Ethical Considerations In Counseling

Ethical considerations There are arguably many things to consider as I entered into the field of being a drug and alcohol counselor; yet the code of ethics in which were are sworn to me is of the utmost importance and one I take personally. First we bound to the nine principles that uphold the profession of counseling all of which could be further deduced to their own importance; yet accumulatively these are the principles that guide us in our work. They are as follows: 1) the counseling relationship, 2) confidentiality and privileged communication, 3) professional responsibilities and workplace standards, 4) working in a culturally diverse world, 5) assessment, evaluation, and interpretation, 6) therapy, e-supervision, and social media, 7)
supervision and consultation, 8) resolving ethical concerns, 9) publication and communication. These nine principles also include the importance of counselor competence, client welfare, and duty to uphold, and most importantly do no harm. It is collectively that these principles are best used to guide a clinician in their daily practice and working within the substance abuse field.
Theory of counseling and its application As a clinician I am a behaviorists.
I see mental health and substance use disorders as the result of maladaptive learning, as people are born as a blank slate and learn through their experiences and environment. As a behaviorists I do not assume that sets of symptoms reflect single underlying causes. I tend to assume that all behavior is learned from the environment and symptoms are acquired through classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Classical conditioning involves learning by association and is usually the cause of most mental and substance use disorders. Operant conditioning involves learning by reinforcement (e.g. rewards) and punishment, and can explain abnormal behavior should as eating disorders. I also believe if a behavior is learned, it can also be unlearned.
Healthy and unhealthy functioning -----Corey
Behavioral therapies are founded on the theory of classical conditioning. The idea is that all behavior is learned; either from a flawed perspective (i.e. conditioning) and is the cause of a negative or abnormal behavior. Therefore the person is in need to learn the correct or acceptable behavior. A feature of behavioral therapy is its focus on current problems and behavior, and on attempts to displace, stop or remove negative behaviors that the client finds problematic. This perspective contrasts greatly with psychodynamic therapy (re: Freud), where the focus is much more on trying to uncover unresolved conflicts
from childhood (i.e. the cause of abnormal behavior).
The theory of classical conditioning suggests a response is learned and is continued throughout development until it is resolved or relearned. Behavioral therapies based on classical conditioning aim to break the association between stimulus and undesired response. (e.g. phobia, additional etc.).
Theory of choice-----Corey
The first theory in which resonates with me is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Two of the earliest forms of CBT were Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), developed by Albert Ellis in the 1950s, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, developed by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s. CBT can be used to treat people with a wide range of substance use and mental health problems. CBT is based on the idea that how we think (cognition), how we feel (emotion) and how we act (behavior) all interact together. Specifically, our thoughts determine our feelings and our behavior. Therefore, negative thoughts can cause us distress and result in problems. When a person suffers with psychological distress, the way in which they interpret situations becomes abnormal, which in turn has a negative impact on the actions or behaviors we
exhibit.
CBT intentions are to help people develop awareness of how they make negative interpretations, and of behavior patterns resulting in the reinforcement of distorted thinking. Cognitive therapy helps people to develop alternative ways of thinking and behaving which aims to reduce their psychological distress.