An Introduction to Professional Issues in Counselling - Case Study Example

An Introduction to Professional Issues in Counselling When an individual embarks into the career of counselling they are taught to adhere to a of ethics. This is a document that gives the counsellor a foundation to use when certain situations happen in the counselling setting. For many counsellors the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Code of Ethics is the ethical framework that they work within. This code applies to mental health practitioners, some trainers and psychotherapists. The code of ethics will create an ethical framework so that both counsellors and clients are protected from situations that will automatically appear in when one is a care giver and the other is being "healed". According to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) ther are several situations in which a counsellor must act responsibly. These situations are covered by ethical standards. Ethics are defined as the "values, principles, and personal moral qualities" (BACP, p. 6). These qualities reside in each individual but having a code of ethics will give everyone a common foundation to work from. Many situations that appear in a counselling setting may push the ethics of an individual but with a common foundation they will understand what to do in each situation. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES There are several ethical principles that are important to consider when dealing with clients. Following are some of the major ones that stem form the BACP: Fidelity This ethical principle speaks to a counsellors need to be trustworthy. They must allow trust to happen between them and the client without breaking this trust. The counsellor strictly adheres to a policy of confidentiality to help foster this trust. Autonomy The counselling session is autonomous in itself and the counsellor understand the client has the right to engage or not engage in the counselling process. Hopefully the client wants to engage in their own healing because it happens faster when the client is engaged. Counsellors who respect their clients will make sure they have proper consent before they seek out information from third parties or before the give information out about the client. They will also make sure that if there are conflicts of interest that they are revealed to the client immediately and an appropriate referral will be made. When a counsellor understands the clients autonomy they do not manipulate a client for personal or professional gain. Beneficence It is critical to the counsellor to understand the important of "doing no harm." A counsellor helps the client receive a professional assessment and once this happens the counsellor must work within their scope of practice; in other words they must only practice those counselling techniques that they have been trained to do. The counsellor must also be able to find supervision when needed even though there is no obligation to do so. Non-malfeasance The counsellor is obligated to "do no harm" and this is an area where this principle is most evident. The counsellor who understands this concept also understand that they must not exploit a client on any level. This means they will not exploit them financially, sexually, emotionally or in any other situation that may cause them harm. This also says that counsellors must not work with clients if they are intoxicated, ill or when they are having their own emotional challenges. Counsellors also have an obligation to "challenge where appropriate the incompetence or malpractice of others" (BACP, 2002, p. 5). Justice All clients should be treated well by the counsellor and their dignity and a respect of their rights must be present. They must understand the law as it applies to their counselling practice so they will understand how their ethics apply to the law. They must also strive to give the best service to clients possible. Self-respect A counsellor respects themselves by adhering to all the above ethical standards but also by taking good care of their own personal needs. On this section it is important for the counsellor to take advantage of professional development where and when necessary. It is a good idea to continually upgrade skills so that the counsellor is able to add to their techniques. They should also have a more experienced counsellor available for supervision so that they can ask questions when they get into a tight situation. Also, they should have adequate insurance (liability) to help in any financial liabilities that may come about in the course of their practice. Personal Moral Qualities There are many qualities that each counsellor should have but there are many who may not have these qualities. A counsellor becomes a better counsellor if these qualities are present. A counsellor must have empathy for another persons feelings and be able to communicate an understanding to the client that they understand. Someone who is sincere has a personal commitment to following through with whatever they say they will do for the client. Integrity brings a commitment for the counsellor to be straightforward, honest and be moral in how they deal with their clients and colleagues. Another way that a counsellor takes care of themselves is to be resilient so they understand how to help their clients without becoming personally diminished. Counsellors must be respectful to their clients, must possess competence and they must understand their own strengths and limitations; they should also be willing to say when they need to refer a client to someone else. A strong counsellor is fair, has sound judgement and has the courage to act in spite of a situation that may bring them fear, risk or uncertainty. In order to understand the full impact of ethics supervision is essential to the beginning and continuing practice of a counsellor or other mental health practitioner. SUPERVISION The purpose of supervision is to give the counsellor someone to talk to about specific issues that come up in the counselling setting. According to the BACP counsellors must have 1 ½ hours of supervision every month once they are qualified to practice. This is a formal arrangement between a beginning counsellor and a more experienced once. Supervisors help less experienced counsellors learn to be more effective. This is an opportunity for beginning counsellors to bring an concerns that might come up in their specific sessions. Supervisors also help counsellors maintain high standards of counselling and skills that they need as they progress. Counselling makes many demands on counsellors and the process can become overwhelming. This can mean that the counsellor may miss something important in the healing process. The supervisor can provide an objective look at a client and this will help the counsellor make a positive move forward. Since counsellors are to understand how theories work in practice, a supervisor is there to help them assimilate this information. Many issues will come up in counselling that counsellors may not expect. To set the framework for this discussion it is important to realize that when one person is in the position of power and the other person is not, there are certain situations that can occur. One issue that is prominent is the idea of dual relationships. This situation is described by Nigro (2003) as a situation in which a counsellor and a client have a relationship outside the therapy hour (p. 191). In other words, a therapist should not provide personal counselling services to their friends, family members, business associates or their clinical supervisee. This falls under the ethical code of non-malfeasance in the BACP. According to Nigro this issue is the "second most frequently reported ethical dilemma" (p. 191) in the counselling setting. When this happens it can be damaging to the therapeutic relationship and it can also create problems in the relationship outside the counselling session. Boundaries are another counselling situation that comes up and when a counsellor does not set clear boundaries the client may have challenges working within a specific framework; this happens in both individual and group counselling. As an example, a BACP hearing was held against a counsellor. Anne Gomez, was accused of several violations of ethics. It was said that she used derogatory language in her group counselling session, she inappropriately criticized her staff and there were many other allegations. When it was taken before the BACP board it was found that she had violated most of the areas in the complaint but they all went back to the fact that she never set clear boundaries. She was ordered to stop counselling for two years, find a supervisor, get training in group dynamics and submit a written letter from her supervisor that said she was safe to practice again (Gomez, 2004, p. 3). This example can show the damage that a counsellor can do when they are practicing outside their scope of practice and what happens when they do not create clear boundaries. If she had adhered to getting the supervision she needed she may have been helped in this situation instead of being cited. Counsellors can also get into trouble when they do not adhere to the laws that govern their states or regions. There may be a situation in which they find themselves having to understand the needs of the client versus the needs of people who may need to be warned about a behaviour. As an example, if a counsellor has a client who says they are going to kill someone or hurt them, the counsellors responsibility may be to call law enforcement and/or warn the individuals. They must always have the clients best interest at heart but they must also know what to do in this situation (BACP, p. 8). These dilemmas can appear and it can be difficult for a counsellor to know what to do. Bond (2000) created a six step process of ethical problem solving that can act as a process the counsellor can move through. As an example, here is an example of what may happen if someones aunt asked to be counselled: 1. Your aunt comes to you about her son who needs counselling. She brings him to you because she feels you know him and because she wants a discount. She gets angry because you say you cannot do this and you want to make a referral for him instead. 2. The problem belongs to your aunt, but you can help her by giving referrals. 3. The ethical guidelines clearly state that this would be a dual relationship. 4. The course of actions to consider would be making a referral doing the counselling for your aunt or taking the situation to supervision. 5. The best possible course of action would be to give referrals to your aunt and talk about the situation in supervision. 6. Your aunt may be angry that you did not counsel with her son. Again, you can take this to supervision. Robson, Cook et al (2000) also showed other ethical dilemmas that may come up. As an example, they talked about the research situation where a client may be asked to be part of a research study. They suggest that when a person goes into the study beyond giving consent, they must be told about the responsibilities, risks and obligations before the research begins. DEVELOPMENT OF A RANGE OF SKILLS All counsellors must develop a range of skills that they can pull forward when necessary. The more information they have the better they will be able to deal with specific situations. A client centred model of supervision states that the client is the most important aspect of the counselling situation. In this model, a counsellor will develop listening skills through mutually contracting with the client for what will happen in the session. They will also have an empathetic understanding of the client because they will have done their own training that will enable them to give information to the client, help them with resources and goal setting; the counsellor will also be able to do these things for themselves. They will practice genuineness with their clients through intra- and interpersonal issues. Finally they will analyze their casework by brining problems, situations and concerns to supervision and understand how to use their strengths, talents and skills to respect the client and themselves (Dexter and Russell, 1990, p. 14). Coyle (2008) used this model with their counselling practice in schools and found it to be a very effective way of giving structure for their counselling sessions. The counselling profession is not to be taken lightly as it is an intricate profession that is based on ethical principles. When a counsellor engages in this process, they must understand that they will also need to have skills and training to advance their opportunities. Understanding their skills, abilities and strengths will help them create a more fulfilling practice. References Bond, T. (2000). Code of ethics and practice. In Feltham, C. (Ed). Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy. London: Sage. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Ethical Framework. Retrieved May 21, 2009 from http://www.bacp.co.uk/admin/structure/files/pdf/566_ethical %20framework%20revised%202009.pdf. Coyle, B. (2008). The use of person centred counselling in guidance and counselling practice in schools. NCGE. Retrieved May 24, 2009 from http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=the+use+of+person+centered+counselin g+and+Coyle&btnG=Search&cts=1243307046421. Dexter and Russell (1990). A Client centred model of supervision. Gomez, A. (2004). BACP professional conduct hearing findings, decision and sanction. Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal. 15(9) 61-62. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from Academic Search Premier EBSCOhost. (AN: 15229559). Nigro, T. (2003). Dual relationship activities: Principal component analysis of counsellors attitudes. Ethics and Behaviour, 13(2). 191-201. Retrieved May 23, 2009 from MEDLINE EBSCOhost database (PMID: 14552314). Robson, M. Cook, P., Hunt, K., Alred, G. and Tobson, D. (2000). Towards ethical decision-making in counselling research. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling. 28(4). 533-543. Retrieved May 24, 2009 from MEDLINE EBSCOhost (AN: 3977013). Read More