Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions 9

Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions, 9 th Edition by Gerald Corey, Marianne Schneider Corey, Cindy Corey, and Patrick Callanan with Michelle Muratori, Johns Hopkins University © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2 THE COUNSELOR AS A PERSON AND AS A PROFESSIONAL © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

The Counselor as a Person and Professional Counselors must be aware of the influence of their own personality and needs. Examples of personal needs of counselors based on unresolved personal conflicts: – Need to tell people what to do – Strong desire to relieve all pain from clients – Need to have all answers and be perfect – Intense need to be recognized and appreciated © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Personal Therapy for Counselors Beneficial to both trainees and experienced practitioners It is a necessary form of ongoing self-care © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Personal Therapy for Counselors Reasons for participating: – To explore your values and motivations for becoming a helper, how your needs influence your actions, and how you use power in your life – To identify and explore your blind spots and potential areas of countertransference – For remediation purposes © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Transference The process whereby clients project onto their therapists past feelings or attitudes they had toward significant people in their lives © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Transference 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. © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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 © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Countertransference Can be either a constructive or a destructive element in therapeutic relationship © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Examples of Countertransference Being overprotective with a client Treating clients in benign ways Rejecting a client Needing constant reinforcement and approval © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Examples of Countertransference Seeing yourself in your clients Developing sexual or romantic feelings for a client Giving advice compulsively Desiring a social relationship with clients © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Client Dependence A temporary dependence is not necessarily problematic. An ethical issue occurs when counselors encourage and promote dependence. Can manifest in subtle ways – Counselors may collude with their clients in keeping them dependent. – Termination can be delayed even though a client no longer needs services. © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Stress in the Counseling Profession Counseling can be a hazardous profession and lead to empathy fatigue. © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Stress in the Counseling Profession Some sources of stress for counselors: – Feeling they are not helping their clients – Tendency to accept full responsibility for clients’ progress – Feeling pressure to quickly solve clients’ problems – Having extremely high personal goals and perfectionistic strivings © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Counselor Burnout and Impairment Burnout: – A state of physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual depletion characterized by feelings of helplessness and hopelessness © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Counselor Burnout and 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 © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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 © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Signs of “Therapist Decay” Which Lead to Burnout Living in isolated ways, both personally and professionally Failing to recognize the personal impact of clients’ struggles Resisting personal therapy when experiencing personal distress © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Maintaining Vitality as a Counselors are often not prepared to maintain their vitality, yet sustaining the personal self is an ethical obligation. Personal vitality is a prerequisite to functioning in a professional role. Ongoing self-care is an essential part of a therapist’s professional competence and personal wellness program. © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Maintaining Vitality as a Counselor Clients can benefit from a counselor’s mindfulness practices even if clients are not practicing mindfulness themselves. Self-compassion can enhance counselor well-being, counselor effectiveness in the workplace, and therapeutic relationships with clients. © 2015. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.