The Role Of Professional And Ethical Codes

Domestic abuse is a startling issue in today’s society, and there are many different forms of it. Domestic abuse is defined as “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” [1]. There are numerous forms of domestic abuse, including both physical and emotional violence. Many people who are trapped in these toxic relationships often feel helpless and worthless, and may think they have no way to escape their situation. However, with the right guidance and support, they can free themselves and emerge as a stronger person.

The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions provides the foundations and guidelines for ethical understanding and good practice in counselling work. This enables a counsellor to practice safely in private practice or within an agency. Different agencies may work with other frameworks, for instance the National Counselling Society (NCS), who support counselling and related therapies, and are closely linked with the NHS. (Nationalcounsellingsociety.org). The BACP framework can’t inform a counsellor of specific rights or wrongs, but outlines the values, principles and moral qualities that a counsellor should adhere to, which helps with guidance and ethical decision making and safeguarding client and counsellor. (BACP, 2015)

“Domestic violence is a type of abuse by one or both partners in marriage, friends, family, dating or cohabitation” (Aziz & Mahmoud, 2010). There are many forms of abuse from verbal and emotional to physical that often escalates over time in intensity for the victim. Data from the criminal justice system, hospital patient medical records and mental health records, police reports, surveys and social services reports of thousands of women revealed that many are injured and killed as a result of violence from someone close to them. “The US Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines domestic violence as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender” (Robertson & Murachver, 2009). Researchers and the criminal justice system have not been able to agree on a clear definition to domestic violence which can range from physical injury, stalking, verbal abuse and humiliation, denial of shelter and access to money, and intimidation through aggressive behaviors. The definition of domestic violence may vary but the results from physical injury, mental and emotional trauma, and sometimes even death can last a life time.

Domestic violence, alternatively referred to as Intimate Partner Violence, is defined by the Department of Justice as “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.” While domestic violence is commonly thought of as only physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence can also be emotional, economic, or psychological. Domestic violence has remained constant in society throughout history, even though over time society’s response to the issue has changed. While domestic violence affects everyone regardless of race, gender, age, etc. it is estimated that approximately 90% of all victims are women. For the purpose of this paper, I will be focusing on

Domestic violence is a devastating social problem that impacts every sector of our population. Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner(USDOJ,2012). Domestic violence can be physical, economic, emotional, sexual, or psychological. Physical domestic violence is an attempt to impose physical injury such as grabbing, slapping, hitting, biting, etc. Physical violence can also be withholding necessary resources to sustain health such as medication, food, sleep, or forcing alcohol or other drug use. Economic abuse is an attempt to make the victim financially dependent. Such as sustaining control over financial resources

Ensuring the client understands the purpose, process and boundaries of the counselling relationship with advisement of confidentiality with the limits around duty of care and ensuring written permission from the client, for purposes of advocacy, before disclosure of information or contacting parties. Recognising that counsellors need to be committed to ongoing personal and professional improvement/development and undertaking regular supervision/debriefing to develop skills, monitor performance and accountability. Additionally, assisting peers by being supportive and responsive, in a helping environment, to achieve their professional development. Moreover, making suitable referrals where competent service cannot be provided and endeavouring to be client focussed at all times. Overall, the expectations are to be committed to the code of ethics and the code of practice applies those values and ethical principles to situations which may arise in the practice of

Ethical codes potentially impacted: A.4 Avoiding Harm and Avoiding Value Imposition; a. Avoiding Harm- Rehabilitation counselors act to avoid harming clients, trainees, supervisees and research participants and to minimize or to remedy unavoidable or unanticipated harm. Section K: Business Practices; K4. Termination (2) As appropriate, rehabilitation counselors refer clients to other qualified professional to address issues unresolved at the time of termination (“Microsoft Word - CRCCodeOfEthics - CRCCodeOfEthics.pdf,” n.d.).

Many social issues plague society today, and domestic violence is one of the major issues that society faces daily. Many factors play a role in domestic violence including gender, race, culture, and media. In order to remedy this problem, measures need to be taken to ensure that the problem of domestic violence is fully understood, there needs to be a universal understanding of how people become involved in this kind of situation, and there needs to be information or a process that the public is aware of for how domestic violence can be prevented.

The first ethical problem to appear in this case study is the psychologist’s actions in providing support to individuals whom she was not trained to work with. When dealing with patients, psychologists are required to work within the confines of their professional abilities (B.1.2.a, APS, 2007). This includes ensuring that one has a formal education or supervised training in treating specific types of clients (for example, children and teenagers).

There are several different types of domestic violence that affect people today. According to “justice.gov” (2014), domestic violence is a way for one partner to control the other partner. This control can be done sexually, physically, emotionally, economically, and psychologically. Any actions that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure or wound someone is a form of control and domestic violence. This gives us an understanding of what acts and intentions are a part of domestic violence and that it is not just physical abuse alone.

According to statistics found by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Every nine seconds a woman is abused by her husband or intimate partner. At least 1 in every 4 women and 1 in every 9 men have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime. Most often the abuser is one of their own family. Domestic violence is a problem that somehow affects every one of us in this room at some time and is actually the leading cause of injury to women -- more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.

Domestic Violence is a type of abuse. It involves injuring someone; usually a spouse or partner but it can also be a child or other family member. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, and emotional abuse. The frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically; however, the one constant component of domestic violence is one partner’s consistent efforts to maintain power and control over the other. Abusers use fear, guilt, shame and he wants to keep the victim under their control. The abuser may use many different types of abuse to assert this power, and the overall framework in which the abuse occurs may follow a pattern called the cycle

Domestic violence is a serious matter that needs to be dealt with immediately and if not, it can lead to much harm to the opposing partner and or their family’s life. This problem is affecting the lives of people in many ways because of this. When a person is abused, they lose their self-ego and dignity. It puts that person in fear of

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to exhibit control over another person through fear and intimidation by threat, force, or use of violence in intimate relationships. This issue has been an overlooked problem in American society for ages however as it becomes mainstream time and time again and the statics go up, Americans are beginning to see this as a pressing epidemic. With more than 4 million women and 3 million men becoming victims to physical assault in intimate relationships every year, domestic violence has become a societal issue in which it affects people from all walks of life regardless of a person’s gender, race, status, ethnicity, age or religion. Since most cases almost always go unreported and the severity of this problem is often disregarded, domestic violence is ultimately a problem that accrues cost to victims and their families, employers and their business, and society as a whole.

This essay aims to examine ethics, and the importance of using a code of ethics. It will discuss the counsellor’s personal values and professional values that should be used within the profession. There will be an exploration of the importance of contracting in the initial stage of counselling. At the end of this essay it is anticipated that the reader, will have a greater understanding of the importance of contracting with clients, confidentiality and its limitations, how to gather informed consent. It is anticipated that the reader will understand how vital it is for the counsellor to be aware of their own competence and limitations in order to keep the client safe and free from harm. Supervision and the importance of self care will be discussed and examined in order to stress the importance in maintaining a health effective therapeutic alliance.