COUNSELING ETHICS
INTRODUCTION
There is no doubt that counseling has acquired a mixed reputation. Many people have mixed feelings and views with regards to the profession of counseling. These mixed feelings are not only felt by the clients but also by the professional counselors as well. What has tended to bring counseling into controversy are the individuals who call themselves counselors but who are ill-trained and do not practice to any code of ethics, thus bringing the profession of counseling into disrepute (2000). To avoid this, counseling practitioners must be well aware of the code of ethics and be at all times careful in their dealings with the clients. Decisions must be made in accordance with the code of ethics set by various governing bodies in every country.
Many ethical issues arise in the field of counseling. These issues affect both the counseling practitioner and the client. In this paper, I will choose and present two ethical issues that are of relevance in my counseling or interview work. These two particular issues are likely to be most concerning for me personally in my counseling or interview work. These two issues are the following: having dual relationships with clients and the issue of touching the clients during counseling.
Having read and considered the relevant reading materials on these two particular ethical issues, I now discuss and reflect on each of them in the succeeding paragraphs. I will discuss on these two issues and provide reflection on how these could affect my work and how I could avoid problems that may arise from these issues. Their importance, special considerations and how I can likely deal with them will also be tackled.
BODY
These two issues I will discuss and reflect upon both apply to children and adolescents alike. Before starting on a therapy or counseling session with children or adults or any other age group for that matter, it is important to consider the code of ethics. Actually, the concept of applying ethics into the field of counseling does not only constitute the time before the counseling but should be at all times. I always make it a point to remember that this certain set of codes apply irregardless of gender, race or age.
Dual Relationships
An ethical issue that is of particular importance in the practice of counseling is when a counselor assumes two or more roles simultaneously or sequentially with a client. Various counseling and psychotherapy organizations are quite clear in their Codes of Ethics and Practice about relationships between client and practitioners. Such relationships could be one that has been in existence for years. Or the relationship could also be one that developed during the course of the counseling. Or it could also be a relationship that developed after the counseling sessions. This Code of Ethics exists to educate counseling practitioners, to educate the general public, to provide a basis for accountability and to help improve the professional practice of counseling.
The pendulum of controversy over dual relationships, which has produced extreme reactions on both sides, has slowed and now swings in a narrower arc. It is clear that not all dual relationships can be avoided, and it is equally clear that some types of dual relationships (such as sexual intimacies with clients) should always be avoided (2001). To date, the code of ethics of all professional helping organizations clearly prohibit this behavior of sexual intimacy between the counselor and the client.
It is said that some of the most challenging ethical situations result from dual relationships between counselors and others. "A dual relationship is created whenever the role of counselor is combined with another relationship, which could be professional (e.g., professor, supervisor, employer) or personal (e.g., friend, close relative, sexual partner)" ( 2005).
For example, a counselor who serves as both a therapist and a business partner or friend to a client is engaged in a dual relationship. Because there are many types of dual relationships and because ethical codes provide only general guidelines for handling these relationships, counselors sometimes have difficulty understanding what dual relationships are and how to handle them (2005).
From the literature I have gathered, it is clear why a counselor should refrain from counseling clients whom they have another relationship with aside from that of being the professional counselor. Entering into a dual relationship with a client could impair the counselor’s objectivity, competence or effectiveness in performing his or her functions as a counselor. It could also risk exploitation or harm to the person with whom the professional relationship exists. Although this is not always the case, this is not rare either.
As a counselor, there will be times when this kind of issue will be unavoidable and I will have to deal with it. As a rule, sexual intimacies on the other hand should be avoided at all times. Any form of sexual activity between practitioners and their clients is considered exploitation and is prohibited for the safety and welfare of clients. I should refrain from entering into a dual relationship if this could reasonably impair my role as the counselor.
Take for example, my best friend is having marital troubles and is experiencing depression. I couldn’t very well be her counselor. My relationship with her as her friend could affect my professional role as her counselor. Our relationship could affect my competence or effectiveness and it may lead to bad results on the part of my best friend.
Developing relationships other than that of a counselor-client during the course of the therapy is also not advised. The client may see this as a form of exploitation for personal gains on the part of the counselor. Also, when a relationship is developed, it could again affect my objectivity, competence and effectiveness. As the counselor, I should avoid this. Aside from the fact that it would not do well on my reputation, it is also not ethical. The codes of ethics and practice concerning counseling emphasizes that if possible, dual relationships should be avoided.
In the middle range, it would be fruitful for professionals to continue to work to clarify the distinctions between dual relationships that we should try to avoid and those into which we might enter, with appropriate precautions (2001).
On the subject of dual relationships, the best thing I can do is to refrain from counseling individuals whom I already have a relationship with. Also, it is best not to develop any form of relationships with those that I am currently doing work with. At all times, I should stay focused on the well-being and autonomy of the client.
The Use of Touch
Another ethical issue is that of touching the clients. This is helpful in the counseling process. Physical contact in a number of circumstances may be asexual and appropriate for the occasion—for example: a brief hug at the termination of long-term treatment, patting the back of the client as a gesture of encouragement, holding the hand of the client as a gesture of support, or placing an arm around a client in a residential program who just received bad family news and is distraught.
Such brief, limited physical contact may not be harmful; many clients would find such physical contact comforting and therapeutic, although other clients may be upset by it - perhaps because of their personal trauma history or their cultural or ethnic norms related to touching ( 2001). Some clients may even mistake this gesture as one that takes advantage of their vulnerability or at times may also feel sexually harassed by such a gesture. Touching the client could also be the need to be needed by the practitioner, and could therefore be harmful to the client, as it is a manipulation by the practitioner for his or her own gratification. Clients may misunderstand the practitioner’s touch or construct thoughts and fantasies that have nothing to do with a gesture of comfort (2000).
Caution about touch is therefore a boundary that trainees have to explore and reflect upon, and practitioners who do touch their clients need to continue to reflect on. It is important to remember that touching is not the only way to hold a client, as the client can feel held and close to the practitioner without any physical touching taking place at all (2000).
As I have stated earlier, not every client would appreciate this, so the better thing to do is to gauge from the start to finish of the therapy which clients would be comfortable with touching and which are not. After knowing the client for some specific time, I would be able to already have an idea what the client prefers. By gauging and observing which way the client is more comfortable with, I can eliminate the chances of my clients getting the wrong thoughts or accusing me of any form of sexual harassment.
Another better way to know what the clients would prefer would be to simply ask the client. At the start of the therapy, I could ask the client what his or her preferences are regarding the use of touch during the counseling or therapy. Experiences, religious beliefs, age and gender are some factors that could affect how a client would view the idea of using touch during a counseling session. Personally, I feel that the use of touch could be beneficial in the counseling, therapy or interview process.
With the risks that are associated with touching, we counselors might feel that it is better to refrain from using it. Sometimes I think that even without the use of touch, I can still help my client in many ways. But we cannot apply this kind of thinking to every client. We cannot totally eliminate touching from the counseling sessions since there could be a number of clients who can benefit from touch therapy. The solution there is to offer which methods that are best and acceptable to the respective clients.
CONCLUSION
Both of the issues I have presented in the paper - having dual relationships with clients and the issue of touching the clients during counseling – require ethical decisions on my part. Whatever decision I make with regards to these issues, it should be in accordance to the code of ethics and should be for the promotion of well-being of the client. If and when I think such a move on my part could not be beneficial to the client – such as the use of touch or having a dual relationship with my client – I would then have to refrain from doing it.
In order to make ethical decisions, one must be aware of referral sources when struggling with an ethical question and also be aware of consequences of practicing in ways that are not sanctioned by my profession. It is important to remember that ethical decision making is an ongoing process with no easy answers. In counseling, the promotion of the client’s well-being is deemed central. In order to promote the well-being of clients, as a counselor, I must constantly balance my own values and life experiences with professional codes of ethics as I make choices about how to help my clients effectively. Therefore, knowing ethical codes and the consequences of unsanctioned practice can be useful tools to counselors during their attempts to establish therapeutic relationships with clients.
As a counseling practitioner, I will have to apply the ethical codes of my profession to the many problems that I face in my area of work – be it a practical problem or an ethical problem. In this paper I have presented two ethical issues that I will likely face in my field of work. Such issues are not easy and require ethical decisions. Ethical decisions must be at all times made with a reflection of the code of ethics and with the well-being of the client in mind. This is the best way for me to do in order to avoid any problems in my practice and also to promote well-being for the client.
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