The Rules and Regulations Based on Ethical Values - Article Example

ETHICAL VALUES Professional ethics refers to the rules and regulations, based on ethical values, prescribed to define the patterns of professional behavior. This behavior supports to describe and illustrate rights and obligations of individuals to some specific sort of work. “Ethics is”, according to Thomson Gale, “the branch of philosophy that defines what is good for the individual and for society and establishes the nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves and one another”. Modern world has changed the very scenario of society in almost all fields of life. In past days, the experts used professional skills and techniques, and used to stick to the methodology only while offering their services to the clients. With the passage of time, ethical values got their way in different fields and professions including counseling. Counseling is described as the treatment of mental retardation as well as behavioral disorder by applying verbal or nonverbal communication. Counseling is an alternative method of treatment opposite to suggesting drug consumption to the clients. The services of professional medical specialists and psychiatrists are acquired to rehabilitate the individuals suffering from any problem of such kind including mental disturbances, drug or alcoholic addiction, perversion, deviation and others. Though statute of law determines the responsibilities and relationship of counselors and the clients, yet there exist ethical values to exercise while treating the customers. The social norms and ethical values are the identification of the individuals of a society. Ethical laws are based on the obligations with regard to be good or bad in the eyes of Almighty God. “Values are”, Nugent (1990:262) states, “standards or ethical guidelines that influence an individual or group’s behavior, attitudes and decisions.” Values play dominant part in counseling and observation of these values supports both therapist and the patient in respect of therapy. The relationship between the counselor and patient is one of the most important things in the treatment as well as rehabilitation process. Bell and Montoya (1997) compare it to the relationship between child and his parents. (Quoted in Doweiko, 2006:365). The theorists maintain different views in respect of applying ethical values. Doweiko (2006) strongly believes in implementation of moral values in a therapeutic counseling and lays stress on applying ethics during the counseling. Adams (1974) also describes counseling named after social and religious belief i.e. Christian counseling, authoritative counseling etc. On the other hand, Mann (1972:9) refutes the idea of imposing any particular set of values upon a patient. Mann opines that inclusion of any ethical values either religious or social or moral ones causes biased ness in the counseling. He argues that counseling should be absolutely based be professionalism, and prejudice of any type should be observed to promote the very spirit of counseling. “The price of toleration”, George argues, “of serious deviance from a society’s constitutive morality is the loss of a distinctive form of interpersonal integration in community understood as something worthwhile for its own sake.” (1993: 65). The main obligation of a psychotherapist includes supporting the client suffering from pathological retardation to the way to complete cure. “The business of the psycho- therapist or counselor”, Fromm-Reichmann (1950) observes, “has been to assist in the amelioration of a persons pathological conflicts so as to enable him freely to come to terms with himself, and to assume for himself a relatively unidirectional plan of life—whatever that selected plan might be).” There must be developed an atmosphere where the patient feels no hesitation in revealing the causes of his ailment and sickness. Diagnosis at the right direction is half the way to cure, the counselor asserted the very fact. It is therefore, a clinical supervisor should be given free hand to exercise his own methodology. But one thing must be kept in mind that there must not be anything that could disgust or humiliate the client. The case history requires friendly atmosphere where the client can reveal all regarding his mental disturbance. “Khalid” Shabih maintains (2005:31) “used the best way while handling the case of therapeutic treatment of a passive gay. She at first encouraged both homosexuality and getting passive male in the activity. Though, it was not a sound method i.e. inspiring an immoral performance, yet as soon as she came to know the root-cause of the problem, she molded the boy in such a way that he started abhorring that all.” She included religious beliefs of all the three Abrahamic religions, which seriously condemn the practice. As the patient belonged to one of the three religions, he got all the questions regarding his sexual perversion. One thing most significant to note is this that the clinical supervisor or counselor has no right to inflict his own religious beliefs to the client. It may be repugnant and annoying on the part of the patient. While performing the role of clinical supervisor, one must be aware of the fact that the patient is not seeking the advice of a clergy man preaching Puritan ethics; rather, he must focus on the subject matter and implementation of ethics may jeopardize the health condition of the individual under treatment. The mental relaxation and moral uplift are the keys to success in counseling. If the counselor applies proper methodology to make up patient’s mind that he would be able soon to lead a normal life without using any type of drug, the chances of the healing of patient are very bright and support for the betterment of his mental and physical health. A professional develops outline regarding the treatment procedure and step-by-step moves on to achieve the complete cure. The problem area is diagnosed keeping in mind the behavior and aptitude of the patient. If a counselor involves himself in any type of ethno-religious debate, it would eclipse the profession and treatment procedure as well. The research conducted by Harriman (1957) reveals the very fact that religious people cannot always be described as mentally healthy. It minimizes the role of clergy as well as religious beliefs in therapeutic counseling. Harriman views three points most important in counseling. These include the values of relatively immediate gratification, the values of social responsibility, and the values of a philosophy of existence. First one, according to him, describes an individual’s adaptability and satisfaction to the prevailing circumstances existing in his environment. A counselor’s job is to help the client to reach at resolution of the values he is in conflict. “The counselor’s task”, Nugent (1990:263) views, “is complex because the procedure may involve several value systems.” If the counselor applies such methods that are in sharp contrast with the values the client observes, his ego and mental health will undergo further complications. The mental disorder is actually the state of patient’s conflict from the prevailing values; in other words, it is the state of deviation. Taking the example of the countries where homosexuality is allowed by the statute of law, but is forbidden with religious point of view, the situation becomes more complicated and difficult to handle. It is thus a highly skilled counselor who helps the client reaching at the resolution point without hurting his ego as well. “Actually”, Harriman states, “this professional bias has ethnic as well as therapeutic aspects. Those who are devoted to the way of freedom and democracy hate coercion, and the very thought of saddling a patient with moral or religious precepts against which he may be too confused to defend himself, or which he can incorporate only on a dependent level, is repugnant.” Freedom of choice is the basic right of the client. It is based on the client’s right to privacy. The same is the case with young Brittney, in a therapeutic research conducted by Doweiko (Quoted in Zaidi: 2007). Brittney, a young girl of fourteen years only, had been very bright and graceful student at school. It was surprising for the whole family when she was recommended by her teacher, to a rehabilitation program after being found the drug-user. She was referred to the Alateen, the rehabilitation institute that deals with the cure of adolescents consuming alcohol and other intoxication. It is the platform that offers the young fellows to give vent to their ideas and relate as well as share their life experiences that help the therapist getting acquainted with the original cause that led the children towards intoxication and use of drugs and chemical substance. During the therapy, Brittney disclosed the very fact that she started consuming alcohol after the death of her father. It so happened that her mother got too much involved in running the family business and her siblings also accompanied their mother during the course. Brittney felt extremely lonely and looked for something that could relieve her tensions and loneliness. Thus, she tried to drown herself in the thick stream of liquor and adopted the way of perversion out of her loneliness. She felt no fear or hesitation due to the fact that she had witnessed her late father and brother drinking. Also, she had to become prey to the criminal assaults of both of the family members in intoxication. In addition, she had observed her mother taking liquor time and again. She mis-concepted it a source of relief, therefore she also adopted the same patterns as she observed majority of her family. “The effects of drug use not only on drug users themselves”, observes Marina Barnard, “but also the feelings of anger, sadness, anxiety, shame and loss that are commonly experienced by their extended family.” The ethics are among the social norms, values and mores prevailing in the contemporary society. “Ethics has developed”, the Columbia University Press views, “as people have reflected on the intentions and consequences of their acts. From this reflection on the nature of human behavior, theories of conscience have developed, giving direction to much ethical thinking.” Brittney’s case is highly precarious one. She had been brilliant student and paid attention to her studies. In the life of her father, she must have been attended properly by the family. Therefore, she remembered her deceased father. Somehow, his sexual advances during intoxication badly told upon her delicate nerves, which is hard for her to forget. Further, the parents must be aware of the company as well as the activities of the children so that any untoward event could be avoided. The education and training of the young ones is one of the most critical procedures and demands unabated, unconditional and comprehensive attention from family, friends, peer group, teachers, tutors and society. The therapist in the above case had to remain careful of the case because the girl had to suffer an extremely uneven condition when her own father who should have been source of constant relief, affection and protection. In the same way, her brother also proved himself completely lost while taking alcohol and followed the same patterns as committed by his father. Thus, it is fact beyond doubt that substance consumption and drug usage completely damages man’s mental health and causes grievances, humiliation and hatred for him in society. All this reveals the talent of the counselor who treated the young girl without involving any type of coercion or values-infliction on her. The researches conducted on the therapists elaborate the need of ethics and values in counseling. The clinicians displayed greater support of independence and lower backing of traditional values in the Survey of Interpersonal Values. Bergin and Jensen (1988) view it irrelevant to endorse he idea of values in counseling. So many theorists articulate the value-based therapeutic procedure to be recommended while dealing the patient. A research conducted by Jensen and Bergin (1988) on therapists disclosed consensus on health values application. Freedom and independence were also included in the list of questionnaire. Anyway, the more the therapist religious, the more were the influence on the patient in therapeutic process. In other words, a religious clinician produced better results in comparison with the non-religious one. There were several items included among the central values: autonomy and independence, skill in interpersonal communication, honesty, and self-control. Increasingly, psychotherapists are being urged to be more explicit about values with their clients. For example, Tjelveit (1986) described informed consent procedures that incorporate therapists disclosures about their values at varying levels of explicitness. REFERENCES Bergin, A. E. (1980). Psychotherapy and religious values. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 95-105. Bergin, A. E. (1985). Proposed values for guiding and evaluating psychotherapy. Counseling and Values, 29, 99-116. Beutler, L. E., Pollack, S., & Jobe, A. (1978). Acceptance, values, and therapeutic change. 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Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality Oxford: Clarendon Press. Harriman, J. Religion, Science and Mental Health. New York: N. Y. University Press, 1959 New York, December 6-8, 1957. Khalid, Shamaila (2005). Psychological Causes of Homosexuality. Journal of Criminal Psychology. Sang-e-Meel Publications, Urdu Bazaar Lahore. Mann, Kenneth W. Religious Factors and Values in Counseling: Their Relationship to Ego Organization Journal of Religion and Health Volume 11, Number 4 / October, 1972 Zaidi, M. H. (2007). Drug Addiction Counseling. Read More