Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Ethics is about power and trust
Peer supporters hold influence, so ethical practice protects the people we serve. Core principles: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, fidelity, justice, and veracity.
Scope and confidentiality
Stay in scope: no diagnosis, clinical assessment, treatment planning, or medical or legal advice - consult, supervise, and refer. Confidentiality is not absolute. Know HIPAA, the federal substance use confidentiality rule (42 CFR Part 2), and your state's exceptions: written consent, imminent danger, mandated reporting of child or elder abuse, court orders, and duty-to-warn laws.
Boundaries
Avoid romantic or sexual relationships with current peers, business dealings, large gifts, borrowing money, and social media connections that blur the role. Small communities make dual relationships unavoidable; manage them with transparency, consultation, and documentation.
Traps
The 'absolute confidentiality' myth; accepting expensive gifts; 'just this once' boundary exceptions; gossiping; telling a peer's story without consent; and sliding into friendship. Also watch for practicing outside your credential.
Ethical decision-making
Name the issue, consult the code and your supervisor, consider everyone affected, choose the least intrusive option, document, and review later.
Rule of thumb
If you would hesitate to document it or tell your supervisor, do not do it.