Chapter 6: Sexual Attraction in Client-Therapist

Sexual Attraction in Client-Therapist Relationship

- Sole responsibility on therapist (not client) to uphold ethical standards

= No excuse of client seduction = Cannot be held up in court

- Reasons to refrain from sexual attraction:

1. Be professional

2. Ensure welfare of clients

3. Avoid negative consequences

- Legal sanctions upon violation:

1. Expel from organization

2. License suspension

3. Undergo personal counselling

Dealing with Sexual Attraction

- Acknowledge the feelings

- Explore reasons for attraction

- Never act on feelings

- Set clear boundaries

- Personal counselling

- Consult colleagues

- Refer if unable to resolve

Chapter 7: Ethical Issues with Children & Families
Rights of Minor to Treatment

- General rule: Necessary to have parental consent

- Exception: When minor seeks counselling for…

1. Dangerous drugs

2. Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)

3. Pregnancy & birth control

4. Alleged sexual assault (for age 12 & above)

Informed Consent of Minors

- Minor has ethical rights of privacy and confidentiality

- Parents have legal rights of access general information on counselling progress

- BUT parents have no rights to access the records of minor

- Counsellor cannot guarantee blanket confidentiality to minors

Approaches of Child Therapy

1. Therapy with family as a whole

2. Parental oversight of therapy

3. Provisional confidentiality

4. Total confidentiality

Factors Influencing Approaches

- Legal and organizational context

- Therapeutic perception of the child – independent or dependent?

Specialized Training for Counselling Children

- Experience in:

1. Music, art, play, recreational therapy

2. Knowledge on developmental issue of children

- Balance disclosure of confidentiality even child engages in risky behavior

- Counsellor is accountable for child hurting self or others

Involuntary civil commitment

- Admission of individuals into mental health unit against their will, if…

1. Mental illness

2. Dangerous

3. Incapable of decision making

Family Therapy System

- Assumption 1: In family therapy, members should prioritize family goals, not personal

- Assumption 2: Client’s problematic behavior may be…

1. Due to a family member who affects others

2. A cause to family’s unproductivity

3. A symptom of dysfunctional pattern passed down across generations

Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

1. Responsibility to client

- Whose interest to serve? Father, mother, or children?

2. Confidentiality of multiple clients

- Not disclose information provided privately

- “No secret policy” among family

- Private information may be disclosed if beneficial

Special Ethical Consideration in Couple and Family Therapy

1. Dilemma of serving one’s interest at expense of other’s interest

2. Avoiding becoming agent of particular member

3. When to impose control over the clients

4. Unresolved family-of-origin (FOO) issues

- More countertransference

- Therapist unaware own weaknesses and emotions = Misinterpret, entangle issues

- Therapist attends personal therapy = Improve competence, effectiveness

- Therapist values impact therapy direction: Marriage, divorce, gender role

Chapter 8: Ethical Issues in School Psychology
Duty of School Psychologists

With Students With Teachers With Families

Support student’s social, emotional, and behavioural health

Resolve learning barriers

Teaching parenting skills

Design and implement student
progress monitoring system
Increase achievement by
assessing learning barriers
Motivate students engage in
learning
Enhance home-school
collaboration
Create positive classroom
environment

Malaysian School Counsellor = Focus on corrective program (via campaign, seminar, workshop)

What makes School Psychologists unique?

1. Conflict between open-communication and confidentiality norm

2. Assist students with personal conflicts

3. Obligation for suicidal student

4. Conflict with legal system about parent’s right to student’s educational information

Ethical Standards for School Psychologists

1. Student as primary client whilst serves multiple clients (teacher, parents, etc.)

2. Evaluate the rights, responsibilities, and welfare of all affected parties

3. Review concern with National Association of School Psychologist (NASP) guidelines

Ethical Issues in School Psychologists

1. Confidentiality

- Fear of liability to protect, mandatory reporting diluted meaning of confidentiality

- Breach of confidentiality = Ending therapeutic relationship

2. Privileged communication

- Barring disclosure of confidential communication in legal proceedings

- Not applicable in group, family, child, adolescent therapy

- E.g. refuse to provide client’s records in court

3. Privacy

- Client’s privacy vs. Parent’s legal rights

- Approach parents as allies yet minimize privacy disclosure to respect client

4. Duty to warn

- Making reasonable effort to contact identified victim

- Breaching of confidentiality

- Dual responsibility = Protect client harming self and others

- Insufficient to guarantee safety > Duty to protect

5. Duty to protect

- Protecting identified victim from foreseeable harm

- If can, maintain confidentiality as much as possible

- Example: Notify police, initiate involuntary commitment

Counsellor liable for civil damages, if…

1. Fail to diagnose danger

2. Fail to warn victims

3. Fail to commit (identify) dangerous clients

4. Prematurely discharge dangerous clients

Activities that Counsellor Easily Be Liable of:

- Administer drugs

- Give birth control advice

- Give abortion advice

- Make defamatory statements

- Violate confidentiality and privacy

- Assist searching student’s locker

Duty to Protect Suicidal Clients

- Risk assessment of suicide (SLAP)

1. Specificity of method

2. Lethality of method

3. Availability of method

4. Proximity from help

- Malpractice can be called off if done:

1. Reasonable assessment and intervention

2. Professional consultation

3. Appropriate referral

4. Thorough documentation
Chapter 9: Ethical Issues in Industrial Organization