Having researched into the two main UK psychotherapy and counselling associations, I have discovered some interesting facts and ideas.
I feel that general ethics will be very similar and apply to any role where ever it may be that you work. Respecting others, both customers/patients and staff, no sexual relationships to be taken place, no harm to be done, treating all ethnicities, ages, sexes etc equally. They are common factors that should always be thought about and taken into account. Some people will not obey these, hence why these policies are here, so that any mis treating that may occur, there is evidence to fall back on on the way that situations should have been dealt with.
Within the rules for confidentiality for the UK Council of Psychotherapy, I can see links with my own current practice/work place. All information must be kept confidential at all times, with documentation being controlled or locked away out of viewing from any person.
They state the following:
"The psychotherapist commits to respect, protect and preserve the confidentiality of their clients. The psychotherapist undertakes to notify their clients, when appropriate or on request that there are legal and ethical limits of that confidentiality and circumstances under which the psychotherapist might disclose confidential information to a third party."
"The psychotherapist commits to protect sensitive and personally identifiable information obtained from the course of their work as a psychotherapist."
Again, the same applies for both their rules and my work place when discussing professional knowledge, work and experience. No one can go beyond what they know. Some may attempt to but could therefore be passing on incorrect information or may cause problems further down the line. In my work place, I will not give out any information or try to 'guess' the answer to anything.. if that customer returned to say that I had done so, I would be in a lot of trouble! It is best to take the time and make the effort to go and find someone/find the information on the system to enable you are doing your job correctly.
"The psychotherapist agrees to disclose their qualifications to clients and UKCP when requested and commits to not claiming or implying qualifications that they do not have."
"The psychotherapist commits to recognise the boundaries and limitations of their expertise and techniques and to take the necessary steps to maintain their ability to practice competently."
Another policy that stands out is that within any job or role, complaints should always be dealt with correctly and appropriately. If well mannered and knowledgable, a positive result may be the outcome of a complaint. If however, some one does not take the situation on board correctly, more problems may spiral out from it and trust and support from this customer/patient will be lost.
As for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy covers many of the same regulations at I have previously discussed. They include points which I feel cover a variety of jobs, not just those of a counsellor. Some of which have already been mentioned. They say that the values of their work make a commitment to the following:
- Respecting human rights and dignity
- Protecting the safety of clients
- Ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client 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
- Increasing personal effectiveness
- Enhancing the quality of relationships between people
- Appreciating the variety of human experience and culture
- Striving for the fair and adequate provision of counselling and psychotherapy services
They also discuss 'personal moral qualities' which are extremely important to the clients. They are as follows:
"Empathy: the ability to communicate understanding of another person’s experience from that person’s perspective.
Sincerity: a personal commitment to consistency between what is professed and what is done.
Integrity: commitment to being moral in dealings with others, personal straightforwardness, honesty and coherence.
Resilience: the capacity to work with the client’s concerns without being personally diminished.
Respect: showing appropriate esteem to others and their understanding of themselves.
Humility: the ability to assess accurately and acknowledge one’s own strengths and weaknesses.
Competence: the effective deployment of the skills and knowledge needed to do what is required.
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."
I agree that each and every attribute to the member of staff must work well with those they are working with. How you behave reflects on your performance (linking to my ideas for inquiry) and how others learn to understand you.
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