PSS Ethical and Professional Responsibilities 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A peer support specialist learns that a colleague is romantically involved with one of their current service recipients. What is the most appropriate action?
- Ignore it since it does not affect your own caseload
- Report the situation to a supervisor immediately (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague directly and ask them to stop
- Ask the service recipient if they are comfortable with the relationship
Correct answer: Report the situation to a supervisor immediately
Dual relationships between peers and service recipients are unethical and must be reported to a supervisor to protect the recipient.
Question 2: Which of the following best defines the principle of self-determination in peer support?
- The peer specialist decides the best recovery plan for the individual
- The individual has the right to make their own choices about their recovery (Correct answer)
- The agency sets recovery goals based on evidence-based practices
- Peers support decisions only when approved by a clinician
Correct answer: The individual has the right to make their own choices about their recovery
Self-determination means honoring the individual's right to direct their own recovery, even when the peer might disagree.
Question 3: A peer specialist is asked by a supervisor to document a service that was not actually provided. The peer should:
- Comply to avoid conflict with the supervisor
- Document it but note their objection privately
- Refuse and report the request through appropriate channels (Correct answer)
- Ask a coworker to sign the document instead
Correct answer: Refuse and report the request through appropriate channels
Falsifying documentation is fraud; the peer specialist must refuse and use whistleblower or grievance channels.
Question 4: When a peer support specialist shares their own recovery story, the primary purpose should be to:
- Build personal rapport and friendship with the service recipient
- Inspire hope and model that recovery is possible (Correct answer)
- Demonstrate their qualifications and lived experience credentials
- Fill time during sessions when topics are scarce
Correct answer: Inspire hope and model that recovery is possible
Intentional self-disclosure is a tool to instill hope, not to center the peer's own narrative or build friendships.
Question 5: A service recipient discloses they have been stealing food because they cannot afford groceries. The peer specialist should first:
- Report the theft to local law enforcement
- Document it as a mandatory report
- Connect the individual to food assistance resources (Correct answer)
- Terminate services due to illegal behavior
Correct answer: Connect the individual to food assistance resources
Peer specialists address underlying needs; food insecurity driving the behavior calls for resource connection, not punitive action.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of maintaining appropriate professional boundaries?
- Lending money to a service recipient who is struggling financially
- Accepting a small gift card as thanks for exceptional support
- Declining to attend a service recipient's birthday party (Correct answer)
- Friending a service recipient on social media to stay connected
Correct answer: Declining to attend a service recipient's birthday party
Attending personal social events blurs professional boundaries; declining respectfully protects the therapeutic relationship.
Question 7: Informed consent in peer support services means the individual:
- Has signed all required agency paperwork before their first session
- Understands the nature of services and agrees voluntarily to participate (Correct answer)
- Has been assessed and approved for services by a licensed clinician
- Receives a copy of their rights only upon request
Correct answer: Understands the nature of services and agrees voluntarily to participate
Informed consent requires that individuals understand what services entail and choose to participate without coercion.
PSS Ethical and Professional Responsibilities 2
A peer support specialist learns that a colleague is romantically involved with one of their current service recipients.
What is the most appropriate action?