TOPIC 7:

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE COUNSELORS
Course Outline:

• -Ethical Issues
• -Self-Care
• -Case Study
 INTRODUCTION
• This chapter addresses general topic areas that impact the personal
and professional development of the counselor. The areas explored
are ethical issues and self-care.
 7.1 ETHICAL ISSUES
Counselor need to remember the importance of doing no harm to
clients.
Ethical Principle: act as a rudder that guides the behavior of counselor
Moral Decisions: concrete decisions counselors make in a situation
based on the values
Laws-are the formalized moral decisions of a culture
a) Confidentiality
• It means that the information obtained in a counseling session is not
shared with others unless written permission has been given by the
client.
• B.S.Anderson (1996) discusses two other exceptions to privilege:
• 1)Duty to report: means that counselor has an ethical obligation to
break confidentiality by contacting authorities when the client or a
third person can be harmed. Counselor are mandated to report
suspected child and adult abuse, so they are legally required to report
suspected abuse to authorities.
• 2) Duty to warn
• -Means that the counselor needs to determine whether the client is
seriously dangerous and in some states, that the potential victim can be
identified.

-A counselor may be required to go to court because of a subpoena or a

verbal order from a judge but may be prohibited from giving the court
information about the client based on the regulations of Federal Register.
-A counselor who are following Federal Register (1987) guidelines need to
communicate the limitations of their disclosure to others in a respectful way.
Ex: When other professionals request information, a thoughtful explanation
of the guidelines and resulting limitations of disclosure cooperation can
communicate professional respect, which can facilitate ongoing
collaboration.
• A counselor may be required to go to court because of a subpoena or
a verbal order from a judge but may be prohibited from giving the
court information about the client based on the regulations of Federal
Register.
• A counselor who are following Federal Register (1987) guidelines
need to communicate the limitations of their disclosure to others in a
respectful way.
• Ex: When other professionals request information, a thoughtful
explanation of the guidelines and resulting limitations of disclosure
cooperation can communicate professional respect, which can
facilitate ongoing collaboration.
b) Dual Relationships
• Dual relationship issues are sometimes relatively clear.
• Ex: It is clearly prohibited for counselors to be sexual with their
clients.
• However, other types of dual relationships are less clear, particularly
with addiction counselors may be in recovery from addictions or be
involves self-help groups.
7.2 SELF-CARE
• Sowa, ray, and Niles (1994) underscore the importance of self-care for
counselors by reporting studies that demonstrate a negative
correlation between burnout and coping strategies/self-care.
• The more coping strategies, the less burnout.
• If the counselor does not develop effective coping strategies. He or
she may leave the field of counseling or continue to practice
counseling when impaired.
a) Guidelines to realistic self-care
• The counseling field may reinforce behaviors that are not self-care
oriented.
• Ex: in some agencies, the highly respected counselor is one who may
have difficulty setting limits in giving to others, perhaps too idealistic
and dedicated (Emerson & Markos, 1996).
• The counselor will needs of will work without pay, or will drop his or
her schedule to meet the needs of others.
• Counselor need to respond to their psychological needs by giving
themselves room to be away from work and take part in thinking
activities that focus on self, enjoyable activities and allowance for
being human.
• Counselor are also aware of the need to express thoughts and
feelings in ‘I’ statements and to respond to their emotional
need. Counselor need to be aware of social supports and be
with people who see them as people, not in the role of being
counselor.
b)Importance of Commitment to Self Care
• The client look to the therapist to see how the therapist take
care of themselves.
• If counselor do not set limits or care for their bodies, mind,
emotions, and spirits, their words may look empty for their
client.
• G. Miller (2001), states that self-examination and self care
commitment can reduce suffering and increase happiness in the
counselor, thereby providing a role model for clients as well as
having a contagion effect on them and assisting the counselor in
operating from a place of balance.
 SUMMARY
• This chapter has highlighted significant personal and professional
issues in the arenas of ethics, law, agency and self care. All counselors
need to be concerned with these personal and professional issues in
order to provide the highest quality of addictions counseling possible.
 Exercise:
• In a small group, discuss experiences either you have had or that you
have heard others have had with duty to report and duty to warn.
With each of these areas, answer the following about the counseling:
• 1. How did I feel/what did I think when I realized I was in the
situation?
• 2. How did I manage the stress of this situation?
• 3. If I could do it differently, how would I handle a similar situation
now?
 Case Study:
• Julian is a 16 year-old male who recently completed
inpatient/outpatient addiction treatment and has come in for
counseling on recovery issues. His parents have come with him to the
first session and make some demand. (1) they want a weekly
summary of what issues are discussed in counseling, (2) they want a
weekly summary to be specific and written, and (3) they want copies
of written summary to go to them and the principal of Julian’s school.
Julian appears quiet and sullen while his parents make their demand.
 Discuss how you would handle the situation in
light of the following their question:
• 1. What information would you need to have about Julian and
his parents to make clinical decisions about confidentiality that
are in Julian’s best interest.
• 2. What limits would you set with his parents about information
sent to them? To the school?
• 3. How would you structure session with Julian and his parents
(e.g. who would be present)?