Ethics in Counseling Essay

This paper analyses social, ethical and legal issues at heart a illness initiated by the NSW Health C atomic number 18 Complaints Commission (HCCC) against a psychologist, Steven Kreft (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The HCCC investigated a direction by a lymph node of Kreft of individualized and informal disclosures, as thoroughly as un pro treatment in the entreaty of a imagegraph of the node in which the invitee was dressed in underwear. Krefts actions are assessed in light of pro and ethical standards as hearty as potential breaches of the law. Steven Kreft, was an experienced psychologist fixly specialising in the treatment of men with misgiving conditions using cognitive- demeanoral therapy (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The customer, a 19-year-old married woman, was referred to Kreft beca recitation of anxiety and possibly holy terror attacks, yet during the initial st advances of charge, she raised resemblanceship problems, her look and internal desires and class perio ds with him and these became the focus of their sessions.Kreft conveyed to the lymph gland that he was non experienced or skilled in the treatment of onlyiance problems or knowledgeable dis alleges, however, the invitee stated that she wished to continue working with him and he did not insist on referring her elsewhere. The client ultimately charge Kreft of failing to observe proper headmaster boundaries and winsome in inappropriate discussions of a ad hominem character in which he Complimented her on her appearance referring to her bantam size, short height and thin build, and likened her to his girlfriend Commented on her draining Bonds underwear like his girlfriend wore Asked the client to comment on his physical appearance break details of his soulal life including the number of sexual dieners he had had, that his girlfriend would share a cognise with separate girlfriends when they slept over, that he had been in love many times, and that he had thought roughl y homosexuality during his offspring (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). In addition, Kreft was acc utilize of failing to go on or observe appropriate redress approach pattern and/or failing to observe proper professional boundaries when he asked the client for photographs for a study in which other good deal would rate the clients appearance. One of these photographs pictured the client dressed in underwear. Kreft copied these photographs onto his declare computer for later presentation to anon. others.This reading was not recorded in the clients clinical notes (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The HCCC investigated the clients complaints and took disciplinary action against him. There are numerous social, ethical and legal issues in this case. Although Kreft was in detail a psychologist, for the figure of this paper, his orchestrate will be assessed against the Australian Counselling Associations computer code of morality and Practice (2012). This paper will look the power dissymmetry surro unded by Kreft and his client, the effect of his exact on the therapeutic human congenership and whether Krefts deportment might baffle breached sexual torture laws. ethical and legal guidelines exist to offer protection to people who whitethorn experience harm as a result of the actions of another individual. According to Welfel (2013, p.3), professional morals in counselling encompasses five dimensions of behaviour including having competent knowledge, skill and judgement respecting the clients homo dignity and freedom using a advocates internal power responsibly and, performing to promote public confidence in the counselling profession.This provides a useful framework for assessing Krefts conduct in this case. Beginning with Krefts expertise, Kreft usually used a strict cognitive-behavioural protocol for the management of anxiety and panic disorders. Kreft is described by his own treating headhunter as a skilled practitioner in a narrow-minded field, having been tr ained to think rationally and logically. Krefts practice involved administering protocols, carrying out logic-based interventions and requires his patients to lock a mindset where they share a cat valium objective and commitment to the treatment and its proposed outcome (HCCC v Kreft, 2011 at 227).Although referred to Kreft because of his relevant expertise, the treatment interaction became sexualised when the client began talking almost her sexual experiences and practices. There was shape up exploration of her concerns nearly her personal appearance, low self-esteem, learn for validation by men via her sexual activities and descriptions of her circumstantial sexual behaviour. Here, Kreft was out of his professional depth. Specifically on this matter, the Australian Counselling Associations (ACA) recruit of Ethics and Practice states that counsellors moldiness endeavour to arrange suit qualified referral where competent service cannot be provided (p.3) and begin steady s upervision and debriefing to develop skills, reminder performance and sustain professional accountability (p.3).Although Kreft appreciate thatthe clients sexual intercourseship and sexual issues were beyond his expertise and conveyed as much to the client, he could contrive insisted on referral, despite the clients orientation course for continued sessions with him. The ACA further states that competence includes creation able to recognise when it is appropriate to refer a client elsewhere (p.12). The rationale for this professional view is that counsellors are necessitate to take all reasonable move to regard that the client does not suffer physical, activated or psychological harm during counselling sessions (p.4). Sexualisation of the therapeutic relationship can be harmful to clients, and in this case, it is difficult to see how it served the client. According to the ACA Code of Ethics and Practice, the helping relationship prepares the effective and appropriate use of helpers skills that are for the benefit and sanctuary of the client in his or her circumstances (2012, p.3), and counsellors essential take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client does not suffer physical, emotional or psychological harm during counselling sessions (2012, p.4).In relation to the disclosures, for whose benefit where they? It is unclear what led Kreft to make sexualised self-disclosures and what purpose he thought they served. Perhaps it was a reaction to the clients exploration of her relationships and sexual activities. such client self-disclosure can sexualise the therapeutic relationship (Gurtheil & Brodsky, 2011, p. 183). Counsellor disclosures are inevitable and sometimes useful, but self-disclosure can become taxing to the client and and so detrimental. Gurtheil and Brodsky (2011) state that in cases of sexual misconduct, a gravestone turning point often occurs when the relationship shifts from a therapeutic exchange to one of sharing personal c onfidences and feelings (p.114). They further state that even therapists whose practice designedly includes open self-disclosure, it is rarely useful and usually burdensome for clients to hear details of the therapists emotional, sexual, personal or family life. Such disclosures, especially when they involve sexual feelings, are nearly always mattered marches violations (p.115).It seems that Kreft may devour been meeting some personal need by reservation the disclosures. Without having observed the interaction, it is difficult to judge, however, perhaps in an attempt to normalise the clients experience or keep her engaged, Kreft seems to also be almost boasting of his own sexual prowess. This amounts to an ontogenesis of the client forhis own needs. The APA states that, counsellors must not act their clients financially, sexually, emotionally or in any other way (pp.4-5). If poorly handled, the power imbalance inherent in the therapeutic relationship can tip to exploitation of clients (Barnett, Lazarus, Vasquez, Moorehead-Slaughter & Johnson, 2007, p.402). A young female client, is slight likely to challenge the appropriateness of such comments. In addition to the sexualised disclosures, Kreft devised an work on based on his narrow focus on CBT, which he believed would help the client. He requested and obtained a photo of his client wearing a bra and underpants for the purpose of an engagement aimed at challenging the clients maladjustive or negative beliefs somewhat her appearance.The photo was to be shown to a number of unnamed people in order for them to rate her appearance. Kreft claimed in his testimony that he created the exercise based on his expertise and training. He did not state that he investigateed current effective practice or discussed the clients needs in supervision. It would seem prudent to educate oneself about an foreign field of practice or client. In fact, the ACAs ethical expectations include counsellors committing to ongo ing personal and professional development, as well as undertake regular supervision and debriefing (p.3). A cursory investigating of recognised treatments for body image problems Butters and Cash (1987) research into effective cognitive-behavioural treatment of women with body-image dissatisfaction found that a combining of methods produced improved affective body image, reduced maladaptive body-image cognitions and enhanced social self-esteem about fittingness and sexuality. The methods included providing clients with information about body-image dissatisfaction, having clients construct a personalised hierarchy of body areas, desensitisation to voluntary thoughts and developing counterarguments for irrational thoughts.Butters and Cash (1987) did use reviewer ratings of client physical attractiveness as part of the series of exercises, but there is no trace that clients were to be barely dressed in the photographs used. Kreft seemed to exercise poor judgment in his selection o f a photograph in which the client was so scarcely clothed. Kreft seemed unsuspecting of his power in the relationship. Power within the therapeutic relationship can take numerous forms. Proctor (2002, p.8) states that one basic form is societal power which is expressed in the imbalances between the genders and between the old and young. In thiscase, Kreft was an older male with a teenage female client. According to testimony in his case, Kreft was accustomed to working with male clients, so he may have been unaccustomed to working with a young female. He may have been unaware of the subconscious power he held in the relationship simply by virtue of his stronger position in society. Pope and Vasquez (2007, pp41-42) describe other forms of power that therapists have in relation to clients. These include the power of expectationclients expects that the therapists interventions will be able to induce beneficial change.Related to this is the power to postulate the approach to therapy . Kreft chose to make personal disclosures and chose the therapeutic exercise involving the clients photograph. She complied with the activity, although she stated in her complaint that she was very uncomfortable about it. Kreft failed to recognise this in her delayed provision of the photo, but also failed to recognise that any young woman might be uncomfortable with such an exercise, yet reluctant to refuse. He did not make this psychologically safe for her. chthonian the priggish Equal Opportunity travel 2010, both(prenominal) the disclosures and the request for photographs could be deemed sexual badgering and whence unlawful. A person sexually harasses another person if he or she engages in unwelcome conduct of a sexual spirit in relation to another person in circumstances in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated that the other person would be offended, wound or intimidated. Conduct of a sexual personality includes makin g orally, any remark or bidding with sexual connotations to a person or about a person in his or her front line, and, making any comment of a sexual temper in a persons presence (Victorian Equal Opportunity and mankind Rights Commission, 2013a, p.79).There are therefore three characteristics of behaviour that would have it constitute sexual harassment beingness unwelcome being conduct of a sexual nature and being conduct that a reasonable person would consider likely to offend, humiliate or intimidate in the circumstances. There seems little doubt that Krefts disclosures about his sexual activities fit this definition of conduct of a sexual nature. In relation to whether the comments were unwelcome to the client, it surely appears so, as she has complained of as much. For conduct to be unwelcome, it must be unsolicited or uninvited by the client, and regarded as undesirable or offensive by the client. Kreft does not suggest that theclient invited the comments. Even if a clien t does not speak up or complain at the time, the conduct might unsounded be considered unwelcome (Victorian Equal Opportunity and merciful Rights Commission, 2013b, p.6).The clients age is a component recognised as causing someone to have behaviour even if unwelcome. Numerous sexual harassment cases have recognised how a power imbalance between the parties can contribute to a person remaining silent about how unwelcome the behaviour is (VEOHRC, 2013a, p.85). The final element in sexual harassment is whether the conduct occurred in circumstances in which it could pretty have been expected that the conduct would offend, humiliate or intimidate the person. Again, given the clients age in relation to Kreft, and the highly sexual nature of the disclosures, within a relationship that should be commission on the clients concerns, it seems that this third step of sexual harassment would be met. In conclusion, it seems that Steven Krefts behaviour in this case fell faraway short of re cognised ethical, legal and social expectations. He took on a client with issues outside his narrow expertise and attempted to work with her in relation to the highly sexualised disclosures she made about her relationships with men. Krefts own highly sexualised personal disclosures were unethical according to professional guidelines and potentially unlawful, under sexual harassment laws.Krefts attempts to help the client change her negative beliefs about her body were devised without reference to existing knowledge in the treatment of such problems and again became sexualised when Kreft chose a photo of the client dressed only in underwear. Ultimately, Kreft was required to update his training, engage in regular supervision, and afford a suspension of practice for six months. Krefts case provides a number of warnings for other practitioners about the dangers of a narrow knowledge and experience base, as well as the importance of understanding the divers(a) dimensions of therapeuti c relationships. Counsellors would do well to have a sound understanding of ethical boundaries and how they might suitably respond to a clients disclosures of sexual behaviour. Having regular supervision is crucial for assisting counsellors in all of these areas.ReferencesAustralian Counselling Association. (2012). Code of ethics and practice. QLD Author.Barnett, J., Lazarus, A., Vasquez, M., Moorehead-Slaughter, O., & Johnson, W. (2007). limit point issues and multiple relationships Fantasy and reality. Professional Psychology look and Practice, 38(4), 401410. Butters, J. W. & Cash, T. F. (1987) Cognitive-behavioral treatment of womens body-image dissatisfaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 6. Gurtheil, T. G. & Brodsky, A. (2011). 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