Two hats is a term for an individual who has dual roles. Employees of SUD agencies often talk about two-hat problems to denote the staffer who is in a recovery fellowship with clients.

Don is a person recovering from SUD who works at Reality Lodge, a large long-term treatment program largely staffed by graduates of this therapeutic community. He attends NA to maintain and strengthen his own recovery from addiction. At one meeting, a young woman named Cheryl makes a comment after the main speaking, in which she shares the difficulty she is having in staying drug free. Cheryl happens to be a court-mandated client at the outpatient department of Reality Lodge, and Don knows that she has not shared these minor recurrences with the staff.

As an NA member, Don would never carry that information outside the meeting, but as a counselor, he would notify his agency and then the court. Which hat decides what he does?

Discuss:

1. What if Don calls the client on this and urges her to come clean herself? What is Cheryl tells him to mind his own business and warns Don not to break the confidentiality of NA?

2. Should Don tell the agency staff what he heard at the NA meeting regarding this client's lack of sobriety? In weighing the anonymity of NA and the confidentially of Don's agency, which carries more weight? What information can he share legally?

3. What federal or state regulations are relevant to Don's decision?

4. Can you create a guideline for this type of situation to state clearly the agency's obligations? Shouldn't the agency tell counselors to leave a meeting where a client is present?

5. What, if anything, should Don say to Cheryl?

6. If Don remains silent, what are the implications for his interaction and relationships with his own supervisor and Cheryl's counselor?