Chapter 3 - ethics (assignment)
Client’s needs before own
- need to be aware of own needs – as they can interfere
with client’s needs
- a professional client & therapist relationship exist
for their benefit
o ethical problem arises when therapist meets own
needs, in place of the client’s needs = crucial
not to exploit/harm clients
- professionals need to increase self-awareness &
learn to recognise areas of prejudice & vulnerability
o being aware of personal problems & willing to
work on them = less of a chance of problems being
projected onto client
Ethics
- can get you in trouble but not in jail
o you could get fined/suspended/removed as a
therapist
- provide guidelines to protect therapist and client &
helps put boundaries into place
- codes don’t make decisions - it is just a guideline
- hints on the best interests of the client but doesn’t
specify because it will depend on the situation
1
, Types of ethics
- mandatory ethics = view of ethical practice that
deals with the min level of professional practice
o bare minimum of professional practice - bare
min.
o bare minimum to keep out of trouble
- aspirational ethics: the highest standard of
thinking and conduct
o aspire to do the best in the interest of the
client
Ethical decision making
- professionals = expected to have careful judgement
when it comes to interpreting & applying ethical
principles to specific situations
- principles are usually to benefit to the client in
your decision making - doing no harm to client,
respect their autonomy (they can make decisions for
themselves), be just, fair and faithful
Ethical codes
- educate us on responsibilities, basis for
accountability, improving professional practice and
protect clients from unethical practices
- provide basis for reflecting & improving on practice
2
Client’s needs before own
- need to be aware of own needs – as they can interfere
with client’s needs
- a professional client & therapist relationship exist
for their benefit
o ethical problem arises when therapist meets own
needs, in place of the client’s needs = crucial
not to exploit/harm clients
- professionals need to increase self-awareness &
learn to recognise areas of prejudice & vulnerability
o being aware of personal problems & willing to
work on them = less of a chance of problems being
projected onto client
Ethics
- can get you in trouble but not in jail
o you could get fined/suspended/removed as a
therapist
- provide guidelines to protect therapist and client &
helps put boundaries into place
- codes don’t make decisions - it is just a guideline
- hints on the best interests of the client but doesn’t
specify because it will depend on the situation
1
, Types of ethics
- mandatory ethics = view of ethical practice that
deals with the min level of professional practice
o bare minimum of professional practice - bare
min.
o bare minimum to keep out of trouble
- aspirational ethics: the highest standard of
thinking and conduct
o aspire to do the best in the interest of the
client
Ethical decision making
- professionals = expected to have careful judgement
when it comes to interpreting & applying ethical
principles to specific situations
- principles are usually to benefit to the client in
your decision making - doing no harm to client,
respect their autonomy (they can make decisions for
themselves), be just, fair and faithful
Ethical codes
- educate us on responsibilities, basis for
accountability, improving professional practice and
protect clients from unethical practices
- provide basis for reflecting & improving on practice
2
