Dr. Phils Ethical Boundaries Crossing

The American Counseling Association and the American Mental Health Counselors Association Codes of Ethics both provide guidance and direction in making ethical decisions for their members (ACA, 2005) (AMHCA, 2010). Both the ACA and the AMHCA Codes of Ethics cover a wide range of moral and ethical situations that could present themselves to mental health professionals. Both of these codes of ethics have significant impacts on the counseling profession. The tools provided by these codes of ethics ensure that mental health professionals are able to conform to the regulations set forth. They address common concerns from varying points of view. Understanding these codes of ethics is essential to all mental

Psychologists are committed to increasing scientific and professional knowledge of behaviour and people's understanding of themselves and others and to the use of such knowledge to improve the condition of individuals, organisations, and society (APA, 2010). The PSI preamble (2010) states “the authority of psychologists derives from the scientific methods of investigation on which their knowledge is based, and the ethics which govern all their professional activity. They accept that codes of ethics are necessary to protect the interest of clients and prevent misuse of psychological knowledge. The Ethics Code provides a common set of principles and standards upon which psychologists build their professional and scientific work. The following is a rough and general summary of the principles that are addressed by the APA, PSI and BPS;

We are going to explore the world of ethical issues in psychology. As in any medical or mental health fields there are rules we all must follow as professionals. In this essay today we will be exploring a case study where we have a young lady who has been stricken by a mental disability. We will be looking at the facts in which her disability was handled by a professional in the field of psychology. We also will be discussing the rights and wrongs that are presented in her case study. We will also be discussing the APA ethical codes and gain a clearer understanding of where some things went wrong and why shall we begin.

This experiment is entirely legal. Mice are not a species protected in the Animal Welfare Act. Dr. Fine’s lab isn’t legally obligated to report that it is doing testing on animals that aren’t under the AWA. Legal tests range from electrocution, to drowning, to mutilation. Amputations are totally legal. Dr. Fine’s mice would actually be receiving better treatment than mice undergoing amputations in other labs, simply because Dr. Fine’s mice will be anesthetized. It is not required by law to anesthetize animals undergoing testing if they aren’t under the AWA. There are no illegalities whatsoever in Dr. Fine’s proposal. (Animal Testing and the Law, 2015)

Counseling takes many different roads in the direction of improving a client’s mental health. These roads all lead to a common goal, but the therapist must be diligent in the direction chosen. A code of ethics provides the parameters for proper and effective treatment and boundaries protect the process of healing. Understanding how these two critical components interweave into this process aids in the conceptual framework of therapy. It may become necessary to expand upon and even cross the theoretical aspect of a boundary in order to stimulate the process of helping the client, but by no means shall these boundaries be violated. The Royal College of Psychologists (2013) compare professional boundaries to that of guardrails at the Grand Canyon, providing the visitor a safe area to enjoy the view with minimal risk of harm. Though the therapist’s boundaries can be much more flexible than a guardrail as it involves the process of therapy, some aspects such as sexual contact as an example are just as unyielding. Utilization of ethical treatment keeps the counselor on the path with clear direction and out of harm’s way for both the client and the therapist. The substance abuse therapist must become intimately familiar with the definition and application appearance of boundary crossing versus boundary violation and how a code of ethics model successful treatment for the substance user.

The EAI indicates that ethical guidelines have changed from individual character to organizational ethics (Ethics Awareness Inventory, 2011). The prime focus of this change are client-patient relationships in psychological counseling and clinical practice (Fisher, (2013). Psychological counseling and clinical practice are both constructed on ethical guidelines with the possibility for misuse of power and negligence to discretion (Fisher,

The concern for morality and ethics cuts across all endeavors of human existence. Focusing particularly on the helping professions – Pastoral care, Counseling, medicine, Psychiatry, Social Work, Law, and Teaching - the need for standard professional guidelines for conduct of practitioners becomes of paramount importance. Competence or knowledge of techniques of therapy is important; but A person who needs to be salvaged, who needs spiritual, psychological, emotional, psychiatric healing or direction would rather prefer to interact with an ethically seasoned” half trained

In the case of Sheila, we learn the unethical and unprofessional issues that we as counselors never want to institute. It is absolutely important for counselors to be properly trained in cases that need sensitivity and understanding of cultural differences. Otherwise, we may impose our own values onto our clients without the intention to do so. It is essential that therapists are aware of their own beliefs and values in order to better serve their clients so that the professional is not bias towards those seeking help. If someone is not confident in a situation that concerns their clients well-being, seek supervision for further assistance. In the following essay we will review different codes of ethics that relates to Sheila’s case with her client, Brendan and how to execute them as professionals in the helping field. Sheila was dismissive and insensitive when Brendan shared his spiritual values to her, which ultimately caused him to leave their session. Here we learn how a counselor should carry themselves in cases such as this.

In today’s psychology profession, a therapist and even the client can cross many boundaries if immediate boundaries are not put into place during the initial visit. Some boundaries that are crossed are not a problem at first and then the problem progresses. Leonard L. Glass called these, “the gray areas of boundary crossing and violation” (429). However, there is further description, “Boundary issues mostly refer to the therapist's self-disclosure, touch, an exchange of gifts, bartering and fees, length and location of sessions and contact outside the office” (Guthiel & Gabbard). This statement by Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D. & Glen O. Gabbard, M.D explains the meaning of boundary

Boundary crossing is an everyday issues counselor’s encounter. It is essential counselors are aware when boundaries are being crossed and how to resolve these issues. Whether a counselor receives gifts from a client or partakes in overlapping roles, boundaries are being crossed (Herlihy & Corey, 2015). As I continue my education in counseling, I desire to work on an army base with soldiers and their families. I will work with individuals who suffer from Anxiety Disorders and Major Depression, with a specialty in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There are a variety of boundary issues when working this population, however there can be potential benefits associated with boundary crossing. It is important for counselors

In the movie The Doctor they showed positive professional and negative behaviors. Some of the positive professional things are that Dr. Mackee told his interns to not call someone terminal if they aren’t dying or are already dead. Dr. Mackee talks differently to his patients now that he knows that he has cancer. Dr. Mackee became friends with another cancer patient named June Ellis. Dr. Mackee helps a patient that had a stroke and that has a lisp caused by having the secure and that patient is suing his practice because he blames them for him having the secure but Dr. Mackee sees that he needs help so he goes and tells him that he will have someone come and get Mr. Richards keys out of his car and that Dr. Mackee will have them left at the front desk. Nurse Nancy finally sang when Dr. Mackee went in for his surgery to remove his tumor. Dr. Mackee finally spoke after his surgery and told his wife that he loves her and then they were happy because they didn’t know if he would be able to speak again after having the surgery because the tumor was located in his voice box and they risked losing his vocal cords.

Lying on the Couch by Irvin D. Yalom has been both entertaining and interesting from a counseling standpoint in that it provides a scandalous and as was in most of the cases, a look at what could go wrong if ethics in a clinical counseling setting go awry. Following the characters of Seymour Trotter, Earnest Lash, and Marshal Streider in working with their clients and with each other the ethical lessons to be learned become obviously apparent, if not emotionally painful. Although, numerous issues arise throughout the book, there were at least three that will be covered within the context of this writing. In consideration of each of these ethical breaches there will be dialog on the nature of the ethical issue or violation, where the ACA ethical code applies, ramifications of the ethical issue or violation on both parties, and application of Kitchener?s five primary ethical principles that were involved or violated. In addition, the justification offered by the characters in the book for their actions or considered actions, application to the situation in the setting of Clinical Mental Health counseling, and indication of personal response to the situation presented. Understanding that the use of these ethical principles and considerations as they apply in counseling are unequivocally valuable tools in helping a practitioner in working with clients to make comprehensive decisions that will not create conflict within their ethical parameters and are aligned with the laws

Because of the doctors’ profession, a psychiatrist must abide by the ethic of nonmaleficence when it comes to their patients. This article is true, “When conflicts occur among psychologists’ obligations or concerns, they attempt to resolve these conflicts in a responsible fashion that avoids or minimizes harm” (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, n.d.). For this profession, this is very important because their judgment can have a serious effect on a person mind. If there were no ethics to guide them not to do no harm, psychology could become an unethical profession within the health care system. This ethic could also be the reason for the raise of concern that Dr. McHale has for the detainee.

Becoming a competent ethical therapist is more than knowing the codes of ethics in his/her profession. It is about developing the knowledge and understanding about the code of ethics to make ethical reasoning within the confines of the AAMFT and laws so the practitioner can make the best determination or choice of what to do, especially when the laws and ethical rules become obscured making it difficult to adhered to the code (Gehart, 2014). Every practitioner should always abide by the law even if it conflicts with any part of the code of ethics. But, he/she must abide by the law

Federn (1961) states that individuals separate their internal experience from the external world through psychological boundaries. In addition, these boundaries allow an individual to maintain the distinction between oneself and others (Mahler, Pine, & Bergman, 1975). In the context of therapy boundaries between the therapist and client provide an environment that fosters safety and trust enabling exploration. This dynamic places mental health professionals in a position of power over the client (Simon, 1992). This power differential creates a responsibility for the therapist to create and maintain appropriate, professional boundaries. When speaking about departures from commonly accepted clinical practice it is necessary to distinguish between boundary crossing and boundary violations. Whereas boundary crossing may or may not benefit the client, boundary violations have the potential to seriously harm the client or the therapeutic process (Simon, 1992). It is important to note that either the client or the therapist has the ability to cross or violate boundaries. However, the duty to put the client’s therapeutic care and goals first lay with the clinician alone.