The negotiation of values in therapy - Essay Example

PSYCHODYNAMIC COUNSELLING- ETHICAL FRAMEWORK Counselling is an interactive process which involves a counsellor and a client. It is a process which the counsellor helps the client to open up and get solutions to problems that they face. The counsellor listens to the client and guides the client to find possible solution to the problem. It is a healing process through talking. It is a process that helps to untangle thoughts or feelings concerning a particular situation. It helps the client to realize themselves in a process of self actualisation. Since the process involves interaction between two parties, there in need for having a laid down guidelines that defines the relationship between the parties. As such there must be ethical frame work on which the process should be conducted. According to Berglund (1998), this is to ensure that the counsellor does not take advantage of the client's situation to his or her advantage. Clients are always vulnerable in their situation and can be easily exploited by the counsellor. The ethical framework also ensures that the practice is within the professional requirements. Campbell (1997) asserts that there are three broad branches of psychological counselling. There is behavioural counselling which mainly deals with the conscious processes in relation to cognitions and behaviours. There is also humanistic counselling which has the end result of making the client achieve self actualization, and there is psychoanalytical counselling. Psychodynamic counselling is derived from psychoanalytical counselling. It uses the concepts from the psychoanalytical counselling to explain human growth, development and the psychological problems that they face in their daily lives. It is an analytical model that tries to link the present situation with the happenings in our daily lives. It links the present life with childhood life in trying to unravel the links between different developments processes. (Doherty, 1995) This indicates that psychodynamic counselling is an interactive process in which the counsellor must dig deep into the client's life in order to help find a solution to the current situation that the client is facing. The process involves revisiting of the client's earlier life and hence the counsellor is likely to know more about the client than in a normal counselling process. The counsellor must take an analysis of the client life including trauma, cultural practices, sexual orientation, and other social life of the client. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, (BACP) defines a counsellor as anyone who plays the role of a counsellor, psychotherapist, trainer, or educator in offering counselling services. According to Woody and Jane (2001), due to the inclusiveness of this concept, it has been found that anybody offering counselling services will not be a professionally trained counsellor. As such it has been found necessary to come up with an ethical framework that provides a guideline on how the process should be. In our present world, there have been a number of approaches to the word. Kerridge et al., (1998), asserted that regardless of the area of application, the word must include some sense to values in that area, principles that stands by human life and personal moral qualities. There are important considerations that ethical framework has been laid on for a smooth counselling process. The code of ethics ensures that there is a personal responsibility in the side of the counsellor. It seeks to justify the process in terms of principles of practice and fulfilment of the goals in counselling process. It seeks to incorporate cultural and moral values in the process. The whole process however is defined by the professional values that express the ethical commitment of the process. (Corey et al., 2007) I believe that learning the ethical code will help me in becoming a good counsellor. Looking into details in the provisions of the ethical framework, there are a number of ways that it will help me in the counselling process. These provisions in code of ethics are meant to promote good relationship between the client and the counsellor participating in counselling. Code of ethics for counsellors There are some fundamental values that are stipulated by the code which should be observed. There should be respect for human rights and dignity. It also defines the relationship in the counselling process in regard to clients and other professionals. It stipulates the value of alleviating distress and suffering and not harming in any way. It is bound to increase personal effectiveness and enhance personal relationships. Overall, it is aimed at ensuring provision of fair and adequate counselling to clients. The code of ethic first recognizes that counselling process is voluntary and is done in full conscience of the client. A client should not be forced to the counselling room by any one but the urge to solve a problem should be the catalyst leading one to seek assistance from a counsellor. This is provided in the provision which dictates the need for autonomy on the side of the client. The client must have the self-governing move in that leads them to seek help form a counsellor. This lays the importance for commitment of the client to participate in the counselling process on voluntary bases. The disclosure of the information should also be optional depending on the degree of trust that the client has on the counsellor. (Gabbard, 2004) Sometimes a client may be advised to seek counselling depending on his or her condition but should not be forced to attend a counselling session. Voluntarily, the client should see the need to be helped to solve the problem that they are facing. Handelsman et al., (1998), asserts that this is very important since it ensures that clients finds value in the process and hence will find it easy to follow solutions that they agree upon together with the counsellor. Learning this provision in the code will help me in understanding that counselling is not a mandatory requirement but it comes from the will of the client. As such I understand that my duty as a counsellor will not be to do for the client what they are supposed to do to solve a problem, but I will only be obliged to help them find a solution to the problem. The code lists fidelity as an important ethical issue to be observed in counselling. Counsellors should act in line with the need for confidentiality arising from the trust placed upon them by their clients this is the base that defines the act of confidentiality in the process. It regards confidentiality as an obligation in part of the counsellor. A counsellor must provide the highest degree of confidentiality. This is meant to develop trust between the client and the counsellor. If assured of confidentiality, the client will find it easy to open up, since one is assured that their information will not be diverted to the third party. The code provides that the process is meant for just the two and is should not be opened to a third party. Confidentiality forms the base for the counselling process especially in psychodynamic counselling. The client may not be bound to disclose all the necessary information if not assured of confidentiality. The counselling process should not be given a medical approach in which a patient is bound to open up to the medical practitioner in order get the right diagnosis for the disease. Counselling process should be seen as voluntary process in which the client has the freedom of opening up to the counsellor and the counsellor in return gives a guideline to a solution together with the client. The counsellor diagnoses the condition of the client through the information provided. As such, the process of opening up is very important. Hence the client must have a degree of confidence that the information that they give will be used purposely for finding a solution between the client and the counsellor for that instance and will not be diverted or used against the client. Many are times when counsellors find it difficult to extract information from clients because clients are not sure that the information given will be protected. Some clients especially those who have been cheated before may find it difficult to trust anyone with their information. The confidentiality code comes in hand in assisting counsellors to keep the information confidential to them and also helps restore the confidence of the client. As we said the process of opening up is very crucial in the counselling process as it provides the information which forms the bases for diagnoses and solution to the problem affecting the client. (Ackerman and Carson, 1999) As a counsellor, this is very important for me since it will help me practice a great degree of confidence with the information obtained from clients. It helps me to understand that all information that clients give will be meant for finding a solution and will not under any circumstance be diverted to another person or used against the client in future. This helps me understand that confidentiality of the information given is the backbone of the whole process. As a counsellor I now know that I am obliged by this code to give the clients information about confidentiality of the information in a counselling session. The principle of non-maleficence dictates that the counsellor must avoid harming the client by all means. The main aim of counselling is to help the client to solve problems affecting them. The principle of non-maleficence restricts the counsellor from any kind of malpractices in any dimension, be it sexual, financial, emotional, or any other form. According to Aponte (2007), this also restricts the counsellor from providing counselling services when they are not in a position to do so, arising from the scope of the needs of the client or from the health of the counsellor. This principle dictates that if any harm happens to the client in the process of counselling, the counsellor should move very fast to remedy the situation in any morally acceptable manner. But in overall it stresses the importance of avoiding any harm by all means. (Genia, 1994) As a counsellor, this provision will help me in understanding that the aim of my future practice will be to mitigate the situation of the clients. I understand that am bound to avoid any harm to the client in any way possible and to provide remedy for any harm caused beyond my knowledge and which arises from the process. I also know that am bound to protect the name of the profession by always upholding professional ethics which will assist me in avoiding doing any harm to the client. Code of ethics also stipulates that the counsellor should practice justice which involves fair and impartial means of providing the counselling services. According to Geyer (1994), this calls for all counsellors to respect the rights of the clients and treat them with dignity. It calls for upholding of legal and ethical rights of the clients. This provision provides that the counsellor should handle the clients with utmost care and respect with regard to their race, religion, or cultural background. It calls for the counsellor to promote the safety and well being of the clients in ensuring that clients regard to have been treated as human beings. According to Gladdling et al., (2001), this principle requires the recognition of the differences that exist between different people and respect them accordingly. As a counsellor, this provision will help me in ensuring that justice is done to all the clients regardless of their political, religious, or social affiliation. I will seek to treat all my clients with respect, dignity, and ensure that all of them are served to their satisfaction. It will help me recognize the diversity of human nature and respect it and not use it as a weapon to make other feel inferior or superior in the cause of my career. This will help me to treat all my clients fairly and see them as equal. In particular it helps me recognize the needs of special groups of the society like children and the disabled and recognize the need to treat them fairly as equal beings in regarded to others. It will help to remove prejudice in my service and I will ensure that I offer my services to all indiscriminately. The principle of self respect dictates that counsellors should treat themselves with respect in regard to the position they occupy in the society. Self-respect is the stepping stone in the counselling career. The process of respecting oneself requires self examination as an individual counsellor and gauging the ability or the capacity of the individual to offer counselling services. A counsellor has a duty of assisting others recognize themselves through self evaluation. This is not possible if the individual person does not have what it takes to recognize and respect oneself. Self respect dictates that the counsellor recognizes human suffering and hence does not use his position to exploit the client be it financially or in any other way. Self respect will restrict the counsellor from exploiting the client sexually or causing other bodily harm. (Mitchell and Black, 1995) This clause helps me to understand that before offering the service to other, I must first evaluate myself and my ability to help the client. There have been counsellors who have directed their clients to other counsellors after self evaluation depending on their past or present relationship with the clients or depending on the level of counselling. This is an important aspect of self respect and self realization. This in deed will help me very much in my counselling services in the future. The other principle found in the ethics code is the relationship of the counsellor with the client and with other counsellors. First it calls for a counsellor to gauge themselves on their ability to offer counselling services depending on their relationship with the client. If the counsellor feels that they are not in a position to offer counselling, they are advised to redirect the clients to another counsellor. According to Levine (1996), the provision also dictates the terms of relationship between the counsellor and the client. The counsellor should not use the counselling session to forge a closer relationship with the client if the relationship is not meant to help the client in their current situation. The counsellor should not use the session to forge intimate relationship with the client. It also dictates the terms of relationship between the counsellor and other counsellors. The counsellor should not undermine other counsellors or make them appear superior to others. It calls for the counsellors to respect other professionals and only do the part they are able to do and direct the clients to other professionals if they have other problems. This is in line with the fact many clients seeking counselling services usually have multiple problems they may be facing. It calls for practise of personal qualities like empathy, sincerity, integrity, resilience, respect, fairness, wisdom, and courage in counselling. These personal qualities forms the moral bases on which counselling is practise. They determine the qualities of the individual counsellor and their effectiveness. This provision helps me to understand the kind of relationships that I should forge with the clients and with other professionals. It helps me understand the kind of relationship I forge with a client should be only for the purpose of helping the client out of their current situation and not a relationship to exploit them. It also makes me understand that I should not have a know-it-all attitude while dealing with the client and I should play my part and direct the client to other professionals where they can get their help. References Ackerman, T. & Carson, S. (1999). A casebook of medical ethics; Oxford University Press Aponte, H. J. (2007). The negotiation of values in therapy; Journal of Family Process, Vol. 24(3): 322-338 Berglund, C. A. (1998). Ethics for health care. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Campbell, A. (1997). Medical ethics; Auckland: Oxford University Press. Corey, G, Marianne, C. & Callahan, P. (2007): Issues and Ethics in the helping professions. 7th ed. Pacific, CA: Brooks Publishing Co. Doherty, W. J. (1995). Why Psychotherapy must promote moral responsibility. New York: Basic Books. Gabbard, G. (2004). Long term psychodynamic psychotherapy; Washington DC; American Psychiatric Press Genia, V. (1994): Secular psychotherapist and religion clients: Professional considerations and Recommendations. Journal of Counselling and Development, Vol. 72 (4): 3999-4003 Geyer, M. (1994): Dual role relationship and Christian counselling. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Vol. 22(1994); 189-200. Gladding, S. T., Theodore, P., Remley, J. & Charles, H. (2001): Ethical, Legal, and professional issues in the practice for marriage and family therapy. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Handlelsman, M. & Michale, D. G. (1998): Facilitating informed consent for outpatient psychotherapy: A suggested Written Format. Professional Psychology: Research and practice 19(2): 222-245 Kerridge, I., Lowe, M. & McPhee, J. (1998): Ethics and law for the health professions. Katoomba: Social Science Press. Levine, S. (1996). Useful servants: Psychodynamic Approaches to Clinical Practices. New Jersey: Jarson Aranson Mitchell, S. & Black, M. (1995): Freud and Beyond: A history of modern psychoanalytic thought. New York: Basic Books. Moore, B. E. & Bernard, D. F. (1995): Psychoanalysis: The major concepts. New Haven: Yale University Press. Woody, H. & Jane, D. (2001): Ethics in marriage and family therapy. Washington, D. C.: American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. REVISION set on 2008-01-10 23:38 : I am not happy with the finished piece of work that I have received. I would prefer that this was carried out by a psychologist as it is clear the essay I have received lack a depth of knowledge about the subject. The grammar is also very poor. Read More