1. UNIT ONE: ELEMENTS OF ETHICAL PRACTICE
The counselling relationship is by definition a relationship which approaches increasing levels of intimacy and vulnerability as counsellor and client work together to discover and create healthier ways of living and relating. As a counsellor, it is important to be aware of the role and responsibility we have in relationship to the client, insuring that our involvement is facilitative and helpful, not limiting or harmful. As the one who is being sought out because of some perceived knowledge and/or experience, we are placed in a position of greater power in the relationship. In contrast, the individual seeking our assistance experiences the relationship in terms of vulnerability and some lack of knowledge or perceived deficiency in their life. How we respond to this imbalance of power will determine in large part our ability to be an instrument of God’s grace and the growth of the individual seeking our assistance.
Most professional associations have adopted codes of ethics (www.aapc.org/ethics, www.aamft.org/about/ethics) which are designed to guide counsellors and therapists in their decision making process around issues of power(As you begin this unit you might find it helpful to read through one of the codes linked here).
Let me give you an example of the power, which like it or not, we as counsellors acquire in the course of people helping. Mary and John have sought your help to work through the growing distance they have been experiencing in their marriage relationship. One of the first issues related to power is that you as the counsellor are now privileged to information about them that others may not be aware of. In fact, Mary and John may be seen as a couple who have it all together and whose marriage has been upheld in their community as a model to be followed. Knowing that you are now aware of their struggles places you in a position of power over them. What you do with that information will have a profound impact on them and your ability to assist them. Sharing a prayer request on behalf of Mary and John and their marriage struggles would be a clear betrayal of the power and trust they have placed in you. Sharing the fact that you are seeing them with your spouse may also be an issue of trust which can have significant implications for your helpfulness to them.
Let me take this example one step further. In the process of counselling, you decide to have one or two separate sessions with them individually. During your session with Mary, she reveals
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to you that she has just recently ended a relationship with another man in the congregation where her and John attend. Discussing this further, you discover the relationship was with John’s best friend, Marc. Mary had been attracted to Marc for sometime and one day following lunch together they returned to Mary and John’s home. One thing led to another and they ended up becoming sexually involved. Scarred and ashamed, Mary cut the relationship off the next day. John has no knowledge of the affair. As a counsellor, how do you respond? To what extent does confidentiality apply in this example? Do you inform John and in so doing betray Mary’s trust? Do you require Mary to disclose the affair to John? Do you terminate the counselling stating that you can not be helpful given the secrecy which exists between them? What is the potential for sexually transmitted diseases which Mary may now be infecting John with? Being a member of the same congregation, do you approach Marc? What of Marc’s wife? As a counsellor these are some of the thorny questions you need to ask yourself. Having this knowledge places you in very awkward position as well as a position of incredible power, literally able to affect the direction of at least two families and perhaps a whole congregation.
A you work through this unit you will be invited to reflect on issues such as these as means of insuring the helpfulness of the therapeutic relationship as well as protecting your own integrity as a people helper.
OBJECTIVES
understand the influence counsellors have within the therapeutic relationship,
become aware of some personal issues which find expression through that influence,
become familiar with the ethical issues of competence, confidentiality, dual role, and informed consent,
begin to formulate a personal approach which reflects a commitment to ethical posture in relationship to the client and a commitment to the client’s well-being.
Assignment Part One
TEXT - “Becoming a Helper.” Read it comprehensively.
3. PSY 441 Contemporary Counselling Issues Unit One
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Think through the "Focus Questions" at the beginning of each chapter and the "What Will You Do Now?" questions at the end of each chapter. E-mail a one page response to each of the selected questions on the dates indication. Evidence of having read the chapter and interaction with the content is anticipated.
1. page 2 #3
2. page 85 #2
3. page 85 #3
4. page 154 #2
Interlude
Read the article by Alan Jenkins entitled, “Therapy for Abuse or Therapy as Abuse.” During a mutually arranged time, engage in a discussion group led by the course facilitator on the issues raised in this article. Potential areas for discussion might include:
What are your thoughts on the paradigm of power and politics as it relates to the therapeutic setting? Be thinking about Jenkin’s construct of the “inner tyrant.” How might you describe your own “inner tyrant”? How will reading this article change your view of the counselling relationship? How will that change be “lived out” in the way you interact with potential clients?
Understand that the discussion will be guided by the thoughts and questions of those participating.
Assignment Part Two
Unit 1 Elements of Ethical Practice cont. . .
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5. page 112 #2
6. page 114 #6
7. page 114 #7
Interlude
Read the article by Karl Thomm entitled, “The Ethics of Dual Relationships.” During a mutually arranged time, engage in a discussion group led by the course facilitator on the issues raised in this article. Potential areas for discussion might include:
How do you understand the difference between exploitation and duality? Is this a helpful distinction? How does Thomm’s thinking differ from that presented by Corey and Corey? Are there other ways of addressing the concern around exploitation?
Understand that the discussion will be guided by the thoughts and questions of those participating.
Assignment Part Three
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9. page 286 #1
10. page 345 #1 (Electronic poster)
