Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions Corey 1-4

Examples of Countertransference

-Being overprotective with a client -Treating clients in benign ways -Rejecting a client -Needing constant reinforcement and approval

The authors' approach to thinking through ethical dilemmas:

1. Identify the problem or dilemma 2. Identify the potential issues involved 3. Review the relevant ethics codes 4. Know the applicable laws and regulations 5. Obtain consultation 6. Consider possible and probable courses of action 7. Enumerate the consequences of various decisions 8. Choose what appears to be the best course of action

Cultural awareness

A compassionate and accepting orientation that is based on an understanding of oneself and others within one's culture and context

Multiculturalism

A generic term that indicates any relationship between and within two or more diverse groups

Oppression Group

A group of people who have been singled out for differential and unequal treatment and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination

Cultural tunnel vision

A perception of reality based on a very limited set of cultural experiences

Cultural Pluralism

A perspective that recognizes the complexity of cultures and values the diversity of beliefs and values

Cultural diversity competence

A practitioner's level of awareness, knowledge, and interpersonal skills needed to function effectively in a pluralistic society and to intervene on behalf of clients from diverse backgrounds

Ethnicity

A sense of identity that stems from common ancestry, history, nationality, religion, and race

Burnout

A state of physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual depletion characterized by feelings of helplessness and hopelessness

Cultural Centered Counseling

A three-stage developmental sequence, from multicultural awareness to knowledge and comprehension to skills and applications

transcultural integrative model

Addresses need for including cultural factors in the process of resolving ethical dilemmas

Signs of "Therapist Decay" Which Lead to Burnout

An absence of boundaries with clients Excessive preoccupation with money and being successful Taking on clients that exceed one's level of professional competence Poor health habits in the areas of nutrition and exercise

Racism

Any pattern of behavior that, solely because of race or culture, denies access to opportunities or privileges to members of one racial or cultural group while perpetuating access to opportunities and privileges to members of another racial or cultural group

Culture

Associated with a racial or ethnic group and with gender, religion, economic status, nationality, physical capacity or disability, and affectional or sexual orientation

Values

Beliefs and attitudes that provide direction to everyday living

The Feminist Model

Calls for maximum involvement of the client at every stage of the process Based on feminist principle that power should be equalized in the therapeutic relationship

Mandatory Ethics

Counselors comply with minimal standards, acknowledging the basic "musts" and "must nots" Providing informed consent to clients

Globally literate counselors

Counselors who display a cultural curiosity characterized by an openness to engaging in new cultural experiences

Community standards (or mores)

Define what is considered reasonable behavior when a case involving malpractice is litigated They vary on interdisciplinary, theoretical, and geographical bases

Law

Defines the minimum standards society will tolerate and is enforced by government

Regulation Boards

Determine standards for admission into profession Screen applicants applying for certification or licensure Regulate the practice of psychotherapy for the public good Conduct disciplinary proceedings involving violations of standards of professional conduct as defined by law

Hastened Death

Ending one's life earlier than would have happened without intervention Involves speeding up the dying process, which can entail withholding or withdrawing treatment or life support

Virtue Ethics

Focuses on character traits of the counselor and non-obligatory ideals Asks "Am I doing what is best for my client?"

Principle Ethics

Focuses on moral issues with goal of solving a particular dilemma and establishing a framework to guide future ethical thinking and behavior Asks "Is this situation unethical?"

The social constructionist model

Focuses primarily on the social aspects of decision making in counseling Redefines the ethical decision-making process as an interactive rather than an individual or intrapsychic process and places the decision in the social context itself

Spirituality

General sensitivity to moral, ethical, humanitarian, and existential issues without reference to any particular religious doctrine

Professionalism

Has some relationship to ethical behavior, yet it is possible to act unprofessionally and still not act unethically

Diversity

Individual differences on a number of variables that place clients at risk for discrimination

Unintentional racism

Often subtle, indirect, and outside our conscious awareness Can be the most damaging and insidious form of racism

Morality

Our perspectives of right and proper conduct Actions are evaluated on the basis of some broader cultural context or religious standard

Stereotypes

Oversimplified and uncritical generalizations about individuals who are identified as belonging to a specific group

Micro-aggressions

Persistent verbal, behavioral, and environmental assaults, insults, and invalidations that often occur subtly and are difficult to identify

Aid in Dying

Providing a person with the means to die The person self-administers the death-causing agent, which is a lethal dose of a legal medication.

Regulation

Regulation of practice occurs in all 50 states. State licensing laws establish the scope of practice of professionals and how these laws will be enforced

Ethics

Represents the ideal standards set and is enforced by professional associations Moral principles adopted by an individual or group to provide rules for right conduct

Cultural racism

The belief that one group's history, way of life, religion, values, and traditions are superior to others

Reasonableness

The care that is ordinarily exercised by others practicing within that specialty in the professional community

Social justice work in counseling

The empowerment of individuals and family systems to better express needs and advocate on their behalf to address inequities and injustices they encounter in their community and in society

Aspirational ethics

The highest professional standards of conduct to which counselors can aspire Related to positive ethics Providing services pro bono for those in need

Impairment

The presence of a chronic illness or severe psychological depletion that is likely to prevent a professional from delivering effective services Results in consistently functioning below acceptable practice standards

Transference

The process whereby clients project onto their therapists past feelings or attitudes they had toward significant people in their lives The "unreal" relationship in therapy Counselors need to be aware of their personal reactions to a client's transference. -All reactions of clients to a therapist are not to be considered as transference. -Dealing appropriately with transference is an ethical issue.

Cultural Diversity

The spectrum of differences that exists among groups of people with definable and unique cultural backgrounds

Countertransference

The therapist's total emotional response to a client including feelings, associations, fantasies, and fleeting images Occurs when clinicians: -Demonstrate inappropriate affect -Respond in highly defensive ways -Lose their objectivity because their own conflicts are triggered Can be either a constructive or a destructive element in the therapeutic relationship

Religion

The way people express their devotion to a deity or an ultimate reality

Multicultural counseling

The working alliance between counselor and client that takes the personal dynamics of the counselor and client into consideration alongside the dynamics of the cultures of both of these individuals

Cultural Empathy

Therapists' awareness of clients' worldviews, which are acknowledged in relation to therapists' awareness of their own personal biases

Non-maleficence

To avoid doing harm

Justice

To be fair by giving equally to others and to treat others justly

Veracity

To be truthful and deal honestly with clients

Beneficence

To do good for others and promote the well-being of clients

Fidelity

To make realistic commitments and keep these promises

Autonomy

To promote self-determination

Rational Suicide

When a person has decided — after going through a decision-making process and without coercion from others — to end his or her life because of extreme suffering involved with a terminal illness

Advanced Directives

Written documents that specify the conditions under which people wish to receive certain treatment or to refuse or discontinue life-sustaining treatment Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care