Positive Ethics for Mental Health Professionals. Sharon K. Anderson. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Sharon K. Anderson
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
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Жанр произведения: Медицина
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9781119628729
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we can consider all of them virtues. This is not an exhaustive list, and we invite you to think of others that might be important for you.

Wisdom and knowledgeCreativityCuriosityOpen-mindednessLove of learningPerspectiveCourageBraveryPersistenceIntegrityVitalityHumanityLoveKindnessSocial intelligenceJusticeCitizenshipFairnessLeadershipTemperanceForgivenessHumilityPrudenceSelf-regulationTranscendenceAppreciation of beauty and excellenceGratitudeHopeHumorSpirituality

      Second, too much or too little of a virtue can be problematic. For example, too little compassion leads to indifference and too much compassion may lead to problems like taking too much responsibility for clients or enabling their self-defeating behaviors. Another example: Too little humility leads to arrogance and too much humility can lead to self-debasement and timidity.

      Third, virtues do not exist in isolation; most behaviors reflect multiple virtues in combination. Consider the virtue of truthfulness. Sometimes we don’t tell a client the entire truth. For instance, we may not tell a client in couples therapy what their partner said about them in a private therapy session. Our virtue of truthfulness is tempered by virtues such as respectfulness (the partner shared impressions in private and expects their privacy to be respected) and prudence (sharing the information at this time in therapy may cause more harm than good). The ability to consider and express the right combinations and amounts of virtues is a virtue in itself—called practical wisdom.

      We suggest that, along with practical wisdom, the virtues of courage (Angelou, cited in Ju, 2008), integrity, humility, and prudence are central. Courage is necessary for us to be in contact with our core, even in difficult situations, and to exercise our practical wisdom consistently. Integrity is the state of having our other virtues in proper proportions and balance. Humility is the awareness that we may not be fully competent, aware, and virtuous in every situation. Prudence refers to the habit of acting cautiously, with due regard to the potential consequences of our behavior. Some other virtues that psychotherapists might cultivate include compassion, respectfulness, and truthfulness.

      Journal Entry: Virtues

      As we did with needs, motives, and values, we can separate virtues into personal and professional, with a subset of moral virtues. We invite you to consider the moral virtues that are currently part of your core and those you wish to cultivate in your professional activities.

      Part 2: Think about several kinds of situations you face in your life and see if there are variations in your expression of virtues. For example, if you thought of truthfulness, how does the amount or expression of truthfulness change depending upon the people you are dealing with, the type of situation, the kinds of behavior called for, and other considerations? Think, for example, about somebody you are very close to, somebody with whom you have a professional relationship, and somebody who is merely an acquaintance. Think about a work situation, a personal situation, and/or a family situation.

       Part 3:

       What would your friends consider your greatest virtue? Your weakest?

       What do you hope your clients will say about your virtues?

       What do you hope your colleagues will say about your virtues?

       What virtues will you most want to develop in your role as a psychotherapist?

       What is your plan for how you might develop these virtues?

       Social Identities

      Social identities refer to the sense of who we are, based on group membership, and are central aspects of identity for many of us. The following is a short list of social identities: race, ethnicity, gender, social class, religion, worldview, able-bodiedness, and sexual orientation. Social identities could include assumptions, biases, and blind spots regarding how we view both ourselves and others. We encourage you to take some time, perhaps in your journal, to uncover and explore how these identities contribute to your core and how they will contribute to your professional/ethical identity. We will address social identities and issues of privilege and oppression in Chapter 2.

      The Ethics Autobiography—Part 1

      Along with our colleagues, we (Bashe et al., 2007) have used the ethics autobiography frequently over the years in our undergraduate and graduate ethics courses. We use it in our class discussions, and we invite you to use it as one way to self-reflect about your core and your ethical identity. Think of it as a walking stick as you climb the staircase!

      Journal Entry: Ethics Autobiography—Part 1

      Put the following on the top of a new page in your journal: Name, date, where you are in your professional journey (graduate school, employment, newly licensed, etc.), and anything else that will help make a connection for you about the time and place of this journal entry.

      Here are some questions that form the basis of your ethics autobiography. You need not address them all, or in order. After all, it’s your autobiography. You might want to refer to some of your previous journal entries, but feel free to go beyond them and integrate them.

      1 What personal needs will be met (or are being met) by becoming (being) a psychotherapist? What is your sense of why those needs exist?

      2 What motivations, values, virtues, and social identities are most important to you, as a person, in your relationships with other people?

      3 What are the origins