Ethical Issues a Counselor May Face During Family Therapy - Essay Example

This is particularly possible when a therapist subscribes to different and distant cultures from the treated family. For instance, a Christian therapist attending to an Islamic family may unknowingly breach norms and cultural beliefs of the clients. This may relate to the fact that Christians have fewer restrictions on human conduct while Islam advocates strict adherence to many restrictions. Another ethical issue that family therapists may face while working with families may involve accepting gifts from the family.

A gift in this context is a payor treasure given to a therapist besides or on top of the agreed treatment fees. Even though therapists understand the illegality of accepting gifts, some families may insist on offering that may present as shows of appreciation for great work and assistance of a therapist in overcoming a problem. Breaking confidentiality about patients’ information and details of discussion with family members is another potential ethical issue that family therapists may face.

Legally, family therapists have to share with family details of issues that led to seeking therapeutic services as disclosed by the member who first contacted the individual counselor (Nichols, 2013). However, there are no clear limits to the extent that a family therapist should go or a clear description of situations that a counselor should consider disclosing initial briefings. Counselors intending to refer clients may also face challenges as to the nature of the information to withhold from a potential referral destination.

Review of the AAMFT Code of EthicsAmerican Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is an institution that provides family therapy services. As an institution, AAMFT has a range of code of ethics that subscribing and subscribed members have to follow to ensure effective service delivery and maintenance of the reputation of the institution. The codes of ethics of AAMFT are sufficiently categorical as they touch on every aspect of practice that compromises or improves service delivery during family therapy.

The codes reiterate the need for confidentiality and provide frameworks and extents within which to maintain confidentiality. Additionally, the codes urge the need for counselors to behave and always maintain high professionalism during service delivery. Furthermore, the codes outline needs for therapists to respect clients and clarify specific ways of handling families to ensure show of high respect. While understanding the implications of improper relationships between clients and counselors, the codes reiterate and guide in the formation of a proper and prosperous relationship between therapists and their clients, families, supervisors, and colleagues.

Suggestions on Dealing with PrinciplesPrinciple I majorly concentrate on ways that therapists can establish proper relationships with clients in a manner that cannot affect the effectiveness of treatment. Section 1.5 that touches on sexual intimacy with clients and others and defining two years as the proper time for the establishment of intimacy is worth amending to reduce to one year or below. Effecting the amendment should accompany the strengthening of the section that requires therapists to prove that their intimacy with clients or close others cannot affect the quality of services or compromise professional standards (AAMFT, 2012).

Principle II seems to reiterate and focus on the maintenance and protection of confidentiality of information concerning clients’ conditions as well as that of each family member. In that line, a counselor only requires to conform to frameworks of confidentiality as appropriate for a particular situation. Principle III focuses on the integrity and competence of individual family therapists. Dealing with this principle requires that an individual therapist undergoes through all the levels of training necessary for stipulating appropriateness to serve.

A therapist can also attend conferences and meetings of professional therapists to update with current trends and standards and maintain proper records including verifiable certificates (AAMFT, 2012).In Principle IV, Section 4.7 is the only part that seems slightly incompatible with others in the principle. Section 4.7 may merge under the principle of confidentiality and be implemented as part of Principle II.Principle V focuses on the relationship between a therapist and individuals participating in research.

Section 5.4 ought not to be part of the Principle, but part of Principle II that deals with confidentiality. Doing this can help in easy remembrance of the requirement for confidentiality and support effective work. Principle VI concerns with protection and safeguarding of the profession of family therapy. Most parts of the principle have a clear relationship and easier to enforce effective implementation. Section 6.4 ought to have declared implications or repercussions that a plagiarizing therapist has to face for committing the offense.

Principle VII concerns with financial services and issues that transpire between therapists, clients, and other parties involved in therapy. In that regard, section 7.5 that concerns bartering ought to be part of Principle III. Principle VIII attributes to criteria for advertising services offered by an individual family therapist. Section 8.8 that touches on the need for a therapist to outline their specialization in advertisement ought to merge under section 8.5 that reiterates the need for a therapist to disclose their educational credentials and qualifications (AAMFT, 2012).

This can help reduce wording in the code of ethics of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAFMT).