The way each profession has its conducts, ethics and professional behaviours, it is the same with therapy or counselling. There are several ethical practices and extra measures, mainly because in this profession, emotions and feelings are involved as well as personal and confidential details of the counselee. 

When you get in touch with some of the best counsellors in Bangalore or whichever city you are in, you will be able to see the emphasis they pay on developing a bond of trust and respect with their clients. It is this very bond that allows counselees to feel free and open up without fearing judgement or betrayal of confidence.

The American Psychological (A.P.A.) Code of Ethics clearly specifies the ethical issues related to therapy and the therapeutic relationship. The APA Code of Ethics also outlines various ethical scenarios for counsellors and offers guidelines for navigating ethical dilemmas in counselling.

Some of the important aspects are discussed here:

 

Informed consent to therapy

A professional therapist must inform the counsellee about the nature and anticipated course of the therapy. Fees and the limits of confidentiality should be informed in advance and the counselee should be provided sufficient opportunity to ask questions. If a therapist is in training, they must inform their counselees of the fact that they are under training and ideally their supervisor should be in attendance. In deciding whether to offer or provide services to those already receiving mental health services elsewhere, therapists need to discuss treatment and counselee welfare issues with all involved parties, before proceeding.

 

Confidentiality and limits of confidentiality

Confidentiality is the one of the most vital aspects of the therapeutic relationship. Counselees need to be confident that their personal secrets, strong opinions about others or sensitive emotional expressions, will not go beyond their therapist. Confidentiality and its limits must be discussed at the beginning of the therapy. The limits include disclosure without consent only as mandated by law, or under specific circumstances. This includes situations where the counselee, therapist or others need protection from harm - for example, instances where the counselee discusses a suicide plan or shows an intent to harm someone or threatens the therapist or any situation where there is a possibility of grave danger.

 

Dual or multiple relationships

Any good therapist will not consider entering any kind of dual relationship with their counselee. The therapists must refrain from entering into multiple relationships, particularly if it could impair their objectivity, competence or effectiveness in the therapeutic role. Multiple relationships are also a problem if it otherwise risks sexual, emotional or financial exploitation of the counselee. The guidelines also imply that it is unethical for a therapist to treat a close friend or relative. Moreover, any emotional, physical or financial relationship should not be maintained with a former counselee either. 

 

Other ethical guidelines

There are also ethical guidelines that point to the therapist’s responsibility to refer and provide continuity of care in the event of interruption due to therapist’s illness, relocation or counselee’s relocation, financial constraints etc. Therapists should not continue therapy when unfit to do so - this could be due to any illness, intoxication or any personal circumstances. Likewise,an experienced therapist would know when to terminate therapy, because either the counselee no longer needs it, is not likely to benefit from it any longer or is being harmed by continued therapy.

 

There are number of warning signs when the therapist may be crossing the boundaries in the therapeutic relationship, few examples are,

According to Rogers, a therapist, in order to be effective, must have three very special qualities, 

Below are some of the principles of ethics:

Ethical codes are basic guidelines which help the counsellors practice in a professional manner. These principles are like the basic foundation of the profession. There are 5 basic ethical principles which are to be followed, by every professional therapist:

 

Beneficence - Beneficence implies accepting responsibility for promoting what is good for others. In counselling relationships, it refers to doing what enhances the counselee’s wellbeing. The interest and health of the counselee should stand paramount.

 

Nonmaleficence - This means doing no harm and involves the commitment of the practitioners to exercise care in avoiding activities (such as situations involving conflicts of interest) that have a high risk of hurting the counselee, even though it might be inadvertently. The therapists must know that she or he not only deals with disturbed human behaviour but also contends with the intimacies of life. As a scientist, she or he would serve the society through observation, investigation, experimentation and well planned and ethically carried out research.

Autonomy - Autonomy refers to the counselee’s self-determination - it pertains to the belief that the counselee has freedom of thought and the freedom to choose their direction.

Justice - Justice refers to the commitment of the counsellors to provide equal and fair treatment of all counselees. This includes whatever is possible to ensure that all counselees are given equal access to counselling services, regardless of factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, cultural background, disability, socioeconomic status, lifestyle orientation and religion.

Fidelity - Fidelity refers to making honest promises and faithfully honouring these commitments to counselees. This involves the counsellor’s willingness to do what is necessary to create a trusting and therapeutic climate, in which people can search for their own solutions, rather than being completely reliant on the counsellor. The principle involves being careful not to deceive or exploit the counselee.

Cultural Determinants - Cultural context can determine ethical behaviour, since in each culture certain practices may be difficult to practice or maintain. For example, in a study conducted by WHO, it was found that in India counselee’s Autonomy can’t be followed in all situations: for example, a person coming from a rural background or someone with lesser education would probably not have the knowledge of certain advantages of counselling or therapies. In many situations, the counsellors think and encourage the counselees to take a decision independently, but in the above mentioned situation, the counselee may not be able to do much, due to the lack of knowledge as well.

Client welfare - Counsellors/therapists should not treat a case that does not fall within their level of competence. They should give their best when treating the counselee and should also terminate the case when they feel that counselee isn’t benefiting from the sessions.

 

It’s necessary for a counsellor to know and follow the above mentioned ethical practices and guidelines of counselling, for the best outcome of the therapies and counselling sessions. As a gist, these are the attributes required for being a respectable therapist - being a good and genuine human being, open and honest about practices, being punctual and disciplined, listening carefully and reflecting in the right way, are few practices which will definitely help the counselee and make the process smooth as well as easy for both.