Question

Professional Issues and Ethics DB_7

T‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‍he therapeutic process is an intimate process. There are many forms of intimacy. Emotional intimacy, especially when it is missing in one's life, can be attractive (for the client and/or therapist). Intimacy is not only attractive but it can also be desirable & easy to confuse it as an attraction towards the person within the context where such intimacy is produced. Thus, one especially needs to check one's use of transparency/self-disclosure in light of what kind of intimacy is getting created within the therapeutic relationship. Last week you reflected on self-disclosure, continue reading about it this week in Robert's paper (2005). What is appropriate self-diclosure is not only determined by the therapeutic context but also by our theories. When a therapist discloses, it also makes the therapist vulnerable (in a good sort of a way), thus what gets created & how it shapes the context and the relationship is key to the process of therapeutics. But at times, such vulnerability can also generate a false sense of intimacy for the therapist (especially, when the therapist has not processed what he/she is self-disclosing). Yet, to share one's vulnerability can also be an excellent therapeutic tool as spoken in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI3LZcAa6xo So, the question is not only “should I disclose or not,” but also ask "what is being co-created between you and your client within the therapeutic space" (Remember, we are in a relational space!) And, at the same time, I don't think there is a blanket statement that you should answer all your client's questions about you. Rather, how and what you respond with needs to be coordinated & negotiated by understanding your client, the context, and their questions about you. Similarly, be in relationship to your intent to disclose--check-in‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‍ with yourself, ask yourself the questions that Roberts offers. Back to intimacy, let's turn to sexual intimacy and attraction now. These can happen even when you have done your best to not disclose. Your clients can have romantic feelings towards you since it is human. So, how do we process this with clients is important to do it in consultation with one's supervisor or peers. This is especially critical, if one as a therapist, also has budding feelings. How not to be scared of our own human response & to determine the right course of action is best done by not isolating oneself, but by being in conversation about feelings with trusted other non-judgmental professionals. It is ok to be human and don’t be ashamed, instead SEEK a trusted consultation if you are having feelings towards your client. Several therapists lose their license because of inappropriate sexual relationships with clients (even for something as "small" as a kiss or sexual touch which is a BIG boundary violation in a clinical context). Thus, these week's readings are closely related. Please respond to the questions below:

1. What were your reaction or questions on reading this chapter and/or article?

2. How do you make sense of the fact thaton one hand the APA ethical code explicitly states not to accept former lovers as clients (Code 10.07) and on the other hand it only has a moratorium of two years with regard to sexual intimacy with former clients (Code 10.08)? Would you recommend changing one or the other code or neither? References:

 1. Koocher, G.P., and Keith-Spiegel, P. (2016). Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions: Standards and Cases. (4th Edition). New York: Oxford 2. Roberts, J. (2005). Transparency and self-disclosurein family therapy. Family Process, 44, 45-63. **Reading is attached in pdf ‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‍format.

Expert Solution

Professional counselling necessitates the counsellor to uphold professionalism and boundary between them and  the client as one of the fundamentals of counseling. Self-disclosure is essential to establish trust and a sense of connection between client, and therapist. Self-disclosure has the potential to be an effective therapeutic tool; nevertheless, it must be utilized carefully (Roberts,  2005). The distinctions between the counselor-client relationship and the professional roles may become mishandled due to inappropriate self-disclosure. The ethical counselor will therefore need to be aware of the limits of self-disclosure to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship and position the client for success. Therefore Self-disclosure is a vital tool in the therapeutic relationship and can promote positive outcomes for clients.

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