HW 5

HOMEWORK 1

Summary

Readiness to help is an essential characteristic of an excellent human service provider. The service provider must be empathetic to develop a genuine personal relationship with the client. Appropriate self-disclosure with clinical rationale is a necessary trait of the service provider. A service provider must be self-aware enough to avoid being biased due to their personal experiences. Being a professional helper is emotionally demanding, and listening to a client's problems may cause harm to the helper's mental state hence professional burnout. When a practitioner realizes that the help the client needs is outside their field of expertise, they must refer the client to a suitable professional. A professional must not impose spiritual, social, or religious beliefs on clients. During sessions, a helper should only push clients to share information they are ready to disclose. Putting too much pressure on a client to share experiences may result in an overdiagnosis or misdiagnosis. Supervising intern practitioners is fundamental in ensuring that clients receive optimum care, preventing professional burnout in the intern, and access to advice when the intern is challenged.

Connection

The article, Sitting down with Nedra, by Alice Munoz discusses paradoxical subjects, including healthy ultimatums, toxic forgiveness, and premature resilience. The article reminds me of my narcissistic partner. The manipulation led me to a dark and isolated place until I set my boundaries clearly and decided never to forgive unless I wanted to. Toxic forgiveness is unhealthy and impedes the client's judgment as they become pretentious to avoid being labeled as bitter. When dealing with a selfish person, it is best not to engage because such people are fueled by the attention they receive. A gentle ending was the most appropriate in my case. Self-actualization and knowing what triggers me was an essential step in my mental growth, and Chapter six, Competence, Humility and the Human therapist, urges one to live as their most authentic self. I could not confront my partner because they would gaslight me, and the devastating cycle of self-doubt would continue. Although psychology encourages communication, I chose a controversial path to slowly distance myself without any explanation, and I can attest that it positively impacted my emotional stability. Social media is very educative, provided that one follows the right influencers. It is a platform where Tawwab shares stories about her mental health, and this helps destigmatize mental disorders. Moreover, the AMHCA Code of Ethics (Revised 2020) discusses further the benefits of technology-assisted counseling.

Reflection

The mechanic scenario is relatable in Chapter 2 of Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling. Ms. Huang never confronted Dr. Jackson about incompetence and never gave negative feedback regarding the sessions. On the contrary, she quit therapy without paying and sued the doctor for incompetence. I was in a similar situation where a client made derogatory claims about my brand to her friends. I get that clients are under no obligation to protect my privacy. This case was, however, different because it was defamatory to my brand. To top it off, the client never complained to me. She used to be excited and very eager to attend our sessions. I was surprised when I was informed of the allegations on her social media platform. After receiving the information, I told her during our following session that I would not be able to work with her following her claims and referred her to another mental health practitioner. After the experience, I resolved to be curious and obtain genuine client feedback, set boundaries with clients and seek professional help from my colleagues when I doubt myself. In this scenario, the dilemma is why a client would give positive practitioner feedback and slander the practitioner. The principle of termination and referral is relevant in this case because, despite client disagreements, a practitioner should not neglect the client. They should refer the client to an appropriate service provider.

References

ACA (2014) ACA code of Ethics - American Counseling Association. Available at: https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

 AMHCA (2020) AMHCA code of Ethics, AMHCA Code of Ethics - American Mental Health Counselors Association. Available at: https://www.amhca.org/publications/ethics