A social worker discovers that her female client is HIV infected and is also secually active. She does not inform her partners of her illness. The client maintains that she always uses safe sex techniques and would never knowingly put anyone at risk. The social worker is concerned that despite the client's precautions, she should notify her partners so that they can take appropriate protective measures. Which statement best describes the social worker's options?

Question

A. The social worker should contact the Department of Public Health and ask them to meet with the client.
B. The social worker can and should do nothing.
C. The social worker's best option is to discuss the matter fully with the client and explore the meaning of her behavior and the risks she is taking.
D. The social worker should demand that the client stop behaving in a way that puts others at risk.

Answer 1

C. The social worker's best option is to discuss the matter fully with the client and explore the meaning of her behavior and the risks she is taking.

There are no good answers in a situation like this. A referral to the Department of Public Health may breach confidentiality and it will certainly alienate the client. Demanding that the client change is not productive and violates the notions of self-determination. The client's failure to acknowledge her HIV status to partners may well reflect on a lack of resolution in dealing with her illness. If she maintains safe sex practices, then there is little evidence she is endangering others. This is an emerging area of concern and policies are likely to shift in time.