1. Ethics for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Introduction

2. The changes: to ... Generic Role specific
Talking therapy as both personal and social action
+ Team and agency
Multiple ethical perspectives offered
Other approaches to expressing ethics included
Relational ethics
Role specific
Talking therapy as personal/individual action
Individual practitioner
Ethic of client autonomy dominant
Ethical principles dominant

3. Ethic of client autonomy -strengths
Challenges assumptions about professional power
Strengthens client power and influence by directing attention to the client’s right to be self-governing
Directs attention to importance of free and informed consent, confidentiality, rejects manipulation for social ends

4. Ethic of client autonomy - limitations
Culturally biased - presupposes atomistic and individualistic approach to self
Leaves an ethical void when limitations to autonomy encountered - dependency/lack of capacity, suicidal intent(?), harm to others
Weak on practitioner’s valid rights
Inhibits awareness of wider social context and responsibilities - self in relationship

5. Innovations – new principles
Fidelity -honouring the trust placed in the practitioner
ethic of relationship
trustworthiness, boundaries, confidentiality, mutual respect
Closely matches ethic of autonomy in Western culture but adaptable to other social and cultural contexts

6. Innovations - autonomy
Autonomy - respect for client’s right to be self-governing
addresses power imbalance, informed consent, confidentiality, clients as ends in themselves -not means to an end - ie rejects manipulation for beneficial social ends

7. Innovations - new principles
Beneficence - promoting client’s well-being
Non-maleficence - avoidance of harm
previously implicit as subsidiary principles
vulnerable clients incapable of autonomy
prohibition on exploitation
responsibility for dependent clients who are vulnerable to harm?

8. Innovations - new principles
Justice - fair and impartial treatment of all clients and the provision of adequate services
respect for human rights and dignity
conscientiously considering any legal requirements
fairness and avoidance of discrimination
striving for fair and adequate provision of services

9. Innovations - new principles
Self-respect - fostering the practitioner’s self-knowledge and care of self
controversial but important in relationship with client’s, colleagues and others
appropriate application of all the previous principles to self
personal and professional development
validates life outside talking therapies

10. Strengths and limitations of principles
Dominant in professional ethics
Good way of expressing prospective expectations and retrospective justification
Rational, analytic and action orientated
impersonal and detached? BUT
Ethics in practice are informed by underpinning ethical commitment, values, and experienced as personal moral qualities ….

11. Values Values inform principles respect for human rights and dignity
integrity of practitioner-client relationships
enhancing quality of professional knowledge
alleviating personal distress and suffering
facilitating a sense of self that is meaningful …

12. Personal moral qualities
Empirical evidence that the practitioner’s personal qualities are foremost in clients’ sense of safety and quality of relationship
Cannot be required by definition
Need to be deeply rooted in the person as an act of personal commitment
Qualities are what we aspire to

13. Personal moral qualities
Empathy
Sincerity
Integrity
Resilience
Respect
Humility
Competence
Fairness
Wisdom
Courage

14. Overall effect
Recognition that profession is maturing and facing complex ethical challenges for which there may be several appropriate responses
Change the professional culture and ethos from conformity to rules to ethical accountability and engagement
Fostering ethical understanding and practice intrinsic ethics - ethical mindfulness