Confused. So Sad, So Angry.
Background: We have been licensed for over a year. Had two placements. Our licensing worker is fully aware that I'm a Counselor in private practice working with foster kids. With that said, I am a child / adolescent therapist, 1/2 if not more, of my caseload are foster kids. I specialize in Play Therapy, I specialize in Attachment, I specialize in the major mental health diagnosis that other counselors won't touch with a 10 foot pole. So, I have a niche that is hard to find in our area...especially one that accepts medicaid. I get phone calls from caseworkers, foster parents, biological parents all-the-time at the office stating "we want the counselor who's a foster parent..." Why? Because I understand the kids, I understand the foster parents fears, I understand the birth parents issues and I know how important it is to get reports to judges and caseworkers.
I love what I do. Best job...ever. Really, I love it. A caseworker called my office 4 weeks ago, says she has some birth parents she would like me to work with, to help them get reunited with their son who's in care. I said sure! She said a caveat is that I have to be "contracted" with their overall agency. No problem, I filled out their information and was approved immediately. First session is supposed to be Wednesday.
I get a follow up email end of last week...stating that I can't be contracted with the agency since MY foster agency is affiliated with them. WHAT? "affiliated" I then got a call at the office TODAY from "someone" who claims to be over all the agencies upset with me, stating that I cannot be a foster parent and counsel foster kids and i needed to choose what was more important. It boiled down to a "conflict of interest" When I tried to ask what kind of conflict of interest she wouldn't specify.
I mentioned to the woman that was telling me this information that I had been seeing clients from her agency for over a year now, and wondering why someone is just now saying something. She didn't have an answer to that. Why was it that all of those kids were okay, but the new set of 4 clients referred to me in the past month are not okay? And why all a sudden is my foster care license being dragged into this?!
I have consulted with my ethics department (aka national ethics) and with several of my peers. I went over both the foster parent license and the agency contract information. No where does it say that I can't do both. It's not unethical as long as I don't counsel a birth parent of a child in my home or other situations that I'm fully aware of and have turned down clients in the past for. No one can give me clarity.
Now...we have to decide...Do I keep my private practice, (MY LIVELIHOOD!) or do I keep my foster care license. This is an awful place to be in. 
Re: Confused. So Sad, So Angry.
You shouldn't be put in that postion.
That's a ridiculous claim - if anything, your career makes you a better foster parent.
I hope you can ge some clarity soon and they retract this.
I'm sorry.
Before you make any choices, I would ask for them to put it in writing so you can be sure that you understand everything. Ask an attorney to look it over.
I can see where there would be a conflict if you were seeing clients from the agency in which you fostered, but not other agencies. I'm a therapist and I can see where the line could get blurry, but I also know that the foster care licensing people don't always know what they are doing either (I used to be a foster care worker before hetting my Masters degree).
I'm a lurker. I wanted to comment. I'm a psychology major. I wanted to comment on how cool your niche in the clinical field is. What a shame that they're putting up such a stink about your foster care license! I can't see how that can be a conflict of interest. I understand how, vaguely speaking, someone could say such a thing, but as you said, you're not treating anyone who is directly affiliated with you or your personal foster care interests. I'm sadly uninformed when it comes to the ins and outs of the ethics review boards. Is there any way that you could have the ethics department put into writing that they don't think it's a conflict of interest and then presenting that to the complainant? It's really sounding like it's a personal 'beef' that someone has with you - perhaps they're angry with the way you counseled them, so they tried to find a loophole to drag you into. It seems to me that the ethics review board's decision would supersede all complaints.
ETA: Another suggestion would to possibly talk to a coworker or some sort of mentor (an old professor, perhaps) for suggestions. There must be a way you can keep both.
Married since 06/19/2004|Anna born 11/19/2006|Charles born 11/1/11
Double undergrad graduation May 2011| Me: Psychology, DH: Communication| A long journey!
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That's ridiculous!
Both of our home directors we've had have also been caseworkers with CPS AND been a foster parent at the same time! Wouldn't that be about the same or worse?
Karma1969 - I just e-mailed the woman, to have it sent to me in writing. Thank you for the suggestion! I too, can see where the line could get blurry if I was seeing a birth parent of a child in my home or if I was working with a caseworker I was already working with... But, I'm ethical. Beyond that, I have to be, its the law!
forensicmama - Thank you! I love my nich! It's a truely amazing field. You mentioned: " It's really sounding like it's a personal 'beef' that someone has with you - perhaps they're angry with the way you counseled them, so they tried to find a loophole to drag you into."
And after thinking about that, we recently had a *really* bad experience with our last caseworker. She was so aweful...she ended up being taken off the case. I'm wondering if she has anything to do with this... I wonder, that has me thinking...
Come-on-baby - Exactly what you said...that happens at our agency, most of the caseworkers are foster parents themselves?!?!! I'd think that was "alot" worse???
I think this is probably a good idea. Asking them to put it in writing forces them to clarify their position and hopefully gets everyone on the same page. (And once you have it in writing, then you could ask why they think your situation is a conflict, but CWs being foster parents isn't...)
I'm sorry.
oh no! i feel so horrible that you are being dragged through this
It is ABSOLUTELY rediculous!!
Both our kids' caseworker and our attatchment therapist are themselves foster parents!
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