1Listen to the audio lecture while viewing these slidesPsychology 475Professional Ethics in Addictions Counseling1The Counselor as a Person and as a ProfessionalChapter 22Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingSelf-Awareness• Without a high level of self-awareness, the counselor will hinder the progress of their clients, • as the focus of therapy shifts from meeting the client’s needs to meeting the needs of the therapist.3Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingCounselors must be aware of their:• Needs• Areas of “unfinished business”• Personal conflicts• Defenses• Vulnerabilities 4Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingAsk yourself these:• What are my motivations for becoming a counselor?• What are my rewards for counseling others?5Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingInterfering Motivations• Working primarily to be appreciated by others, instead of what’s in the best interest of the client• A tendency to give advice and to direct another persons life, can lead to excessive dependence on the counselor6Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingMore Interfering Motivations • Working to gain the acceptance, admiration, and awe of clients.27Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingQuestions to ask yourself• See page 388Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingUnresolved Personal Conflicts• Counselors should be aware of their:•Biases•Areas of denial•Unresolved issues9Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingPersonal Therapy During Training• It helps to know what the experience of being a client is like.10Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingIssues that may surface during training• A need to:• tell people what to do• have all the answers and be perfect• be recognized and appreciated11Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingMore issues• A fear of doing harm• To deny or not recognize client issues that may relate to their own.• A desire to take all pain away from clients.12Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingOngoing Therapy for Practitioners• Committed professionals engage in lifelong self examination, as a means of remaining self-aware and genuine.313Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingTransference and Countertransference• The client's general reactions and orientation to the counselor and to the counselor’s action in response.14Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingDirect Response• How counselors handle their client’s feelings will have a direct bearing on therapeutic outcomes.15Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingTransference: The “Unreal” Relationship in Treatment• Transference: the process whereby clients project onto their counselor’s past feelings or attitudes they had toward significant people in their lives.16Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingCountertransference: Clinical Impressions• Countertransference: any projections by a counselor that can potentially get in the way of helping a client.• Ethically, counselors are expected to deal with these reactions, so “their problem” doesn’t become the clients.17Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingCountertransference: Ethical Implications• Being overprotective with a client• Treating clients in benign ways• Rejecting a client• Needing constant reinforcement and approval18Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingMore ethical implications• Seeing yourself in your clients• Developing sexual or romantic feelings• Compulsively giving advice• Desiring a social relationship with clients419Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingClient Dependence• Ethical issues arise when a counselor encourages dependence.•Don’t want to “lose”a client.• Don’t want to challenge a client who shows up regularly and pays on time.• A need to feel important.20Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingDelaying Termination as a Form of Client Dependence• It becomes unethical when a client is not terminated because of the counselors emotional or financial needs.21Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingThe Goal• The ultimate sign of an effective counselor is the ability to help clients reach a stage of autonomy, wherein they no longer need a therapist.22Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingStress in the Counseling Profession• Signs of burnout:• Irritability and emotional exhaustion• Feelings of isolation• Abuse of alcohol or drugs• Reduced personal effectiveness23Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingMore signs of burnout• Indecisiveness• Compulsive work patterns• Drastic changes in behavior24Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingSource of Stress• Occupational Hazards:• Economic uncertainty• Professional conflicts•Time pressures525Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingMore occupational hazards• Sense of enormous responsibility• Excessive workload • Managed care• Educational system26Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingCounselor Impairment• Impairment: the presence of an illness/severe psychological depletion that limits the professionals ability to deliver effective services and results in consistently functioning below acceptable practice standards.27Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingSexually exploitive behavior by counselors is a sign of impairment28Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingThey often show these characteristics:• Fragile self esteem• Difficulty establishing intimacy in their personal life• Professional isolation• A need to rescue clients29Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingMore characteristics• A need for reassurance about ones attractiveness• Substance abuse of some kind30Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingSigns of Impairment• Lack of empathy • Loneliness• Poor social skills• Discounting the possibility of harm to others631Psyc 475 – Professional Ethics in Addictions CounselingMore signs of impairment• Preoccupation with personal needs• Justification of behavior• Denial of professional responsibility to clients32Psyc 475 –