This is about an ethical issue in
counseling. It is a
counselor possibly having a problem with a client that is abuse
in relationships,
specifically spousal. The
counselor had an abusive father, which makes
him very sensitive to this type of situation.
The client of course is approximately the same age as the counselor,
grew up similar in circumstances, but different outcomes. The questions
at hand are somewhat a dilemma to the counselor. Should he continue
with the client even after some of the things the initial meeting came
up with? Should the counselor remove himself from this situation due to
the feelings he has about his father? Can the counselors own
experiences help the client? Will the counselor truly be able to keep
his feelings out of the
counseling sessions and use his experiences as
his guide? Does he already preconceive that the client is not willing
to change his behavior? All of these questions are legitimate and
controversial to the situation. So, what does the counselor do and how
will he go about doing the decision.
American boys are being so "emotionally uneducated by everyone from
parents and peers to the entertainment industry, say some
psychologists.” (APA Monitor; VOL 30 , NR 7 July/August 1999
This is what we have grown up with for many years in the United States,
it has lead to an increase of domestic violence, just as our case
states has happened. This mis-education is a decision maker for each
individual growing up to decide on how he plans to use it. As for the
counselor, he became educated and learns a better way than what he was
taught at a young age. The client went from high school straight to
work with the type of men that he wanted to be like, muscular. He
educated himself with reinforced behavior of his earlier years of
education.
American workers are working harder and longer than they have in the
past two decades just to maintain their standard of living. The
predictable result, according to experts who took part in the recent
"Work, stress and health ''99" conference in Baltimore is a workforce
more at risk than ever for psychological, physical and behavioral
health problems. "It certainly has made for social and family
disruptions," said Linda Rosenstock, MD, the director of the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (APA Monitor VOL
30 , NR 5 May 1999)
In the case of this client we must look at the fact of the type of work
he has been doing also. It is fact that mental exhaustion is a factor
due to stress and causes problems. But here is a man that is working
with his muscles and part of his mental capacity also. In the
construction business you have physical exhaustion that come about
after a hard days work and some stress if it was a long day. Then for
the sore muscles the construction workers go out for a few beers or
drinks and the pain goes away. Here is an opportunity for alcohol
abuse, which is the leading cause of domestic violence.
Now we have another connection with the two people in question. For the
counselor stated his father was just like the client. That means his
father probably abused alcohol also, which tends to compound our
problem of ethics for the counselor. Still the counselor being educated
in counseling may have experience in dealing with substance abuse
people. This could be very helpful in the working of this client. Yet,
again we deal with the problematic problem of not willing to work with
the counselor. So, can the counselor do this or is it too much for him
to handle due to his feelings towards his father?
Since the days when Carole Lombard smacked and punched her leading men,
Ralph Kramden threatened to hit Alice ''right in the kisser,'' and Andy
Capp’s wife whacked him over the head with a rolling pin, Americans
have grown accustomed to chuckling at lovers exchanging insults, raised
fists or slaps in the face. But psychologists say time to stop
laughing.
Increasingly, researchers find that the minor, mutual slaps, kicks and
shoves depicted in television, movies and comic strips is an
all-too-common, and all-too-destructive, feature of real-life love and
marriage.