Professional Professional Ethics inEthics in

CounsellingCounselling

Professor Craig JacksonProfessor Craig Jackson

Head of PsychologyBCU

EthicsEthics

Ethos - moral character or custom

Morality comes from the Latin word “moralis” - custom or manner

Ethics is a generic term for various ways of understanding and examining the moral life”

Beauchamp & Childress, 1994

Morality is concerned with perspectives of right and proper conduct

MoralityMorality

There is nothing divine about morality

a purely human affair

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed

What the individual can do is to give a fine example, and to have the courage to uphold ethical values ... in a society of cynics (Albert Einstein)

“People are responsible as the primary agents in determining their own behaviour” (Evans 2001)

Consider your own MoralityConsider your own Morality

Is your moral code the same as your parents’ or “significant other”?

In what way has it changed since you left your family of origin?

On what basis do you decide what is right or wrong? i.e. religion/legal grounds

How do you decide when to be honest or when it is wrong to steal?; are these absolute values for you or are they always relative to each particular situation?

Man does not strive to be good; the good is what it is human to strive for (Perls et al, 1989, 335)

Bracket own values and morals and explore the phenomenology of the client.

Your own MoralityYour own Morality

10 personal qualities of the ethical therapist10 personal qualities of the ethical therapist

Empathy - the ability to communicate understanding of another person’s perspective

Sincerity – a personal commitment to consistency between what is professed and what is done

Integrity – honesty and coherence

Resilience – the capacity to work with client’s concerns without being personally diminished

Respect – showing appropriate esteem to others and their understanding of themselves

10 personal qualities of the ethical therapist10 personal qualities of the ethical therapist

Humility – the ability to assess accurately and acknowledge one’s own strengths and weakness

Competence – the effective development of skills and knowledge

Fairness – the consistent application of appropriate criteria to inform decisions and actions

Wisdom - possession of sound judgement that informs practice

Courage – the capacity to act in spite of known fears, risks and uncertainty

Values of Counselling & Psychotherapy Values of Counselling & Psychotherapy

Respect for human rights and dignity

Ensuring the integrity of client practitioner relationships

Enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application

Alleviating personal distress and suffering

Fostering a sense of self that is meaningful to the person’s concerned

Values of Counselling & Psychotherapy Values of Counselling & Psychotherapy

Increasing personal effectiveness

Enhancing the quality of relationships between people

Appreciating the variety of human experience and culture

Striving for fair and adequate provision of counselling and psychotherapy services

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Ethical Principles – Beuachamp & Childress 1994Ethical Principles – Beuachamp & Childress 1994

1. Respect for individual autonomy – right of another to choose and act in accordance with his or her wishes or beliefs

2. Beneficence – a commitment to benefiting the client

3. Non-maleficence – not to harm others intentionally

4. Justice – a fair distribution of services within society

Thompson (1990) added a further two principles 5. Fidelity – honouring the promises upon which the trust between client and counsellor is founded 

6. Self-interest – the counsellor’s entitlement to all the preceding principles (Bond, 2000)

Bond’s development of ethicsBond’s development of ethics

Ethical Problem Solving Ethical Problem Solving 6 stages6 stages

Methods taken from – Standards and Ethics for counselling inaction (Bond, 1993)

Six step process

• Produce a brief description of problem or dilemma Can have effects of clarifying, reducing even removing the difficulty.

• Whose dilemma is it anyway?

Ethical Problem SolvingEthical Problem Solving

3. Consider all ethical principles and guidelinesQuestions to be consideredWhat actions are prohibited by lawWhat actions are required to be performed by lawWhat are the people involved, including yourself, entitled by law

In the absence of any relevant guidelines or decisive legal advise you can consider

Non malificence – what will cause least harmRespect for autonomy – what maximises the

opportunities for everyone involved to implement his or her choices?

4. Identity all possible courses of actionBrainstorm possibilities

Ethical Problem SolvingEthical Problem Solving

5. Select the best of actions (Holly & Stradler 1986)

Universality – would my chosen course of action berecommended to others? Would I condone this course of action if t was done by someone else?

Publicity – could I explain my chosen course of action toothers would I be willing to have my actions and rationaleexposed to the scrutiny

Justice – Would I do the same for other clients in a similarSituation. Would I do the same if the client were well known and or influential? If answers are No than reconsider your course of action.

Ethical Problem SolvingEthical Problem Solving

6. Evaluate the outcomeLearn from experiences Was the outcome as you hoped

Had you considered all relevant factors with the result?