Ethical Competence Of A Counsellor
The effectiveness of a counsellor relies on their ethical competence and behaviour. In this situation the counsellor needs to have the knowledge of dealing with loss and aged populations. Along with knowledge the counsellor must also be aware of the types of therapy and situations they are competent in. Since the client is an elderly woman over the age of 18 her information is confidential to everyone. However, she is in a retirement home, which means we may need to make the client aware that any relevant information that would put her or others at risk could be passed on to nurses or caregivers. Another ethical issue the counsellor should be aware of is generational differences. Since the client is older she may think of things in a
different way. For example her thoughts may differ on: remarriage, divorce or loyalty to a spouse. Another factor to consider while counselling the client is autonomy. The counsellor must respect Eleanor’s freedom of choice, and understand nothing can be forced upon her. As well, Eleanor may be in denial or scared and not want to hear the reality of her situation but it is necessary as a counsellor to tell the truth. Overall, the counsellor must respect Eleanor’s decision-making capacity and listen to her before the children. Three factors the counsellor should actively avoid is the creation of dependence, as Eleanor was very dependent on her husband the transfer of that dependency onto the counsellor is a possibility. Impaired objectivity should also be avoided so there are no strong emotional attachments. There should be no conflict of interest between the counsellor and client. It also important for the counsellor to keep notes of the session, in this particular situation writing with pen and paper rather than technology may be beneficial to bridge generation gaps. In addition, the counsellor must follow general guidelines to ensure an ethical counselling process. These guidelines include: honesty, acting in the best interest of the client, acting without personal gain, and having knowledge of the situation. Counselling people from an array of cultural backgrounds means the counsellor must have multicultural competence. This includes having the knowledge of different worldviews of culture, awareness of your own personal culture and having the necessary skills to counsel those of a different cultural background. Our client, Eleanor, is an elderly European Canadian. The culture of European Canadians suggests that they are individualistic rather than collectivist, they are pragmatic and rational or logical methods of understanding themselves and others work best, as well as an eclectic approach is best. Understanding the clients’ culture will allow the counsellor to recognize their worldview and therefore able them to create a better relationship and give accurate help. Canada is full of diversity, so it is no surprise that diversity occurs in counselling as well. The client, Eleanor, is a 74-year-old woman, putting her into the category ‘young old’. In order to be effective the counsellor must avoid any age based expectations or biases toward the aged. The counsellor must also be sensitive to major issues and developmental demands of the aged. It is also important that the counsellor does not develop or already have any characteristics that could have negative impacts on the session’s outcome. These characteristics could be an irrational fear of aging or investment syndrome. As a woman, Eleanor is more likely to be open to sharing. To effectively counsel her, the counsellor must show warmth, understanding, empathy and be well developed. Eleanor is going through a major concern fro women, widowhood. Therefore the counselor should not only be knowledgeable in aged issues but women’s issues as well. Another issue the counsellor should be aware of is spirituality. The counsellor should either take a pluralistic or constructive stance. However, no matter which stance is taken the counsellor must ultimately understand the clients worldview. In conclusion, there are many ethical, multicultural and diversity issues that can relate to Eleanor’s case, and in order for counselling to be effective the counsellor must be aware of all of them.
different way. For example her thoughts may differ on: remarriage, divorce or loyalty to a spouse. Another factor to consider while counselling the client is autonomy. The counsellor must respect Eleanor’s freedom of choice, and understand nothing can be forced upon her. As well, Eleanor may be in denial or scared and not want to hear the reality of her situation but it is necessary as a counsellor to tell the truth. Overall, the counsellor must respect Eleanor’s decision-making capacity and listen to her before the children. Three factors the counsellor should actively avoid is the creation of dependence, as Eleanor was very dependent on her husband the transfer of that dependency onto the counsellor is a possibility. Impaired objectivity should also be avoided so there are no strong emotional attachments. There should be no conflict of interest between the counsellor and client. It also important for the counsellor to keep notes of the session, in this particular situation writing with pen and paper rather than technology may be beneficial to bridge generation gaps. In addition, the counsellor must follow general guidelines to ensure an ethical counselling process. These guidelines include: honesty, acting in the best interest of the client, acting without personal gain, and having knowledge of the situation. Counselling people from an array of cultural backgrounds means the counsellor must have multicultural competence. This includes having the knowledge of different worldviews of culture, awareness of your own personal culture and having the necessary skills to counsel those of a different cultural background. Our client, Eleanor, is an elderly European Canadian. The culture of European Canadians suggests that they are individualistic rather than collectivist, they are pragmatic and rational or logical methods of understanding themselves and others work best, as well as an eclectic approach is best. Understanding the clients’ culture will allow the counsellor to recognize their worldview and therefore able them to create a better relationship and give accurate help. Canada is full of diversity, so it is no surprise that diversity occurs in counselling as well. The client, Eleanor, is a 74-year-old woman, putting her into the category ‘young old’. In order to be effective the counsellor must avoid any age based expectations or biases toward the aged. The counsellor must also be sensitive to major issues and developmental demands of the aged. It is also important that the counsellor does not develop or already have any characteristics that could have negative impacts on the session’s outcome. These characteristics could be an irrational fear of aging or investment syndrome. As a woman, Eleanor is more likely to be open to sharing. To effectively counsel her, the counsellor must show warmth, understanding, empathy and be well developed. Eleanor is going through a major concern fro women, widowhood. Therefore the counselor should not only be knowledgeable in aged issues but women’s issues as well. Another issue the counsellor should be aware of is spirituality. The counsellor should either take a pluralistic or constructive stance. However, no matter which stance is taken the counsellor must ultimately understand the clients worldview. In conclusion, there are many ethical, multicultural and diversity issues that can relate to Eleanor’s case, and in order for counselling to be effective the counsellor must be aware of all of them.