Integrity - The counsellor needs to be honest with himself and the client and show a commitment to being moral to others. He also needs to be congruent - genuine
Respect - The counsellor needs to accept the client and there issues being none judgemental and give the client unconditional positive regard.
Trust - The client must have trust in the counsellor thus enabling the therapeutic process to take place. The counsellor must also trust himself.
Competence - The counsellor must have the relevant skills and knowledge and be able to apply these in a beneficial way to the client. The counsellor should also monitor and endeavour to improve there own competence.
The B.A.C.P recommends than we work within the following Ethical principles.
None - Maleficence - “What will cause least harm” (Bond.1998:33). The counsellor should be insured. He should take all reasonable steps to protect the client from harm, whether it be physical injury or psychological harm. If a counsellor feels that another counsellor is acting unethically it is his moral responsibility to challenge this malpractice. Counsellors should be competent at all times.
Beneficence - “What will achieve the greatest good” (Bond.1998:33). Counselling is a helping profession which expects Counsellors to act in ways that promote the welfare and growth of their clients. The counselor should act in the best interests of the client.
Justice - “What will be fairest” (Bond.1998:34) Counsellors shall respect the dignity and worth of every client. Also the client’s human rights regardless of any colour, race, religion etc. and must ensure that the client gets the best possible support for their needs.
Autonomy - The counsellor should help the client realise their own potential giving them the ability to move forward and help themselves without imposing his own views.
Fidelity - Trust is one of the main foundations on which a good counsellor/client relationship is built. A client that doesn’t trust his counsellor is unlikely to make any personal disclosures or even move forward in their therapy. Once the client has trust in the counsellor, it is important that this trust is reciprocated.
Self respect - The counsellor will encounter lots of very emotional issues throughout their work. This principle is in place to protect the counsellor from any emotional/ physical harm. There is also an ethical responsibility to use supervision for personal and professional support and development.
I will now look at a dilemma in counselling that anyone of us as counsellors could face at any time. The dilemma is.
Sexual Attraction with Clients
You are a counsellor in private practice. A new client has come for an initial assessment interview for which they do not pay. You find him/her very attractive and you interpret some of his/her behaviour as flirting with you. Neither of you is in a relationship.
With this dilemma the following points need to be considered.
Professional code of ethics. What does the B.A.C.P say?
Your own personal morals and ethics.
Is the client flirting or is just your perception?
Do you make the client aware of this issue?
First and foremost we need to act in the best interest of our client (Benificence) we must very quickly decide on the best course of action and stay within the B.A.C.P framework.
We need to look at what will cause the least harm to the client. We as counsellors should always behave in a competent way and the clients needs should come first. It is a counsellor’s responsibility to protect the client from harm and in this case possible psychological harm.
In the event of a complaint there is a possibility of expulsion from counselling associations. Therefore adequate insurance must be held by the counsellor (None – Maleficence).
We need to look at what will be the fairest course of action for the clients well being. We as counsellors must respect the dignity and worth of every client. We must also ensure that the client gets the best possible support for their needs. In the case of this dilemma could we be fair to this client. Would it be appropriate to counsel this client (Justice)?
We as counsellors need to help the client realise their own potential and empower them to move forward without imposing our own thoughts and views (Autonomy).
With this dilemma we will encounter emotional issues and as counsellors we have an ethical responsibility to take this issue to supervision for support and advice.
We also need to consider our own morals and ethics. “It is not unethical to feel attraction to a client. The ethical response is to acknowledge the feeling to yourself and to consult your supervisor” (Bond.1998:113) You as a counsellor need to consider whether or not you could counsel this person effectively owing to your own attraction to them (Unconditional Positive Regard) Could you put your own attraction to one side and continue counselling this person? This is a personal decision, we are all different. You would also need to look at your own sexuality and your views on this, for example, how would you feel if you were attracted to a client of the same sex, would you then need to question your own sexuality? How would you feel if the client was of the opposite sex, if they were married or single? If you continued with the counselling are you showing true integrity and could we build up a good trusting relationship. Are we able stay within the client’s frame of reference (Empathy) and does our own attraction have some bearing on this? The B.A.C.P framework states that “Practitioners must not abuse their clients trust in order to gain sexual, emotional, financial or any other kind of personal advantage. Sexual relations with clients are prohibited” B.A.C.P. (2002:7.18).
We also need to consider, is the client flirting or is it just your perception. Your perception of flirting may not be the same as your clients. Are you aware of any mental problems your client may have. Do you make the client aware of this issue for clarification? (Congruence) This is a matter of your own judgement.
Again these are all questions that only the individual could answer you as an individual will have to look at your own limitations as only the individual knows what their limitations are.
Our Options.
- We report back to our supervisor, Because of your sexual attraction you cannot be totally objective in deciding the correct course of action.
- Discuss the issue with the client, once this issue is brought into the clients awareness it could help the client move forward in their therapy.
- Continue with the counselling but only with the full support and backing of your supervisor. If you as a counsellor are able continue then this would be an excellent learning curve and personal development.
- If our attraction towards the client was too influential then we would have to refer the client to another counsellor.
Conclusion
I feel that we simply have two choices with this dilemma. We either go ahead with the counselling or we don’t. If we felt that it was inappropriate for us to counsel the client then we could refer them to another counsellor then there isn’t a dilemma. However, if we decide to counsel the client we must feel confident and competent enough to be able to put our attraction to one side to enable us to stay with the client. A counsellor should make it clear what their role is when setting the contract with the client, this will include a number of issues, fees, confidentiality, time, harm to self or others clause etc. When setting the contract in the beginning with their client.
Both the client and counsellor have a responsibility but the counsellor has a greater responsibility. It is the counsellor’s responsibility to monitor and maintain safe boundaries within a counselling situation. If this is not adhered to your reputation as a counsellor will diminish it could also damage the profession as a whole. The important point to remember is that you must make use of your supervisor. Your supervisor is there to support your emotional and professional needs also to reinforce your own moral values and decisions.
My personal view of this dilemma is that I would have to refer the client. I could not continue the counselling beneficially. I see many problems arising. I don’t feel as if I could be totally there for the client because of my attraction. This I feel would be detrimental to both the client and myself. I feel by taking this course of action I am being person centred. I am being (Genuine) and honest. I am showing the client (Empathy) by understanding that this would not be in their best interests.
In this essay I feel I have achieved what I set out to achieve I have looked at Ethics and the importance of using a code of ethics both for the protection of the professional and the public. I have explained both personal and professional Ethical values and the importance of applying these in a counselling situation. I feel I have explained the ethical principles of counselling. I have looked at a dilemma and have applied the values and principles to this dilemma. I have also given my own personal views.
Bibliography
MEARNS, D & THORNE, B (2001) Person Centred Counselling in Action Sage Publications, London.
BOND, T (1998) Standards and Ethics for Counselling in Action Sage Publications, London.
Turton, J. (2002) Online Counsellor. viewed 1st December 2002.
(B.A.C.P. (2002) Ethical Framework for good practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.