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Unethical issues in the counseling practice
Unethical issues in the counseling practice
Unethical issues in the counseling practice
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Discuss the relevance of boundaries and ethics in the therapeutic relationship. Ethics in the counselling and psychotherapy protects the client and the therapist involved in the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process as a whole; with the concepts that act as a guide for the therapists in provision of good practice and care for the client. The framework is built on values of counselling and psychotherapy; principles of trustworthiness, autonomy, fidelity, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence and self-respect, and provides standards of good practice and care for the practitioner (BACP, 2010). Ethical framework contributes to the development of the therapeutic relationship and process by assisting therapist’s decisions, and guides their behaviour and proceedings within their legal rights and duties. The ethical frame is structured on the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship and the therapists should be aware of their categories and be responsible for their forms. Monitoring and being aware of what goes on in and out of the room physically, emotionally and psychologically is primarily the duty of the therapist. Personal space, regardless of the settings (clinical/private, etc), and how it is maintained can be one form of boundaries, and may play a very significant part in the development of the therapeutic relationship. P. D’Ardenne and A. Mahtani noted that “the choice of room, the furniture and décor, the location and distancing of seats”, etc will have an influence on the therapeutic relationship and process (1992:53). Every object in the room has imperative significances and requires careful and thoughtful attention on the therapist’s part. Pictures illustrating different scenes or people from aroun... ... middle of paper ... ...f dual relationship there was also a possibility of the client becoming dependant on the therapist which could be seen as unethical by the BACP (2010). G.P. Koocher & P. Kieth-Spiegel (1998) pointed out many conflict of dual and multiple role including personal, client/therapist, therapist/supervisor and therapist/colleague, and how they can improve and complicate the counselling process. Boundaries and competence runs along side one another, which made come to conclusion that if the therapist is considering breaking them s/he should know what they breaking and how to break them ethically. Sometimes the outcome of ethical dilemma can only be “determined by the client and counsellor at that time” which could enable the therapist to change the priorities of Ethical principles and modify his/her actions according to the client’s circumstances (T. Bond, 2000:62).
While reading the book Lying on the Couch by Irvin D. Yalom one would come to realize that there are ethical and legal issues that get in the way of numerous counseling sessions. The novel focuses on the struggles that any therapist can come across while working with their clients. Although with this storyline the boundaries and legal issues may have been taken to the extreme, it strongly depicts what could happen if one would choose to make unethical decisions. One must also have a sense of the true meaning of the counseling sessions
There is a pressing need for a high level of worker/client boundary identification when working within a client population, however realizing a conflict of interest scenario is vitally important when facing a dual relationship with a client. There are so many issues that are faced by a human service professional, explaining all of them may be difficult. In this field there are issues such as burnout, secondary trauma, compassion satisfaction, dual relationships, and boundary issues. (Reamer, F. (2012). As human services professional or social workers there is a code of ethics. In statement 6 of the code of ethics, it states human services experts must be mindful that in their associations with customers/clients power and status are unequal. Accordingly they distinguish that double or various relationships might build the danger of damage to, or abuse of, customers, and may debilitate their expert judgment. In any case, in a few neighborhoods and circumstances it may not be achievable to escape social or other nonprofessional contact with customers. Human service professional experts...
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Code of Ethics (2002) is the foundation for psychology’s professional practice and ethical responsibility. Although it is important to know the ethical standards, professionals must also apply them into practice. The current case example examines the importance of professional consultation, when faced to identify ethical dilemmas in clinical practice, make ethical decisions, and gain insight into self-awareness. This case also highlights the importance of implementing self-care in clinical practice, especially when treating patients who present with severe symptomatology.
In the mental health profession of counseling, therapy, psychology, psychiatric and social services ethical dilemmas are faced primarily on a daily basis. Being that mental health professionals are working with clients who are often fragile and vulnerable, they must develop an intense awareness of ethical issues. On the other hand, mental health professionals would never intentionally harm their clients, students or colleagues and others whom they work with. Unfortunately, good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong doings will not occur and mental health professionals have no choice but to make ethically determined decisions. Depending upon the experience and expertise of the professional determines the outcome of the ethical circumstance. For example, if you were practicing mental health professional and had a friend who’s a licensed psychologist, who is invited to attend the wedding of a patient that she has been seeing in court-ordered therapy for a year; what advice would you give your friend?
So your opinions on the topic may or may not help out the situation and also in some unfortunate cases can send the client into a ‘downward spiral’. By expressing your ethical issues on the topic to your client you may trigger unwanted emotions. These unwanted emotions can drive the client to hurt themselves or even make the client take legal actions towards the counselor. Ways to prevent this from happening is learning your own self-control and what your limits are when its comes to dealing the client. “You want to consider the best action that will protect your client’s needs, but you also want to ask yourself: What is the best action to protect the profession and myself? (Berton, J. D. (2014). Make the Rule to Break the Rule: Setting Your Ethical Standards. Counselor: The Magazine For Addiction Professionals, 15(5), 10-12
Positive ethics allows a psychologist to be aware of potential ethical dilemmas they face while striving to achieve their best in clinical practice. Positive ethics allows me to think through difficult situations that may arise and resolve ethical issues that may occur. For this reason, a clinician must be able to describe how they will apply positive ethics into their decision-making process. From my perspective, I plan to apply the five general ethical principles into my decision-making process because they share a set of core values. Principal A is Beneficence and Nonmaleficence meaning psychologist will strive to benefit those whom they take care of and do no harm. By applying this principle into my decision-making
Mandatory ethics is the level of functioning where the counselor is abiding by the basic “do’s and don’ts” of professional counseling. These are definitive codes that will protect a counselor from legal action and professional censure. All mental health professionals will be held accountable by the minimum standards set by state licensure boards and courts of law. Issues addressed by the Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA) include, but are not limited to, competence, human relations, confidentiality and fees. (American Psychological Association, 2002)
...ationship with involuntary clients necessitates the development of a ‘mindful holding environment’ in order to promote client well-being. The identification, acknowledgement, and use of the resistance that arises in a mandated therapeutic relationship to engage the client in treatment participation is essential for helping him/her work on the problems affecting their ability to realize goals, as well as, liberate themselves from oppression. Similarly Teitelbaum stated (1991), “ The best we can do as analysts is to try particular interventions that follow from different formulations, assess their impact and be flexible to shift our technique in face of the continual changing dynamics presented by the patient” (p. 128). In the same vein, meeting clients where they are ensures readiness for treatment approaches set forth and solidifies the therapeutic relationship.
...confidential information is shared without their permission, this situation can be detrimental to the client. The client may stop treatment or be passive-aggressive towards the therapist by being late of cancelling appointments with the clinician.
Ethics is the judgement and the moral actions used in interactions with cultures and society and its focus is on the client well-being. Ethics is defined by Remley and Herlihy (2010) in the counseling field as “professional behavioral and interactions” (p.4). Counselors do rely and are guide by Codes of Ethics. The role and relevance of the ethical principals, the ACA and AMHCA Code of Ethics are the base of the counseling profession. Without them this career would not have a guide on how the professionals should act and react professionally in all the different situations that are faced in this field.
The Code of Ethics were develop by Mental Health associations for professional standards that on an Individual. It’s a guideline that implicates how people operate ethically, their expectation and appropriate behavior. Counselors should be obligated in familiarize themselves with the code of ethics. The Code of Ethics provides values, morals and understanding on how to utilize ethical decisions. This guides a professional in their self-reflection and self-awareness on a daily basis. It allows you to understand how to dictate an individual belief, law and religion (ACA, 2014). It also implements your professional responsibilities, growth, development in administering and promoting healthy relationships. “The Code of Ethics is law that adheres
Strengths of the Ethical Decisions Making Model are Kitchener 's Critical Evaluation Model (1984), which involves understanding how ethical decision-making approaches play an important role in the ethical landscape of counseling. It involved the notions of loyalty, faithfulness, and honoring commitments (Kitchener, 1984). It’s best to form trust within the client/counselor relationship and implement faith in the growth of their therapeutic relationship. Kitchener (1984) proposes four goals to strength the model of increasing ethical sensitivity, improving ethical reasoning, developing ethical responsibility and tolerating ambiguity (Kitchener,
Each situation discussed in this paper provides opportunities for a counselor to explore how a dual relationship would impact the therapeutic relationship with clients and the overall well being of clients. Each ethical dilemma should be handled individually and with the support of a counselor’s supervisor while also taking into account laws or guidelines set forth by employers as decisions are made. As a new counselor I look forward to this decision making process and the personal growth I will experience and the clients I will benefit as a result of my ethical actions.
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
It is necessary to point out that not all dual relationships can be avoided. They live in a small town, and it is possible that this psychologist was the most qualified to help treat job related stress. The psychologist should have then consulted the appropriate APA guideline which states “multiple relationships that would not reasonably be expected to cause impairment or risk exploitation or harm are not unethical” (APA, 2010). Given this ethical guidelin...