The consultant, like other professionals, has ethical responsibilities and obligations. First of all, he is responsible to the client. However, the client and the consultant are not in a vacuum, but in a system of various relationships, so the consultant is responsible to the client's family members, to the organization in which he works, to the public in general, and, finally, to his profession. This responsibility determines the special importance of ethical principles in psychological counseling and psychotherapy. That is why codes of professional ethics are being created in all countries that regulate the professional activities of a psychotherapist and a consultant psychologist.
However, it is not so easy for a consultant to unconditionally follow the rules of ethics for fairly objective reasons. The main ones were pointed out by George and Cristiani (1990):
1. It is difficult to maintain standards of established behavior in a wide variety of counseling situations, because each counseling contact is unique.
2. Most consultants practice in certain institutions (clinics, centers, schools, private services, etc.). The value orientation of these organizations may not fully coincide with the ethical requirements for a consultant. In such cases, the consultant faces a difficult choice.
3. A consultant often finds himself in ethically contradictory situations when, adhering to the requirements of one norm, he violates another. Thus, in case of any choice, the code of ethics is not respected.
In general, ethical dilemmas, to a much greater extent than direct violations of the code of ethics, help to understand the limitations of ethical codes in solving problems that arise in counseling. Take, for example, the preamble to the newest code of ethics (1990) from the American Psychological Association:
"Psychologists respect and value the dignity of the individual and strive to ensure and protect basic human rights. They are required to accumulate knowledge of human behavior, people's understanding of each other, self-understanding and apply this knowledge to ensure the welfare of society."
However, in working with, for example, clients who have suicidal intentions, it is difficult to fully adhere to these principles. If you try to ensure the safety of the client, it is difficult not to violate his autonomy, the right to free self-determination, and therefore not encroach on his personal dignity and values. On the other hand, if nothing is done and the autonomy of the client is protected, there will be a threat to his well-being and even life. In this example, the principle of beneficence is given precedence over the principle of individual autonomy (Beauchamp and Childress, 1983).
The inconsistency of ethical problems makes it necessary to periodically change ethical codes. The American Psychological Association, which has perhaps the most structured approach to ethical issues, has revised its code of professional ethics three times over the past thirty years. Amendments naturally reflect changes in society, but still, as a rule, are due to the difficulty of complying with ethical standards (more on this when analyzing the privacy issue). The first requirement for a consultant is made already at the beginning of the consultation process. The client's decision to enter into a "consulting contract" should be quite conscious, so the consultant is obliged during the first meeting to provide the client with as much information as possible about the consulting process:
about the main goals of counseling;
About your qualifications
about payment for consultation;
about the approximate duration of the consultation:
about the advisability of counseling;
about the risk of temporary deterioration of the condition in the process of counseling;
about the boundaries of confidentiality.
The consultant is obliged to correctly assess the level and limits of his professional competence. He should not instill in the client hope for help that he is unable to provide. In counseling, the use of insufficiently mastered diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is unacceptable. Consultative meetings with clients should never be used to test any counseling methods or techniques. If the consultant feels in some cases that he is not competent enough, he is obliged to consult with more experienced colleagues and improve under their guidance.
The consultant is obliged to provide, as already mentioned, comprehensive information about the conditions of consultation. It is very important to coordinate with the client in advance the possibility of audio and video recording of consultative conversations and observation by a third party through a one-way vision mirror. It is unacceptable to use such procedures without the consent of the client. These procedures may be important to the counselor for pedagogical and research purposes, and also useful to the client in assessing the dynamics of his problems and the effectiveness of counseling. Sometimes the authority that controls the qualifications of a consultant requires detailed information about a particular case. The resistance of some insecure consultants to procedures for observing or recording conversations, ostensibly to maintain confidentiality and protect the client, actually expresses their own anxiety and discomfort. A major source of ethical dilemmas in counseling is the issue of confidentiality. It is a litmus test of the consultant's responsibility to the client. Counseling is not possible if the client does not trust the consultant. The issue of confidentiality should be discussed during the first meeting with the client.
George and Cristiani (1990) distinguish two levels of privacy. The first level refers to the limit professional use information about the client. It is the responsibility of each consultant to use client information for professional purposes only. The consultant is not entitled to disseminate information about the client with other intentions. This also applies to the fact that someone is undergoing a course of psycho-correction. Information about clients (consultant's records, individual client cards) should be stored in places inaccessible to outsiders.
The consultant, while ensuring secrecy, must acquaint the client with the circumstances in which professional secrecy is not respected. Confidentiality, as will be discussed below, cannot be elevated to an absolute principle. Most often we have to talk about its boundaries. Schneider (1963; cited in George and Cristiani, 1990) formulated seven basic rules for setting such boundaries:
1. The obligation to maintain confidentiality is not absolute, but relative, since there are certain conditions that can change such an obligation.
2. Confidentiality depends on the nature of the information provided by the client, however, the confidentiality of the client binds the consultant incomparably more strictly than the "secrecy" of the events reported by the client.
3. Materials of consultation meetings that cannot harm the interests of the client are not subject to confidentiality rules.
4. Materials of consultation meetings necessary for the effective work of a consultant are also not subject to confidentiality rules (for example, it is possible to provide an expert with consultation materials by agreement with the client).
5. Confidentiality is always based on the client's right to good name and secrecy. The consultant is obliged to respect the rights of clients and, in certain cases, even to act illegally (for example, not to provide information about the client to law enforcement agencies, if this does not violate the rights of third parties).
6. Confidentiality is limited to the consultant's right to preserve his own dignity and the safety of his person.
7. Confidentiality is limited by the rights of third parties and the public.
Among the most frequently cited circumstances in which the confidentiality rules in counseling may be limited, the following deserve mention:
1. Increased risk to the life of the client or other people.
2. Criminal acts (violence, corruption, incest, etc.) committed against minors.
3. The need for hospitalization of the client.
4. Participation of the client and other persons in the distribution of drugs and other criminal activities.
Having found out during the consultation that the client poses a serious threat to someone, the consultant is obliged to take measures to protect the potential victim (or victims) and inform her (them), parents, relatives, law enforcement agencies about the danger. The consultant must also inform the client of his intentions.
When faced with a dilemma, what should be preferred: to maintain confidentiality, according to a code of ethics, or to follow legal norms? After the case with Tarasoff, which was sensational in the USA, which greatly influenced the definition of confidentiality limits, preference is given to the latter option.
In August 1969, a client of the Poddar Mental Health Center told his counseling psychologist that he was going to kill his girlfriend Tatiana Tarasoff. The psychologist reported this to the police by telephone and further described the circumstances of the case in an official letter to the chief of police. He pointed out the need to establish surveillance for the client and hospitalize him as a socially dangerous person. The police detained Poddar for questioning but soon released him due to insufficient evidence. Some time later, the expert supervising the qualifications of the mentioned psychologist expressed dissatisfaction and demanded that the letter sent to the police be returned to him. The letter was destroyed. The senior colleague demanded that the counseling psychologist take no further action with this client. The parents of the potential victim were not made aware of the impending threat. Two months later, Poddar killed the girl. Her parents filed a criminal case against the employees of the university for not having warned them of a possible misfortune. Although the lower court dismissed the lawsuit, the California Supreme Court in 1976 convicted the Center staff for irresponsibility.
As Beauchamp and Childress (1983) argue, the priority of privacy ends where someone is in danger.
Another important ethical principle that is discussed as often as confidentiality is the prohibition against dual relationships. It is inappropriate to consult relatives, friends, employees studying with a student consultant; sexual contact with clients is not allowed. Such a prohibition is quite understandable, since counseling gives the specialist an advantageous position and there is a danger that in personal relationships this advantage can be used for the purpose of exploitation.
The problem of sexual relations of consultants and psychotherapists with clients is very important and often hushed up. Holroyd and Brodsky in 1977 surveyed 1,000 American practitioners of psychological counseling and psychotherapy with doctoral degrees. Half of them were men and the other half were women. The researchers got the following results:
· erotic contacts and sexual relations are more frequent between male consultants and female clients (5.5%) than between female consultants and male clients (0.6%);
· consultants who once crossed the line of what is permitted tend to re-establish sexual relationships with clients (80% of cases);
· 70% of male consultants and 80% of female consultants categorically deny the permissibility of sexual relations with clients; 4% of respondents consider sexual relationships with clients to be therapeutically valuable.
Sexual relations between counselors and clients are neither ethically nor professionally acceptable because they represent a direct abuse of the counselor's role. The client is much more vulnerable than the consultant, because in a specific atmosphere of counseling he "uncovers" himself - reveals his feelings, fantasies, secrets, desires, including those of a sexual nature. Sometimes the client strongly idealizes the consultant, he wants a close relationship with such an ideal person who deeply understands him. However, when the counseling contact turns into a sexual relationship, clients develop extreme dependence and the counselor loses objectivity. This is where all professional counseling and psychotherapy ends.
LITERATURE
1. American Psychological Association. Ethical principles of Psychologists // American Psychologist, 1990. Vol. 45. P. 390-395.
2. Beauchamp T. L., Childress J. S. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 3rd Ed. N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 1983.
3. George R. L., Cristiani T. S. Counseling: Theory and Practice, 3rd Ed. Englewood Cliffs. N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1990.
4. Holroyd J. C., Brodsky A. Psychologists" attitudes and practices regarding erotic and non-erotic physical contact with patients // American Psychologist, 1977. Vol. 32. P. 845-849.
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Library of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Development of Mental Culture (Kyiv)
2. In the space of psychological counseling, there is two levels of privacy:
Ø the limits of the consultant's use of client information, when the consultant has the right to use client information exclusively for professional (for example, discussing a specific case in the supervisory group) and for no other purposes, and client information must be stored in places inaccessible to others;
The consultant is obliged to discuss with the client the limits of confidentiality that he can observe, based on on the rules that define the boundaries of confidentiality:
Ø Relativity of compliance with confidentiality rules;
Ø confidentiality depends on the nature of the information provided, and first of all, the consultant should focus on building a trusting relationship with the client;
Ø the consultant has the right not to comply with the rules of confidentiality if the information received by him from the client may harm the latter;
Ø that information that the consultant can use to improve the effectiveness of therapeutic work, for example, consultation on this case with a competent specialist, etc., is not confidential if agreed with the client;
Ø The consultant is obliged to take care, first of all, of preserving the rights and freedoms of the client himself and, if the information received is not a violation of the rights of other people, must observe the rule of confidentiality and not disclose this information;
Ø limitation of confidentiality limits to non-disclosure of information by a consultant is also due to the right of the consultant himself to maintain his safety and dignity;
Ø the consultant is obliged to respect the safety of third parties, and if the information received from the client violates this in any way, then the confidentiality rule ceases to apply;
Ø the need to hospitalize the client limits the limits of confidentiality;
Ø When a client commits criminal acts involving criminal liability (violence, murder, corruption, incest, etc.) and threatening someone's life, the consultant is obliged to report this information to the appropriate authorities, take measures to ensure the safety of the potential victim, warning her and her relatives, as well as to communicate their intentions to the client.
Ethical principles:
In the activities of a psychologist-consultant, when providing them psychological help, there are some principles and requirements, the implementation of which is mandatory. The existence of different ethical codes for the activities of a professional psychologist in different countries and psychological communities is due to the fact that there are no unambiguous and simple answers to the ethical and moral problems that arise in psychological practice. These principles are necessary to ensure that the provision of psychological assistance is not only more effective and meaningful, but also socially acceptable. Many works on this topic discuss various difficult situations, in particular - how should a consultant behave if during the reception he learns that his client is plotting or committed an antisocial act, if he sees signs of beatings or other violence on the body of a child, if parents want to know something about their secretive teenage child, as well as many others. In some countries, such as the United States, non-compliance with professional principles and requirements can lead to the loss of a psychologist's diploma, the right to practice and offer his professional services, etc.
It is very difficult and hardly possible to distinguish between the ethical principles of psychological assistance in general and psychological counseling. Among the most important ethical principles of psychological counseling(according to Yu. E. Alyoshina) the following are traditionally distinguished:
1. Friendly and non-judgmental attitude towards the client- "a whole range of professional behavior aimed at making the client feel calm and comfortable." The consultant needs to be able to listen carefully to the client (for example, using the technique active listening), trying to understand him without judging him, as well as provide psychological support and assistance.
2. Orientation of the psychologist to the norms and values of the client- the psychologist focuses on the norms and values of the client, and not on socially accepted norms and rules, which can allow the client to be sincere and open. A relationship of accepting and respecting the client's values is not only an opportunity to express support for the client, but also an opportunity to influence those values in the future if they become seen in the counseling process as an obstacle to the normal life of a person.
3. Prohibition to give advice- a psychologist, despite his professional and life experience and knowledge, cannot give guaranteed advice to the client, in particular because the client's life and the context of its course are unique and unpredictable and the client is the main expert in his own life, while the psychologist usually acts as an expert in other areas, in particular in the ways of building relationships with the client, as well as in the theory of psychological assistance. In addition, giving advice means taking responsibility for the client's life if he uses it, which does not contribute to the development of his personality. In addition, by giving advice, the psychologist can change his professional position, and by accepting advice, the client can also change his position towards greater passivity and a superficial attitude to what is happening. Often, in this case, any failures in the implementation of the advice by the client can be attributed to the psychologist, as the authority who gave the advice, which prevents the client from understanding his active and responsible role in the events happening to him.
4. Anonymity- no information communicated by the client to the psychologist can be transferred without his consent to any organizations and other persons, including relatives or friends. At the same time, there are exceptions (about which the psychologist must warn the client in advance), specially noted in the legislation of the country, in accordance with the laws of which the professional activity of the psychologist is carried out.
5. Separation of personal and professional relationships- this is a principle-requirement for a consultant, associated with a number of psychological phenomena influencing the process of psychological assistance. For example, it is known that professional relationships can have strong influence personal relationships, in particular the personal needs and desires of the psychologist, affect both the process of psychological assistance and the client himself, and therefore may hinder the effective implementation of psychological assistance. There are various studies of these influences (see, for example, the phenomena of transference and countertransference). At the end of the 20th century, there were discussions on this problem, various consequences of the entry of a psychologist and a client into personal, including sexual relations, were analyzed, but the main conclusion from these discussions was the position that when a psychologist professional activity personal relationships should be avoided whenever possible. If such or similar relationships appear, then it is necessary to try to act in the interests of the client and interrupt the process of psychological assistance as soon as possible.
Statement of ethical principles for European psychotherapists
European Association of Psychotherapists, which unites consultants in its ranks
different specialties: doctors, psychologists, specialists in social work. The
EAP ethics. The commentary helps to better understand the meaning of the provisions of the ethical recommendations, correlates them with the Russian context.
Principles of psychological counseling.
To ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of psychological counseling, the following principles must be observed:
- The principle of a benevolent and non-judgmental attitude towards the client, which provides for the expression of emotional warmth and respect, the ability to accept the client as he is, without judging or condemning his norms and values, lifestyle and behavior;
- Ensuring the confidentiality of the meeting. This principle means that the psychologist keeps secret everything that concerns the client, his personal problems and life circumstances (except in cases provided by law, about which the client is warned by the psychologist);
- The principle of voluntariness means that the client himself turns to a psychologist, since he subjectively experiences difficulties in life and is motivated to accept psychological help;
- The principle of the consultant's professional motivation means that he protects the interests of the client, and not other persons or organizations, does not take the side of any of the participants in the conflict, avoids prejudice;
- The principle of the psychologist's refusal of advice or prescriptions. The task is to strengthen the client's responsibility for what happens to him, to encourage him to be active in the analysis of problems, in search of a way out of the crisis;
- Separation of personal and professional relationships. The psychologist cannot enter into any personal relationship with the client. The psychologist cannot establish friendly relations with the client, as well as provide assistance to friends or relatives.
The implementation of the principles of psychological counseling is possible under such conditions (according to R.S. Nemov):
- A client who turns to a psychologist must have a real problem of a psychological nature and a conscious desire to solve it as soon as possible.
- The counselor-psychologist, who was asked for help, should have experience in psychological counseling and appropriate professional psychological training.
- The time spent on counseling should be sufficient to understand and find the best solution to the problem that worries the client, as well as to successfully overcome it together with the client.
- The client must strictly follow the recommendations provided by the psychologist-consultant.
- Creation of a favorable and appropriate climate for psychological counseling.
The problem of distinguishing between personal and professional relationships.
It is known that professional relationships can be strongly influenced by personal relationships, in particular, the personal needs and desires of a psychologist affect both the process of psychological assistance and the client himself, and therefore may hinder the effective implementation of psychological assistance. There are various studies of these influences.
This principle includes two aspects: firstly, it is not recommended to provide professional psychological assistance to relatives, friends and relatives, and secondly, one should not enter into friendly or sexual relations with clients.
It is enough for the consultant to understand that the preservation of his authority for the client is largely due to the fact that the latter knows little about him as a person, he has no reason to both admire the psychologist and condemn him as a person. The establishment of a close personal relationship between the consultant and the client leads to the fact that they, like close people, begin to satisfy certain needs and desires of each other, and the consultant can no longer maintain an objective and detached position, necessary for the effective resolution of the client's problems.
Friendly and non-judgmental attitude towards the client and ways to achieve it.
Goodwill is realized with an attentive and sensitive attitude towards the client. It is opposed both to the excessive noble and active (sometimes imposed) activity of the consultant, and to the primitive, but generous sympathy, empathy. Integrity is one of the most difficult principles to implement. Non-judgment does not mean indifference, it implies "attentive" neutrality and a calm attitude to the reported facts.
Personality traits inherent in an effective psychologist-consultant.
- showing a deep interest in people and patience in dealing with them.
- sensitivity to the attitudes and behavior of other people;
- emotional stability and objectivity;
- the ability to inspire confidence in other people;
- respect for the rights of others.
- trust in people;
- respect for the values of the other person;
- insight;
- lack of prejudice;
- self-understanding;
- consciousness of professional duty.
1. Personal maturity of the consultant. It is assumed that the consultant successfully solves his life problems, frank, tolerant and sincere towards oneself.
2. The Social Maturity of the Consultant. It is assumed that the consultant is able to help other people effectively solve their problems, frank, tolerant and sincere towards clients.
3. Consultant maturity is a process, not a state. The implication is that it is impossible to be mature always and everywhere.
Common Mistakes psychologist-consultant and work with them.
Super customer care. The client is compared with a patient who needs some kind of pills - the words of a consultant, his attention, or with a drowning man who needs a life buoy, then with a helpless kitten. The consultant is identified with the adviser, rescuer, guide. Complete distrust of the client's resources is expressed, he is perceived as incapable of taking care of himself.
The overvaluation of the consultant. It manifests itself in the desire to realize oneself in counseling, while ignoring the needs and rights of the client. For example, a client is compared to a skating rink, which is nice to slide on if you have good skates and you know how to skate well. The consultant is compared, for example, with a steelmaker who directs fiery, molten iron in the right (to whom?) channel. Or with a jeweler, a janitor who wants to put things in order in the client's soul.
Overcoming these two tendencies O.R. Bondarenko connects with the development of newcomers' confidence in the "situation of ignorance", which occurs every time they meet with an individual way of experiencing the world. Then the consultant will be open to the perception of any forms of experiences, attitudes, features of the perceptual sphere of the client. The consultant must learn to feel comfortable in a situation of uncertainty, not trying to know exactly what is happening with the client, trusting the natural course of relationships.
Ethical aspects of psychological counseling.
Ethical aspects of psychological counseling. (according to Kociunas)
1. The consultant is responsible in his work:
in front of your client
to members of the client's family;
to the organization in which he works;
to the public (in general);
before your profession.
2. The client must make a conscious decision about his entry into the process of psychological counseling, therefore, before the start of the counseling process, the consultant is obliged during the first meeting to provide the client with maximum information about the counseling process:
about the main objectives of counseling;
about your qualifications;
about the approximate duration of the consultation;
on the appropriateness of counseling in this situation;
about the risk of temporary deterioration of the client's condition in the process of counseling;
about the limits of confidentiality.
Confidentiality:
Client information may only be used for professional purposes, and only for the benefit of the client.
The materials of consultative meetings in a form in which they cannot harm the interests of the client, the consultant can use in his professional scientific and teaching activities. They are not subject to confidentiality requirements.
Focusing on the right of the client, his good name and secrecy, the consultant in certain cases may not provide information about the client to law enforcement agencies, if this does not violate the rights of third parties.
Confidentiality is limited to the consultant's right to preserve his own dignity and the security of his person.
Confidentiality is limited by the rights of third parties and the public. Circumstances in which confidentiality requirements may be violated:
- criminal acts (violence, corruption, incest, etc.) committed against minors,
- the need for hospitalization of the client,
- participation of the client and other persons in the distribution of drugs and other criminal activities,
- increased risk to the life of the client or other people
(Bodalev A.A., Stolin V.V., 1987; Yu.E. Aleshina, R. Kochunas).
In his work, a practical psychologist is guided by the following principles and rules:
1. The principle of confidentiality (anonymity). The material obtained by the psychologist in the course of his work with the subject or client on the basis of a trusting relationship is not subject to conscious or accidental disclosure and must be presented in such a way that it cannot compromise either the subject, or the customer, or the psychologist, or psychological science.
Any information reported by the client to the psychologist, cannot be transferred without his consent to any public or government organizations, to private individuals, including relatives or friends. The only exceptions are cases that pose an immediate threat to someone's life.. The issue of privacy is litmus test of the consultant's responsibility to the client. Consulting is not possible if the client does not trust the consultant. The issue of privacy should discuss during the first meeting with the client.
· Limit of professional use of customer information. It is the responsibility of each consultant to use client information for professional purposes only. Information about clients (consultant's records, individual client cards) should be stored in places inaccessible to outsiders.
· The consultant, while ensuring secrecy, must acquaint the client with the circumstances in which professional secrecy is not respected. Confidentiality cannot be elevated to an absolute principle. Most often we have to talk about its boundaries. (For example, confidentiality is limited by the rights of third parties and the public).
Circumstances, under which the validity of the confidentiality rules in counseling may be limited:
· Increased risk to the life of the client or others.
· Criminal acts (violence, corruption, incest, etc.) committed against minors.
The need for hospitalization of the client.
· Participation of the client and others in the distribution of drugs and other criminal activities.
Having found out during the consultation that the client poses a serious threat to someone, the consultant is obliged to take measures to protect the potential victim (or victims) and inform her (them), parents, relatives, law enforcement agencies about the danger. The consultant must also inform the client of his intentions.
In August 1969, a client of the Poddar Mental Health Center told his counseling psychologist that he was going to kill his girlfriend Tatiana Tarasoff. The psychologist reported this to the police by telephone and further described the circumstances of the case in an official letter to the chief of police. He pointed out the need to establish surveillance for the client and hospitalize him as a socially dangerous person. The police detained Poddar for questioning but soon released him due to insufficient evidence. Some time later, the expert supervising the qualifications of the mentioned psychologist expressed dissatisfaction and demanded that the letter sent to the police be returned to him. The letter was destroyed. The senior colleague demanded that the counseling psychologist take no further action with this client. The parents of the potential victim were not made aware of the impending threat. Two months later, Poddar killed the girl. Her parents filed a criminal case against the employees of the university for not having warned them of a possible misfortune. Although the lower court dismissed the lawsuit, the California Supreme Court in 1976 convicted the Center staff for irresponsibility.
As Beauchamp and Childress (1983) argue, the priority of privacy ends where someone is in danger.
2. The principle of the competence of a psychologist. A psychologist has the right to take on only those issues on which he is professionally aware and endowed with the appropriate rights and powers to perform psycho-corrective or other influences.
The consultant is obliged correctly assess the level and limits of their professional competence. He should not instill in the client hope for help that they are unable to provide. In counseling the use of insufficiently mastered diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is unacceptable. If the consultant in some cases feels that he is not competent enough, he must consult with more experienced colleagues and improve under their guidance.
3. The principle of non-damage to the client (subject). The organization of the work of a psychologist should be such that neither its process nor its results are detrimental to his health, condition or social status.
4. The principle of the impartiality of the psychologist . It is unacceptable to have a biased attitude towards the client, no matter what subjective impression he makes with his appearance, legal and social status. Friendly and non-judgmental attitude towards the client implies not only adherence to generally accepted norms of behavior, but also the ability to listen carefully, provide the necessary psychological support, not condemn, but try to understand and help to anyone who asks for help. The client should feel calm and comfortable during the reception.
5. The principle of focusing on the norms and values of the client . The psychologist during his work should
focus not on socially accepted norms and rules, but on those life principles and ideals that the client is the bearer of. Effective impact is possible only when relying on the value system of the client himself, the critical attitude of the consultant can lead to the fact that the person who comes to the appointment closes, cannot be sincere and open, and, consequently, the possibility of consultative influence will be practically unrealizable. By accepting the values of the client, respecting them and giving them their due, the consultant will be able to influence them if they are an obstacle to normal
human functioning.
6. The principle of not giving advice . By advising, the consultant assumes responsibility for what is happening, which does not contribute to the development of the personality of the person being consulted and his adequate attitude to reality. However do not confuse advice with the provision of objective information, which sometimes just needs to be given to the client.
When a person seeks advice, he is, in fact, asking: “Which route should I, blind, go on so as not to fall again? You can, of course, give advice, but in this case, the person will constantly turn to us. Our help is to make him see for himself. So that in the future I would not look for a guide-guide, but could go Samm.
7. The principle of distinguishing between personal and professional relationships . The prohibition against dual relationships is another important ethical principle that is discussed as often as confidentiality.
The level of skill is directly related to the ability of a person to realize and fulfill his professional role , build your behavior within its framework. "Human" relationships arise when behavior begins to go beyond the professional role.
Mixing work relationships with other types of relationships not only complicates but also makes it impossible to resolve psychological problem. They are not friends with clients, they do not advise friends. Working relationships are relationships pure mirrors. "Human" relationships distort perception: friendship is a mirror of interdependence, falling in love is a mirror of idealization, and friendships are a mirror of tact. →
It is inappropriate to consult relatives, friends, employees studying with a student consultant; sexual contact with clients is not allowed. This prohibition is understandable, since counseling gives the specialist an advantage and there is a risk that in personal relationships this advantage can be used for the purpose of exploitation.
The desire by the client of a relationship with a psychologist that goes beyond the working ones must be considered as resistance and used as material for psychological analysis.
The problem of sexual relations of consultants and psychotherapists with clients is often hushed up. A survey was conducted of 1,000 American practitioners of psychological counseling and psychotherapy with a doctoral degree. Half of them were men and the other half were women. The researchers got the following results:
· erotic contacts and sexual relations are more frequent between male consultants and female clients (5.5%) than between female consultants and male clients (0.6%);
· consultants who once crossed the line of what is permitted tend to re-establish sexual relationships with clients (80% of cases);
- 70% of male consultants and 80% of female consultants categorically deny the permissibility of sexual relations with clients; 4% of respondents consider sexual relationships with clients to be therapeutically valuable.
Sexual relations between counselors and clients are neither ethically nor professionally acceptable because they represent a direct abuse of the counselor's role. The client is much more vulnerable than the consultant, because in the specific atmosphere of counseling he "uncovers" himself- reveals his feelings, fantasies, secrets, desires, including those of a sexual nature. Sometimes the client strongly idealizes the consultant, he wants a close relationship with such an ideal person who deeply understands him. However, when turning an advisory contact into a sexual relationship clients develop extreme dependence and the counselor loses objectivity. This is where any professional counseling and psychotherapy ends.
In psychotherapy, there are two the most important concepts, introduced into psychoanalysis by Z. Freud, which are of great importance for working with patients:
a) "transfer" that is, the client's tendency to transfer and project onto the therapist and the relationship with him his relationship with significant people, major problems and conflicts;
b) "countertransference", that is, the therapist's tendency to project his relationships with significant people and underlying internal problems and conflicts onto the relationship with the patient. Precisely in order to understand, manage and be able to use one’s countertransference for the purposes of analysis, as well as a number of other personal and interpersonal phenomena, for a beginner
there is a mandatory requirement for a psychotherapist to undergo his own analysis and work with a supervisor for a long time.
To one degree or another, these phenomena operate in the process of counseling. But it is difficult to expect that a person who has not received special and in-depth training will be able to successfully work with these most complex phenomena.
It is enough for the consultant to understand that the preservation of his authority for the client is largely due to the fact that the latter knows little about him as a person, he has no reason to both admire the psychologist and condemn him as a person.
8. The principle of informed consent . It is necessary to inform the subject about the ethical principles and rules of psychological activity. The client's decision to enter into a "consultation contract" must be fully conscious, therefore the consultant is obliged during the first meeting to provide the client maximum information about the consulting process:
- about the main objectives of counseling;
- about your qualifications;
- about payment for consultation;
- about the approximate duration of the consultation:
- about the advisability of counseling;
- about the risk of temporary deterioration of the condition in the process of counseling;
- about the limits of confidentiality.
Very important agree in advance with the client the possibility of audio and video recording of consultation conversations and observation by a third party through a one way mirror. It is unacceptable to use such procedures without the consent of the client.. These procedures may be important to the counselor for pedagogical and research purposes, and also useful to the client in assessing the dynamics of his problems and the effectiveness of counseling. Sometimes the authority that controls the qualifications of a consultant requires detailed information about a particular case. The resistance of some insecure consultants to procedures for observing or recording conversations, ostensibly to maintain confidentiality and protect the client, actually expresses their own anxiety and discomfort.
Similar are principles of telephone counseling:
1. Constant availability. Day and night, 24 hours a day, people who find themselves in a difficult situation can get the support of another person.
2. Anonymity and confidentiality. The caller has the right not to give his name. The content of the conversation is absolutely confidential.
3. Respect for the caller. The client is accepted as he is. The consultant has no right to manipulate the caller or impose his position. Any form of ideological pressure, including religious or political, is unacceptable.
4 Caller protection. A consultant can be a person who has passed selection and special training, he is obliged to constantly improve his skills (see Russian Association of Telephone Emergency Psychological Assistance: Booklet, 1996).
Since the problem of good and evil continues to be central to ethics, the main requirement of practical ethics is reduced to the famous "do no harm".
1. The obligation to maintain confidentiality is not absolute, but relative, since there are certain conditions that can change such an obligation.
2. Confidentiality depends on the nature of the information provided by the client, however, the confidentiality of the client binds the consultant incomparably more strictly than the "secrecy" of the events reported by the client.
3 Materials of consultation meetings that cannot harm the interests of the client are not subject to confidentiality rules
4 Materials of consultation meetings necessary for the effective work of the consultant are also not subject to confidentiality rules (for example, it is possible to provide an expert with consultation materials by agreement with the client)
5. Confidentiality is always based on the client's right to good name and secrecy. The consultant is obliged to respect the rights of clients and, in certain cases, even to act illegally (for example, not to provide information about the client to law enforcement agencies, if this does not violate the rights of third parties).
6. Confidentiality is limited to the consultant's right to preserve his own dignity and the safety of his person.
7. Confidentiality is limited by the rights of third parties and the public.
Source: R. Kociunas. Fundamentals of psychological counseling
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