty. Would you decide the same way if the coworker had been struggling financially?
References
Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Corey, C. (2019). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). Fact sheet 42 CFR part 2 final rule. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/regulatory-initiatives/fact-sheet-42-cfr-part-2-final-rule/index.html
What the PS311 Unit 1 assignment asks for
PS311's first board wants a real dilemma from your work or life, one you faced or watched unfold, and explain what made it hard. Choose a situation in which two good obligations or values conflicted, not one where the right answer was obvious. Describe it with enough detail that classmates can see the competing pulls, while protecting the privacy of anyone involved. Say what you did, or what you think should have been done, and what you would want to know now that you did not know then. A source on ethical decision-making adds depth. Close with a question about how others decide between conflicting obligations. In replies, name a value or duty the classmate may have weighed and ask what settled the conflict.
How this PS311 Unit 1 example is built
The post introduces the trainee's first months at the program and the Saturday text from a client on probation. A colleague's advice to delete it sets up the dilemma. The writer lays out reasons on every side, trust, the court's reliance and the integrity of the record, under a highlighted line that each option risked someone's trust. She describes taking the text to her supervisor, the explanation of consent and federal protection, the client's own disclosure and his continued treatment, and admits she did not know the rules well enough alone, citing Corey and colleagues. Replies ask Nadine whether pharmacy policy settled a refill request and Curtis whether hardship would change his timecard decision.
PS311 Unit 1 rubric: what earns full points
Instructors reading this opening board look for a genuine dilemma, competing obligations named clearly and honest reflection on the writer's reasoning. Posts that describe an obvious wrong, such as theft, miss the idea of a dilemma. Detail sufficient to show the conflict, without identifying anyone, earns credit for professional judgment. Admitting uncertainty or a gap in knowledge is valued in PS311 because the course builds the tools to fill it. A source on ethical reasoning, cited accurately, adds weight. Ending by asking peers how they choose between duties, not whether they agree, draws better replies. Replies earn points when they help a classmate identify the values at stake.
Common PS311 Unit 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
The most common slip describes a situation where one choice was clearly right, which does not give classmates a dilemma to discuss. Another is sharing identifying details about clients, customers or coworkers. Students often tell the story without naming the values that conflicted. Some posts present the writer's decision as obviously correct, leaving nothing to learn. Replies frequently just agree. Before posting, list the two or three obligations that pulled against each other, remove any detail that could identify a person, write one sentence on what you would want to know now, and end with a question about how others weigh competing duties. Those steps turn a story into a dilemma classmates can work on.
Get a PS311 Unit 1 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 1 prompt and the rubric. A custom post describes a dilemma, names the competing values and invites classmates' views. It arrives within 24-48h, and the first is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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PS311 Unit 1 questions, answered
What counts as an ethical dilemma for PS311?
A situation where two good values or obligations conflict, not simply a choice between right and wrong.
Can the dilemma come from a non-clinical job?
Yes; workplace, school or family dilemmas work if the conflict is clear.
How long are replies?
A few sentences naming a value the classmate may have weighed.
Where can I find a free PS311 Unit 1 sample paper?
This page holds the complete PS311 Unit 1 post about a composite trainee asked to hide a probation client's relapse text, with two replies.
What did the trainee in the PS311 Unit 1 sample do?
She kept the message, took it to her supervisor and encouraged the client to tell his probation officer himself.