Psychological counseling
Introduction. 3
1. The essence of psychological counseling. 5
2. Principles of psychological counseling. 9
3. Stages of psychological counseling. 13
Conclusion. 17
List of used literature... 19
Introduction
The relevance of the chosen topic of work is determined by the fact that psychological counseling as a professional activity appeared relatively recently and is still at the stage of development. However, the degree of its influence on people and society is rapidly increasing. The number of people seeking help from a psychological consultant is increasing. The problems that people address are extremely diverse. These are problems of relationships, partnerships. These are difficulties in interacting with the world and people. These are difficulties with yourself. And also work problems.
Thus, the demand and potential capabilities of a consultant today cover all spheres of human life and become practically inexhaustible.
Psychological counseling includes many different areas of work with people in which professional psychologists participate or psychological knowledge is used. Thus, the first component of this type of professional activity is the theory and practice of psychological counseling. The second component includes knowledge of the specifics of professional activity, which has a huge impact on both human psychology and the conditions in which counseling is carried out. Consulting psychologists have to work in the mode of individual and mass (collective) counseling of subjects and objects of activity. Each of them requires special knowledge and skills from the psychologist, especially knowledge of the stages and principles of implementing psychological counseling.
The purpose of the work is to study the stages and principles of the implementation of psychological counseling.
To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:
1. Consider the concept, goals and objectives of psychological counseling.
2. Describe the principles of psychological counseling.
3. Determine the stages of psychological counseling.
The theoretical basis of the work was made up of textbooks on psychodiagnostics and management psychology.
1. The essence of psychological counseling
Psychological counseling is a type of short-term psychological assistance (from one to ten meetings) aimed at resolving a specific problem and restoring emotional balance. The joint work of the psychologist and the client at the level of the subconscious sphere ensures, along with the restoration of the “mental immune system,” the restoration of immunity and improved well-being.
In combination with bioenergy therapy, psychological counseling is widely used in the treatment of diseases such as depression, neurosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as psychosomatic diseases.
Consulting a psychologist can be useful for all adults who feel:
· anxiety, p.
gasps or powerlessness;
· irritability;
· bad mood, apathy;
· insomnia
· suicidal thoughts
gaming and other addictions
· a feeling of dissatisfaction with life, work, marital status, and oneself.
Psychological consultations are often necessary for adolescents:
· who feel incomprehensible in their environment and family;
· suffer from a lack of self-confidence;
· have difficulty communicating with peers;
· doubt their abilities;
· afraid of the future, worried about their appearance and sexual relationships.
· experience a lack of love.
· suffer from various kinds of fears, study poorly, and often get sick.
Psychological counseling can help families and couples:
· who experience difficulties and conflicts in relationships with each other, with children, with parents;
· as well as those who decided to break up and rebuild their personal lives.
In a few meetings with a psychologist, through joint efforts, you can more clearly formulate the problem, look at it from different angles and clearly define the boundaries of its influence on life.
Often, after the first psychological consultation, the client understands the reasons for what is happening and the ways out of the crisis situation are clear; the person begins to better navigate what is happening, and in the future, he himself can successfully overcome difficulties.
In our “progressive” age, when, along with technological progress, various addictions, fears, and competition flourish, which leads to stress and various psychosomatic diseases, the need for qualified psychological help is great. But, despite the fact that in the West a psychologist or psychoanalyst is almost a family doctor, here in Russia psychological counseling is poorly developed.
Firstly, many people think that they can cope with their problems and difficulties themselves, and, having reached the point of chronic illness or neurosis, they end up not seeing a doctor in a timely manner.
Secondly, having encountered so-called “psychoanalysts”, “psychologists” or “healers” once, they know how difficult it is to find a good specialist. In this area, like in no other, the formal professional credentials of a psychologist are not capable of ensuring success. Healing the soul is not a purely technical problem. Psychological help is a joint mental work that requires time and desire to become healthy and happy.
Thirdly, some people think that psychological counseling is a simple, non-binding and non-leading conversation, like conversations with friends and colleagues. This is a common misconception, since conversation is one of the ways or methods of finding the causes of a disease or problem. Already during the conversation, an experienced psychologist begins treatment, in particular at the level of working with the subconscious sphere.
A real, effectively practicing psychologist always feels a sincere desire to help a patient, who very often turns out to be not as sick as he himself thinks or not sick at all.
A person turning to a psychologist for psychological help formulates his question, which reflects his main problem and wishes related to what he would like to achieve in the course of his work. The form and content of the request can be varied.
But demands addressed to a psychologist, containing wishes to change someone or something in the client’s external situation, or suggesting that a specialist will do everything for the client, or that the client will be recommended something very quick and effective, will not meet his hopes. Phrases like: “My husband left me: you can bring him back!”; “I am haunted by strange thoughts: make sure they don’t happen”; “Hypnotize me, I want to wake up as a different person” is not the modus operandi of a professional psychologist. A client who yearns for an all-powerful healer will most likely become disappointed in the counseling psychologist. Also not “addressed” are requests that imply a purely pharmacological solution: “I have insomnia, please prescribe me medications,” as well as requests that, due to their complexity, must be accompanied by specialized medical care (psychiatric treatment, etc.). The request for virtual contact with a psychologist also looks inadequate: “Carry out effective work with me via the Internet or by phone”! This is equivalent to virtually visiting a dentist or gynecologist. Many people do not understand that a psychologist is also a doctor who treats, first of all, a person’s soul, and the body automatically comes into a state of vigor and health if peace of mind and harmony are achieved.
A psychologist cannot be “hired” in the same way as, for example, a tutor or personal driver is hired, by defining his responsibilities or setting a “task” and removing himself from personal involvement. Psychological work is precisely work where the client and psychologist jointly seek solutions; this is a common cause that requires cooperation. The presence of the client is necessary; he must be personally involved in the process and be prepared for the fact that the work associated with exploring and changing oneself is not easy. The psychologist will need professionalism, and the client will need a certain activity: interested participation in what is happening and a willingness to be involved in the developing healing process.
The result speaks about the activity of any person! The activities of a doctor, psychologist and bioenergy therapist are evidenced by the healthy, happy and smiling faces of people who have achieved results in self-knowledge and self-improvement.
We can talk about “magical” transformations,” about healing the soul and body, about changes in personal life and business, about finding one’s “half” and harmonizing relationships with the outside world, about solving one’s problems and finding a way out of a crisis situation only when when there is joint activity of an interested client and the professionalism of a consulting psychologist.
2. Principles of psychological counseling
The basic principles of psychological counseling are the conditions without which psychological counseling cannot take place. The three necessary components of psychological counseling are the consultant, the person, and the therapeutic relationship between them. Each of these three components is subject to special conditions, without which its participation in the process of psychological counseling will be ineffective.
The first condition for effective counseling is the personality of the consultant. Since the consultant's personality is his instrument of work, its completeness and integrity become important for the effectiveness of counseling.
The consultant must have the following personality traits: - showing deep interest in people and patience in communicating with them; - sensitivity to the attitudes and behavior of other people; - emotional stability and objectivity; - the ability to inspire the trust of other people; - respect for the rights of other people; - insight; - lack of prejudice; - self-understanding; - consciousness of professional duty.
Summarizing these requirements for the personality of a consultant, it can be argued that an effective consultant is, first of all, a mature person. The more diverse a consultant’s style of personal and professional life is, the more effective his work will be. Sometimes counseling requires directiveness and structure, and sometimes you can allow yourself to get carried away by a conversation without a certain structure. In counseling, as in life, you should be guided not by formulas, but by your intuition and the needs of the situation. This is one of the most important attitudes of a mature consultant.
The next important quality of a consultant’s personality is self-understanding. It is very important for a consultant to be aware of his own emotions and experiences during the process of psychotherapy. It is very important to be realistic about yourself, to have adequate self-esteem and an adequate attitude towards life in general. Failure to listen to what is going on inside us increases our exposure to stress and limits our effectiveness, and also increases the likelihood of falling prey to satisfying our unconscious needs in the process of counseling. The consultant must know who he is, who he can become, what he wants from life, what is essentially important to him. He approaches life with questions, answers the questions life poses to him, and constantly tests his values.
In psychological counseling, there is a special term that denotes an important quality of a good consultant - authenticity (Greek Authentikys - genuine).
Doubts about the sincerity and honesty of the consultant can cause a person to distrust him and feel unreliable. If a consultant does not have the internal readiness to solve a person’s problem, it is better for him to reschedule the meeting or refuse to work altogether. An authentic consultant allows himself not to know all the answers to life's questions, if he really does not know them. He does not act like a man in love if he feels hostility at the moment. A person must trust the consultant personally and as a professional.
Empathy is a sine qua non of counseling. The word comes from the Greek "pathos" (a strong and deep feeling close to suffering) with the prefix "em" - meaning inward direction. Empathy is a feeling that conveys such a spiritual unity of individuals, when one person is so imbued with the feelings of another that he temporarily identifies himself with the interlocutor, as if dissolving in him. The main feature of empathy is the real emotional presence of the consultant. Moreover, there is a process of fusion in which both the consultant and the person change. Thus, showing empathy means that the counselor responds sensitively and accurately to the person's experiences as if they were his or her own experiences. This implies the ability to “get used to” the subjective world of a person and understand the meaning of various events in this world.
Such “entry” must be non-judgmental, not dividing the content of another world into right and wrong, good and bad parts. The consultant's non-judgmental attitude allows people to accept themselves to a greater extent. When a counselor accurately and diligently identifies a variety of feelings - anger, fear, hostility, anxiety, joy - a person is able to better hear and understand himself. Empathic understanding can be shown to a person in a variety of ways - through silence, reflection of feelings, successful and timely interpretation, telling a story, etc.
It can be assumed that the next basic principle of psychological counseling is psychological contact. Trusting contact between the consultant and the person, based on unconditional respect, empathy, warmth and sincerity of the consultant towards the person, is an integral, and, in the opinion of many professionals, an essential component of psychological counseling. There are also the terms “working alliance”, “working union”, “working relations”. A working alliance represents those aspects of the relationship between a consultant and a person that are fixed in a consulting contract: this refers to an agreement to work in a certain mode with the goal of ridding a person of his psychological problems. A working alliance prevails when a person openly talks about his thoughts and feelings and analyzes them together with a psychotherapist. The specifics of the counseling contact vary from one person to another. The nature of the advisory contact depends on the theoretical orientation of the consultant. Despite such a variety of approaches to the essence of advisory contact, most experts are unanimous in their opinion about its importance in the counseling process.
There are some other important principles of psychological counseling that relate to a person’s personality. These are principles that indicate the limits of the effectiveness of psychotherapy. These conditions relate to the characteristics of a person and his objective capabilities to accept help from a consultant.
1. The stress caused by the conflict should be more painful for the individual than the stress of trying to resolve this conflict. Most often, people seek advice at critical, turning points in their lives, when the existing adaptation mechanisms do not work, and the established worldview collapses under the blows of fate.
2. The circumstances that an individual has to face are not so unfavorable and unchangeable that he cannot control or change them if he wishes.
3. The individual has the opportunity to express his conflicting emotions during scheduled conversations with the counselor.
4. He is able to express these tensions and conflicts verbally or through other means. A perceived need for help is preferable, but not necessary.
5. He is sufficiently independent emotionally as well as physically from immediate family control.
6. It does not suffer from excessive instability, especially of organic origin.
7. He has sufficient intelligence - average or high - to cope with his life situation.
8. Suitable for age - old enough to act independently and young enough to retain some flexibility in adaptation.
Thus, the principles of psychological counseling must be considered through a number of conditions imposed on the three components of psychological counseling: consultant, person and advisory contact, compliance with which allows psychological counseling to be carried out as effectively as possible.
3. Stages of psychological counseling
The entire process of psychological counseling from beginning to end can be represented as a sequence of main stages of counseling, each of which is necessary in its own way during counseling, solves a particular problem and has its own specific characteristics. The word “Stage” denotes a separate moment, a stage in the development of something. The ideas of various authors about the stages of psychological counseling have a lot in common, however, there are also some differences associated mainly with the detail, logic, and completeness of the presentation. It should be noted that in real psychological counseling it is rarely possible to fully and consistently fulfill the requirements of any one model. But it is necessary to focus on some model of the sequence of steps, since this increases the degree of reflexivity of the consultant’s attitude towards the advisory process.
It is important to note that each stage of psychological counseling is characterized by certain psychological counseling procedures. Psychological counseling procedures are understood as groups of psychological counseling techniques united by purpose, with the help of which one of the particular problems of psychological counseling is solved. Its effectiveness directly depends on the thoughtfulness of psychological counseling procedures.
The main stages of psychological counseling are as follows:
1. Preparatory stage. At this stage, the consulting psychologist gets to know the person based on a preliminary record available about him in the registration journal, as well as information about the person that can be obtained from third parties, for example, from a person in an enterprise, the head of an organization, or work colleagues. At this stage of work, the consultant psychologist, in addition, prepares himself for the consultation. At the first stage of psychological counseling, as a rule, no special procedures are identified or applied.
2. Setup stage. At this stage, the consulting psychologist personally meets the person, gets to know him and gets ready to work together with the person. A person does the same for his part. A person must make a decision about his entry into the counseling process quite consciously, therefore, before starting the counseling process, the consulting psychologist is obliged to provide the person with maximum information about the counseling process, namely: about the main goals of counseling, about his qualifications, about the approximate duration of counseling, about the advisability of counseling in given situation, about the boundaries of confidentiality. One should not instill in a person hope for help that a psychologist is unable to provide. The result of this part of the conversation should be a conscious decision by the person to enter into the counseling process. This is usually clearly visible both at the verbal and non-verbal levels. At the second stage, the procedures of meeting with the person, the general, emotional and positive attitude of the person to conduct the consultation, and removing the psychological barriers of communication between the consulting psychologist and the person are applied. This procedure includes other specific techniques and actions with the help of which the consulting psychologist, from the very beginning of the consultation, tries to make the most favorable impression on the person and create in him a mood that ensures the success of the consultation.
3. Diagnostic stage. At this stage, the consulting psychologist listens to the person’s confession and, based on its analysis, clarifies and clarifies the person’s problem. The main content of this stage is the person’s story about himself and his problem (confession), as well as psychodiagnostics of the person, if there is a need to carry it out to clarify the person’s problem and find its optimal solution. It is not possible to accurately determine the time required to carry out this stage of psychological counseling, since much in its determination depends on the specifics of the person’s problem and his individual characteristics. In practice, this time is at least one hour, excluding the time required for psychological testing. Sometimes this stage of psychological counseling can take from 4 to 6-8 hours. At the third stage of psychological counseling, the so-called empathic listening procedure actively works, as well as procedures for activating a person’s thinking and memory, reinforcement procedures, clarifying a person’s thoughts and psychodiagnostic procedures.
4. Recommendation stage. The consulting psychologist, having collected the necessary information about the person and his problem at the previous stages, at this stage, together with the person, develops practical recommendations for solving his problem. Here these recommendations are clarified, clarified, and specified in all essential details. At this stage, the consulting psychologist must help the person formulate possible alternatives to habitual behavior, and then, carefully analyzing and critically evaluating them, choose the option that is most suitable for the person. At the fourth stage of psychological counseling, the following procedures can be used: persuasion, explanation, search for a mutually acceptable solution, clarification of details, specification. All these procedures are associated with bringing to a person’s consciousness those tips and practical recommendations that a consulting psychologist develops with him. The purpose of the relevant procedures is to achieve the most complete and deep understanding by a person of the conclusions and decisions that the consulting psychologist comes to, as well as to motivate the person to carry out these decisions.
5. Control stage. At this stage, the consulting psychologist and the person agree with each other on how the person’s practical implementation of the practical advice and recommendations he has received will be monitored and evaluated. The final stage of psychological counseling includes the following points: summing up the results of the consultation and parting with the person. Summing up, in turn, contains a brief repetition of the results of the consultation, the essence of the problem, its interpretation and recommendations for solving the problem. If a person wishes, these recommendations can be offered to him not only orally, but also in writing. It is also important, summing up the results of the psychological consultation, together with the person to outline a well-thought-out program for implementing the recommendations developed, noting the following: what, how, by what specific date, and in what form should be done by the person. It is advisable that from time to time a person informs a psychological consultant about how things are going and how his problem is being solved. Here the question of how, where and when the consultant psychologist and the person will be able to discuss additional issues that may arise in the process of implementing the recommendations made is also resolved. At the end of this stage, if the need arises, the counseling psychologist and the person can agree with each other about where and when they will meet next.
At the fifth and final stage of psychological counseling, the same procedures are applied that were used at the fourth stage. However, this time they mainly concern assessments of the expected effectiveness of the person’s practical implementation of the advice that he received from the consultant. The special procedure here is to strengthen a person’s confidence that his problem will definitely be solved, as well as his readiness to begin a practical solution to his problem immediately after completion of the consultation. At this stage, techniques of persuasion, suggestion, emotional-positive stimulation and a number of others can also be used.
Thus, the stages and accompanying procedures are aimed at achieving the goals of psychological counseling.
Conclusion
At the end of the work, let us summarize.
Psychological counseling is the practical provision of effective psychological assistance with advice and recommendations to people in need of this help from professionally trained specialists, psychologists-consultants.
Psychological counseling is a process of professional interaction between a psychologist-consultant and a person - a working person (manager, team member, team) with the aim of effectively carrying out adequate and effective work.
The purpose of psychological counseling is to help people understand and clarify their own views on their living space and teach them to achieve their own, self-determined goals through conscious choice and problem solving of an emotional and interpersonal nature. The goals of psychological counseling are: - facilitating behavior change; - improving a person’s ability to establish and maintain relationships; - increasing a person’s productivity and his ability to overcome difficulties; - assistance in the decision-making process; - promoting the disclosure and development of human potential
Psychological counseling in the process of its development goes through a number of successive stages, which are characterized by their tasks, goals and procedures of psychological counseling.
Stages of psychological counseling are sequential steps in conducting psychological counseling, designed to achieve the specific goals of counseling that are pursued in its process. The stages of psychological counseling include, in particular, the person’s mood for confession, the psychologist-consultant listening to the person’s confession, clarifying the essence of the person’s problem, searching for and formulating recommendations for its practical solution.
Psychological counseling helps a person choose and act at his own discretion, and learn new behavior. promotes personality development. Counseling emphasizes the responsibility of the individual, i.e. it is recognized that an independent, responsible individual is capable of making independent decisions in appropriate circumstances, and the consultant creates conditions that encourage the person’s volitional behavior. The core of the psychological is the “advisory interaction” between a person and a consultant, based on the principles of humanistic philosophy.
List of used literature
1. Aleshina Yu.E. Specifics of psychological counseling // Bulletin of psychosocial and correctional rehabilitation work. 1994. - No. 1.2. Veresov N.N. Psychology of management, textbook. - M., 2001.3. Elizarov A.N. Introduction to psychological counseling. - M., 2001.4. Kociunas R. Fundamentals of psychological counseling. - M., 1999.5. Kubra M. Management consulting. - M., 1992.6. Nemov R.S. Basics of psychological counseling. - M., 1999.7. Revenko N.V. Psychology of management. - St. Petersburg, 2001.8. Cherednichenko I. P., Telnykh N. V. Psychology of management. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2004.Kociunas R. Fundamentals of psychological counseling. - M., 1999. - P. 37.
Cherednichenko I. P., Telnykh N. V. Psychology of management. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2004. - P. 126.
May R. The Art of Psychological Counseling. M., 1994. - P. 58.
May R. Decree. op. P. 61.
Aleshina Yu. E. Specifics of psychological counseling // Bulletin of psychosocial and correctional rehabilitation work. 1994. - No. 1. - P.22-33.
(Bodalev A.A., Stolin V.V., 1987; Yu.E. Aleshina, R. Kochunas).
In his work, a practical psychologist is guided by the following principles and rules:
1. The principle of confidentiality (anonymity). Material obtained by a psychologist in the process of working with a subject or client on the basis of a trusting relationship is not subject to conscious or accidental disclosure and must be presented in such a way that it cannot compromise either the subject, the client, the psychologist, or psychological science.
Any information reported by the client to the psychologist, cannot be transferred without his consent not to any public or government organizations, or to private individuals, including relatives or friends. The only exceptions are cases that pose an immediate threat to someone's life.. The issue of privacy is litmus test of the consultant's responsibility to the client. Counseling is impossible if the client does not trust the consultant. The issue of privacy follows discuss during the first meeting with the client.
· Limit of professional use of client information. It is the responsibility of each consultant to use client information only for professional purposes. Information about clients (consultant records, individual client cards) must be stored in places inaccessible to unauthorized persons.
· The consultant, while ensuring secrecy, must familiarize the client with the circumstances under which professional secrecy is not observed. Confidentiality cannot be elevated to an absolute principle. Most often we have to talk about its boundaries. (For example, confidentiality is limited by the rights of third parties and the public).
Circumstances, in which the effect of confidentiality rules in counseling may be limited:
· Increased risk to the life of the client or other people.
· Criminal acts (violence, corruption, incest, etc.) committed against minors.
· The need for hospitalization of the client.
· Participation of the client and other persons in drug distribution and other criminal activities.
Having found out during counseling that the client poses a serious threat to someone, the consultant is obliged to take measures to protect the potential victim (or victims) and inform herself (them), parents, loved ones, and law enforcement agencies about the danger. The consultant must also communicate his or her intentions to the client.
In August 1969, a client at the Poddar Mental Health Center told his counseling psychologist that he was going to kill his girlfriend, Tatiana Tarasoff. The psychologist reported this to the police by telephone and further outlined the circumstances of the case in an official letter to the chief of police. He pointed out the need to monitor the client and hospitalize him as a socially dangerous person. The police detained Poddar for questioning, but soon released him due to insufficient evidence. Some time later, the expert monitoring the qualifications of the said psychologist expressed dissatisfaction and demanded that the letter sent to the police be returned to him. The letter was destroyed. A senior colleague demanded that the consulting psychologist take no further action with this client. The parents of the potential victim were not informed of the impending threat. Two months later, Poddar killed the girl. Her parents filed a criminal case against university employees for not warning them about a possible disaster. Although the lower court rejected the lawsuit, the California Supreme Court in 1976 convicted the Center's employees for irresponsibility.
As Beauchamp and Childress (1983) argue, the primacy of confidentiality ends where someone is at risk.
2. The principle of competence of a psychologist. A psychologist has the right to tackle only those issues on which he is professionally knowledgeable and is endowed with the appropriate rights and powers to carry out psychocorrective or other influences.
The consultant is obliged correctly assess the level and limits of your professional competence. He should not instill in the client hope for help that he is unable to provide. In consulting It is unacceptable to use insufficiently mastered diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. If the consultant in some cases feels that he is not competent enough, he must consult with more experienced colleagues and improve under their guidance.
3. The principle of non-damage to the client (subject). The organization of a psychologist’s work must be such that neither its process nor its results cause damage to his health, condition or social status.
4. The principle of impartiality of the psychologist . A biased attitude towards a client is unacceptable, no matter what subjective impression he makes with his appearance, legal and social status. Friendly and non-judgmental attitude towards the client implies not just adherence to generally accepted norms of behavior, but also the ability to listen carefully, provide the necessary psychological support, not judge, but try to understand and help to everyone who asks for help. The client should feel calm and comfortable during the appointment.
5. The principle of focusing on the client’s norms and values . During his work, a psychologist must
focus not on socially accepted norms and rules, but on those life principles and ideals, the bearer of which is the client. Effective influence is possible only by relying on the client’s own value system, the critical attitude of the consultant can lead to the fact that the person who comes to the appointment becomes withdrawn and cannot be sincere and open, and, consequently, the possibilities of advisory influence will turn out to be practically unrealizable. By accepting the client’s values, respecting them and giving them their due, the consultant will be able to influence them if they are an obstacle to normal
human functioning.
6. The principle of prohibition of giving advice . By advising, the consultant takes responsibility for what is happening, which does not contribute to the development of the personality of the person being counseled and his adequate attitude to reality. However advice should not be confused with providing objective information, which sometimes simply needs to be given to the client.
When a person asks for advice, he is actually asking: “Which route should I, a blind man, take next so as not to fall again? You can, of course, give advice, but in this case the person will constantly contact us. Our help is to help him begin to see for himself. So that in the future I would not look for a guide, but could go on my own.
7. The principle of distinguishing between personal and professional relationships . The prohibition of dual relationships is another important ethical principle that is discussed as often as confidentiality.
The level of skill is directly related to a person’s ability to realize and execute his professional role , build your behavior within its framework. “Human” relationships arise when behavior begins to go beyond the professional role.
Mixing work relationships with other types of relationships not only complicates, but also makes it impossible to solve a psychological problem. They are not friendly with clients, they do not consult friends. Working relationships are relationships pure mirrors. “Human” relationships distort perception: friendship is a mirror of interdependence, falling in love is a mirror of idealization, and friendly relationships are a mirror of tact.→
It is inappropriate to consult relatives, friends, employees studying with a student consultant; Sexual contact with clients is unacceptable. This prohibition is quite understandable, since counseling gives the specialist an advantageous position and there is a threat that in personal relationships this advantage can be used for exploitative purposes.
The client’s desire for a relationship with a psychologist that goes beyond work must be considered as resistance and used as material for psychological analysis.
The problem of sexual relationships between consultants and psychotherapists and clients is often hushed up. A survey was conducted of 1,000 American counseling and psychotherapy practitioners with doctoral degrees. Half of them were men and the other half were women. The researchers obtained the following results:
· erotic contacts and sexual relationships are more frequent between male consultants and female clients (5.5%) than between female consultants and male clients (0.6%);
· consultants who have once crossed the line of what is permitted tend to re-enter sexual relationships with clients (80% of cases);
- 70% of male consultants and 80% of female consultants categorically deny the acceptability of sexual relations with clients; 4% of respondents consider sexual relationships with clients to be therapeutically valuable.
Sexual relationships between counselors and clients are neither ethically nor professionally acceptable because they constitute a direct abuse of the counselor's role. The client is much more vulnerable than the consultant, since in the specific atmosphere of counseling he “exposes” himself- reveals his feelings, fantasies, secrets, desires, including those of a sexual nature. Sometimes the client greatly idealizes the consultant; he wants a close relationship with such an ideal person who deeply understands him. However, when turning a consultative contact into a sexual relationship clients develop extreme dependence, and the consultant loses objectivity. This is where any professional counseling and psychotherapy ends.
In psychotherapy, there are two most important concepts introduced into psychoanalysis by S. Freud, which are of great importance for working with patients:
a) "transfer" that is, the client’s tendency to transfer and project onto the psychotherapist and the relationship with him his relationships with significant people, main problems and conflicts;
b) “countertransference”, that is, the psychotherapist's tendency to project his relationships with significant others and major internal problems and conflicts onto the relationship with the patient. It is precisely in order to understand, manage and be able to use one’s countertransference for analysis purposes, as well as a number of other personal and interpersonal phenomena, for a beginner
There is a mandatory requirement for a psychotherapist to undergo his own analysis and work with a supervisor for a long time.
To one degree or another, these phenomena also operate in the counseling process. But it is difficult to expect that a person who has not received special and in-depth training will be able to successfully work with these most complex phenomena.
It is enough for the consultant to understand that maintaining his authority for the client is largely due to the fact that the latter knows little about him as a person; he has no reason either to admire the psychologist or to condemn him as a person.
8. Principle of informed consent . It is necessary to inform the subject about the ethical principles and rules of psychological activity. The client's decision to enter into an “advisory contract” must be fully conscious, therefore The consultant is obliged to provide the client with maximum information about the counseling process:
- about the main goals of counseling;
- about your qualifications;
- about fees for consulting;
- about the approximate duration of consultation:
- on the advisability of counseling;
- about the risk of temporary deterioration of the condition during the counseling process;
- about the boundaries of confidentiality.
Very important agree in advance with the client on the possibility of audio and video recording of advisory conversations and observation by a third party through a one-way mirror. It is unacceptable to use such procedures without the client’s consent.. These procedures may be important to the counselor for pedagogical and research purposes, and may also be useful to the client in assessing the dynamics of his problems and the effectiveness of counseling. Sometimes the authority that controls the consultant’s qualifications requires detailed information about a specific case. The resistance of some insecure counselors to observing or recording conversations, ostensibly out of a desire to maintain confidentiality and protect the client, actually expresses their own anxiety and discomfort.
Similar are principles of telephone counseling:
1. Constant availability. Day and night, 24 hours a day, people in difficult situations can receive the support of another person.
2. Anonymity and confidentiality. The caller has the right not to give his name. The content of the conversation is absolutely confidential.
3. Respect the caller. The client is accepted as he is. The consultant has no right to manipulate the caller or impose his position. Any form of ideological pressure, including religious or political, is unacceptable.
4 Caller protection. A consultant can be a person who has undergone selection and special training; he is obliged to constantly improve his skills (see Russian Association of Telephone Emergency Psychological Help: Booklet, 1996).
Since the problem of good and evil continues to be central to ethics, the main requirement of practical ethics comes down to the famous "do no harm".
Many professions have their own principles and requirements, the implementation of which is mandatory for specialists. Failure to comply with professional principles and requirements in some countries (for example, in the USA) can lead to the fact that a specialist is deprived of a diploma, the right to practice and offer his professional services, etc.
It should be remembered that there are certain principles of behavior for a consultant and that following them not only ensures ethical professional activity, but is also the key to the success of psychological influence. However, there are not always clear and simple answers to ethical and moral problems that arise in the practice of psychological counseling.
The following principles of psychological counseling can be distinguished:
1. Friendly and non-judgmental attitude towards the client.
This formulation hides a whole complex of professional behavior aimed at making the client feel calm and comfortable during the appointment. A friendly attitude implies not just following generally accepted norms of behavior, but also the ability to listen carefully, provide the necessary psychological support, not judge, but try to understand and help everyone who asks for help.
2. Focus on client norms and values.
This principle implies that a consultant, during his work, should be guided not by socially accepted norms and rules, but by those life principles and ideals that the client is the bearer of. Effective influence is possible only when relying on the client’s own value system, while the consultant’s critical attitude can lead to the fact that the person who comes to the appointment becomes withdrawn and cannot be sincere and open, and, consequently, the possibilities of advisory influence will turn out to be practically unrealizable. By accepting the client's values, respecting them and giving them their due, the consultant will be able to influence them if they are an obstacle to the normal functioning of a person.
Clients should not be given advice. The reasons for this are quite broad and varied. First of all, no matter what the consultant’s life and professional experience, it is impossible to give guaranteed advice to another: everyone’s life is unique and unpredictable. In addition, when giving advice, the consultant takes full responsibility for what is happening, which does not contribute to the development of the person being counseled and his adequate attitude to reality. In such a situation, the consultant puts himself in the position of a “guru,” which really harms counseling and leads to the fact that the client, instead of an active desire to understand his life and change it, develops a passive and superficial attitude to what is happening. Moreover, any failures in implementing the advice are usually attributed to the consultant as the authority who gave the advice, which naturally prevents the client from understanding his role in the events happening to him.
4. Anonymity.
The most important condition for psychological counseling is its anonymity. This means that any information communicated by the client to the consultant cannot be transferred without his consent to any public or government organizations, private individuals, including relatives or friends. There are exceptions to this rule (of which the client is always warned in advance), specifically stipulated by law. An exception to this would be if the consultant learns during an appointment about something that poses a serious threat to someone's life.
5. Distinguishing between personal and professional relationships.
There are many very experienced and professional consultants who have fallen into the trap of becoming friendly with clients or trying to provide professional assistance to their friends and immediate family. This path is fraught with many dangers, and not only because, as is known, there is no prophet in one’s own country and any recommendations and revelations with loved ones are easily devalued, but also for many other reasons; some of them will be discussed below.
In psychotherapy, there are two most important concepts that are of great importance for working with patients: a) “transference,” that is, the client’s tendency to transfer and project onto the psychotherapist and the relationship with him his relationships with significant people, main problems and conflicts; b) “countertransference,” that is, the psychotherapist’s tendency to project his relationships with significant people and the main internal problems and conflicts onto the relationship with the patient. These concepts, introduced into psychoanalysis by S. Freud, are today widely used in a variety of areas of psychotherapy (Freud Z., 1989). They mean that any human relationship, and even such “special” relationships that develop within the framework of psychotherapy, are influenced by a person’s internal personal needs and desires, which he most often does not realize. Moreover, even a professional psychotherapist often finds himself “disarmed” by countertransference. It is precisely in order to understand, manage and be able to use one’s countertransference for analysis purposes, as well as a number of other personal and interpersonal phenomena, for a novice psychotherapist there is a mandatory requirement to undergo his own analysis and work for a long time with a supervisor.
To one degree or another, these phenomena also operate in the counseling process. In many ways, the preservation of the consultant's authority for the client is due to the fact that the latter knows little about him as a person; he has no reason either to admire the consultant or to condemn him as a person. The establishment of close personal relationships between the consultant and the client leads to the fact that they, as close people, begin to satisfy certain needs and desires of each other and the consultant can no longer maintain an objective and detached position necessary for effectively resolving the client’s problems.
6. Client involvement in the counseling process
In order for the counseling process to be effective, the client during the appointment must feel as involved as possible in the conversation, vividly and emotionally experience everything that is discussed with the consultant. In order to ensure such inclusion, the consultant must ensure that the development of the conversation looks logical and understandable to the client, and also that the person does not just “listen” to the specialist, but is really interested in him. After all, only if everything that is being discussed is clear and interesting can you actively look for ways to resolve your situation, experience and analyze it.
It happens that during an appointment, the client suddenly loses interest in the topic being discussed, gets tired, internally disagrees, but does not want to talk about it. In this situation, you should not “inflame the atmosphere,” insist, or try to find out everything “to the end.” It is better if the psychologist changes the topic, makes a joke and thus defuses the situation, thereby maintaining the client’s involvement and interest in the counseling process and ensuring the productivity of the psychological impact.
Ethical aspects of psychological counseling.
A consultant, like other professionals, has ethical responsibilities and obligations. First of all, he is responsible to the client. However, the client and the consultant are not in a vacuum, but in a system of diverse relationships, so the consultant is responsible to the client’s family members, to the organization in which he works, to the public in general, and, finally, to his profession. Such responsibility determines the special importance of ethical principles in psychological counseling and psychotherapy. That is why codes of professional ethics are being created in all countries to regulate the professional activities of psychotherapists and consultant psychologists.
However, when working, for example, with clients who have suicidal intentions, it is difficult to fully adhere to these principles. If you try to ensure the client’s safety, it is difficult not to violate his autonomy, the right to free self-determination, and therefore not to infringe on his personal dignity and values. On the other hand, if nothing is done and the client's autonomy is protected, his well-being and even his life will be threatened.
The first requirement for a consultant is made at the beginning of the consulting process. The client’s decision to enter into a “consulting contract” must be fully conscious, therefore the consultant is obliged to provide the client with maximum information about the consulting process during the first meeting:
About the main goals of counseling;
About your qualifications;
About payment for consulting;
About the approximate duration of consultation;
On the advisability of counseling;
About the risk of temporary deterioration of the condition during the counseling process;
About the limits of confidentiality.
The consultant is obliged to correctly assess the level and limits of his professional competence. He should not instill in the client hope for help that he is unable to provide. In counseling, the use of insufficiently mastered diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is unacceptable. Consultative meetings with clients should never be used to test any counseling methods or techniques. If a consultant in some cases feels that he is not competent enough, he is obliged to consult with more experienced colleagues and improve under their guidance.
The consultant is obliged to provide, as already mentioned, comprehensive information about the conditions of consultation. It is very important to agree in advance with the client on the possibility of audio and video recording of advisory conversations and observation by a third party through a one-way mirror. It is unacceptable to use such procedures without the client’s consent. These procedures may be important to the counselor for pedagogical and research purposes, and may also be useful to the client in assessing the dynamics of his problems and the effectiveness of counseling.
A major source of ethical dilemmas in counseling is the issue of confidentiality. It represents a litmus test of the consultant's responsibility to the client. Counseling is impossible if the client does not trust the consultant. The issue of confidentiality should be discussed during the first meeting with the client. There are two levels of confidentiality.
The first level refers to the limit of professional use of client information. It is the responsibility of each consultant to use client information only for professional purposes. The consultant has no right to disseminate information about the client with other intentions. This also applies to the fact that someone is undergoing a course of psychocorrection. Information about clients (consultant records, individual client cards) must be stored in places inaccessible to unauthorized persons.
The consultant, while ensuring secrecy, must familiarize the client with the circumstances under which professional secrecy is not observed. Among the most frequently cited circumstances in which the rules of confidentiality in counseling may be limited, the following are worthy of mention:
1. Increased risk to the life of the client or other people.
2. Criminal acts (violence, corruption, incest, etc.) committed against minors.
3. The need for hospitalization of the client.
4. Participation of the client and other persons in drug distribution and other criminal activities.
Having discovered during counseling that a client poses a serious threat to someone, the counselor is obliged to take measures to protect the potential victim.
Another important ethical principle is the prohibition of dual relationships. It is inappropriate to consult relatives, friends, employees, students studying with the consultant, and sexual contact with clients is unacceptable. Such a prohibition is understandable, since counseling gives the specialist an advantageous position and there is a threat that in personal relationships this advantage can be used for exploitative purposes.
The problem of sexual relationships between counselors and psychotherapists and clients is very important. Sexual relationships between counselors and clients are not ethically or professionally acceptable because they constitute a direct abuse of the counselor's role. The client is much more vulnerable than the consultant, since in the specific atmosphere of counseling he “exposes” himself - reveals his feelings, fantasies, secrets, desires, including those of a sexual nature. Sometimes the client greatly idealizes the consultant; he wants a close relationship with such an ideal person who deeply understands him. However, when the counseling contact turns into a sexual relationship, clients develop extreme dependence, and the consultant loses objectivity. This is where any professional counseling and psychotherapy ends.
The success of psychological counseling largely depends on how the therapeutic relationship develops between the client and the psychologist. The basis of this relationship is trust. Thanks to him, the client shares with the psychologist what is important and dear to him, opens up his experiences. The well-being and health of not only the client and his family, but also other people sometimes depends on how the specialist uses the information received during counseling.
Let's give a clear example. Victoria, 22 years old, has been going to psychologists for seven of them at her mother’s insistence. Symptoms are increased anxiety, attacks of fear, accompanied by suffocation. “I come to the session just to “chat”, about nothing. Why would I open my soul to psychologists? Then they tell my mom everything! I didn’t know I had a right to privacy!” Victoria suffered for seven years, experiencing attacks of acute anxiety, the girl’s family wasted money, her anxiety disorder became chronic - all because the psychologists consulting her violated the principle of confidentiality.
As a result of such actions, families can be destroyed, careers and health can be damaged, work results can be devalued, and even the very idea of psychological counseling. This is why confidentiality is present in all ethical codes of psychologists and psychotherapists.
The first code of ethics for psychologists
The first ethical code of psychologists was developed by an authoritative organization - American Psychological Association, its first edition appeared in 1953. This was preceded by a five-year work of a commission on ethical standards, which examined many episodes of psychologists’ behavior from an ethical point of view.
According to the code, psychologists must protect confidential information received from clients and discuss issues of its protection at the beginning of the therapeutic relationship, and if circumstances change during counseling, return to this issue. Confidential information is discussed only for scientific or professional purposes and only with relevant persons. Information can be disclosed without the client’s consent only in a number of cases prescribed in the code. The main points of such disclosure are related to preventing harm to the client himself and other people.
Among practicing psychologists in the USA, ethical American Counseling Association Code.
In the USA, you can pay for a violation with a license.
“According to the code of ethics of the American Counseling Association, publication of a case is possible only after the client has read the text and given written permission or the details have been changed beyond recognition,” says Alena Prikhidko, family therapist. – The consultant should discuss with the client the issue of who, where and when will have access to confidential information. The psychotherapist is also required to obtain the client’s permission to discuss his case with relatives. Taking a case into public space without permission threatens at least a fine, maximum - deprivation of license. Psychotherapists in the USA value their licenses, because obtaining them is not easy: you must first complete a master’s degree, then complete an internship for 2 years, pass exams, undergo supervision, and know the laws and ethical codes. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine that they would violate the code of ethics and describe their clients without permission – for example, on social networks.”
What about us?
In Russia, a law on psychological assistance has not yet been adopted, there is no code of ethics common to all psychologists and there are no large prestigious psychological associations that would be widely known.
Russian Psychological Society ( RPO) tried to create a unified code of ethics for psychologists. It is published on the society’s website, and is used by psychologists included in the RPO. However, while the RPO does not have much authority among professionals, not all psychologists strive to become members of the society, and the majority know nothing about this organization.
The RPO code of ethics says little about confidentiality in counseling relationships: “Information obtained by a psychologist in the process of working with a client on the basis of a trusting relationship is not subject to intentional or accidental disclosure outside the agreed terms.” It is clear that the psychologist and the client must agree on the terms of disclosure of confidential information and further adhere to these agreements.
It turns out that in Russia there is no common understanding of the principles of professional ethics among psychologists
Ethical codes of psychologists, created at the level of Russian associations in areas of psychotherapy, are also mandatory for use only by members of associations. However, some associations do not have their own codes of ethics, and many psychologists are not members of any associations.
It turns out that today in Russia there is no common understanding among psychologists of the principles of professional ethics. Professionals often have a very superficial understanding of ethical principles, including little awareness of the principle of confidentiality. Therefore, you can increasingly see how popular psychologists describe sessions without obtaining clients’ permission, compile lists of ridiculous client requests, and in the comments to posts they diagnose commentators.
What to do if your case becomes public
Let's say that information about working with you was posted by a psychotherapist on the Internet - for example, on social networks. Find out which professional community your psychologist is a member of (if you did not find out before the first consultation).
If a psychologist is a member of a professional association, you can prevent violations of confidentiality in relation to other clients, as well as damage to the professional reputation of the specialist. Find a professional community site on the Internet. Look for the Code of Ethics section and read it carefully. File a complaint and contact the community ethics committee. If you do not find the code and ethics committee contacts, file a complaint directly with the community president.
Under pressure from colleagues, the psychologist will be forced to reconsider his attitude to professional ethics. Perhaps he will be expelled from society, but in any case he will not lose his practice, since the activities of psychologists in our country are not yet licensed.
How to prevent violation of the principle of confidentiality
To prevent ethical violations, a number of actions need to be taken at the stage of choosing a psychologist.
It is important that the consulting psychologist has not only basic psychological education, but also professional retraining in one or more areas of psychotherapy. He also needs to undergo personal therapy and regular supervision from more experienced colleagues, and be a member of professional communities.
When choosing a specialist...
...ask for copies of your diploma on higher education and certificates of professional retraining.
...find out what professional community the psychologist belongs to and who his supervisor is. Visit the association's website, look for your specialist among the society's members. Review the association's code of ethics.
...ask your psychologist's understanding of confidentiality. Ask specific questions: “Who other than you will have access to confidential information? Who will be able to know what we will talk about during the consultation?” The psychologist’s appropriate response in this case would be: “I may want to discuss your case with my supervisor. What do you think about it?"
These precautions will help you find a truly professional psychologist whom you can trust and, as a result of working with whom, you will receive effective psychological help.
Many professions have their own principles and requirements, the implementation of which is mandatory for specialists. A number of countries around the world have codes of ethics for consultants. There are certain principles of consultant behavior, adherence to which not only ensures ethical professional activity, but is also the key to the success of the advisory influence.
Let us present the general principles of psychological counseling identified by various authors (Yu. E. Aleshina, P. P. Gornostay, S. V. Vaskovskaya, A. N. Mokhovikov, etc.):
1. Friendly and non-judgmental attitude towards the client
Goodwill is realized through an attentive and sensitive attitude towards the client. It is contrasted both with the excessively noble and active (sometimes imposed) activity of the consultant, and with primitive but generous sympathy and empathy. Non-judgment is one of the most difficult principles to implement. In our opinion, a consultant spends about 17 years on its full implementation in the process. Non-judgment does not mean indifference, it presupposes “attentive” neutrality and a calm attitude towards the reported facts. In addition, when always fighting the temptation to evaluate others by your own standards and life standards, it is worth reminding yourself - “depending on what you compare with what...”. Truly “judge not, lest ye be judged.”
2. Focus on client norms and values
In the process of counseling, it is important for a psychologist to decide what this or that event means not for him (the consultant), but for the client. Only the client himself can be competent in his life; the psychologist cannot live, think, or act for him. But you should take care to understand what this or that fact of life means for the person who asked for help. Only by integrating into this internal dialogue of a person with himself can one begin to move out of a dead end. The skill of a consultant in this case is to give a person the opportunity to tell the truth about himself.
3. Prohibition of giving advice
This is a widely known and promoted principle, supposedly based on the fact that one cannot take responsibility for someone else’s life. All this is true, but we propose to look at this principle differently. Firstly, a person often comes precisely for advice; he is ready to “surrender” his freedom in exchange for clear instructions on the right actions; secondly, a very common situation is when a psychologist (for example, a school psychologist, a practical child psychologist) gives advice, sometimes calling them recommendations, etc. In our opinion, it is appropriate to stipulate the following here.
Give advice if you know it. Often a psychologist would be happy to give advice, but he doesn’t know it.
A person has the right to listen to advice and act in his own way. (That is, yes, if they had also taken them).
Some life concepts (love, attention, happiness, etc.) in the ordinary minds of people have very different interpretations. Therefore, even very good advice can be embodied in the editorial office “whoever understands it.”
For example, a psychologist advised a mother who sought help to sort out her relationship with her teenage son. She returned home and gave the child a dressing down, while backing up her screams and lectures with what the psychologist told her to do. An incident comes to mind when the teacher advised the good boy Zhenya, a 2nd grade student who finished the school year with one B, to come home and think about what was stopping him from studying. He came, thought and decided that the reason was that he played a lot and spent a lot of time sitting at the TV watching cartoons. The child decided to act courageously: to give up both toys and cartoons. He took and threw both toys and the TV from the 8th floor balcony... The operation to get rid of his vices was successful, but it is unlikely that this was what the teacher had in mind.
Advice should be in demand, timely (what's the point of waving your fists after a fight or giving advice “at hand”) and appropriate. The skill and art of a psychological consultant is to give the right advice in the right way to the right person at the right time.
4. Respect for the individual, anonymity and confidentiality
A person has the right to anonymity of treatment and non-disclosure of his innermost thoughts. Respect for a person’s personality should be observed unquestioningly, regardless of age, nationality, religion, gender, profession, etc.
5. Differentiate between personal and professional relationships
This principle is determined by both the procedural aspects of the consultative process and the effective ones. It is procedurally easier to both enter into contact and leave contact if there are no emotional “connections” with the client. Effectively, it is also better not to have contacts outside of consultative interaction with the client, because it is already known from medical practice that “our own” people do not operate.
6. Activation of the client, acceptance of responsibility for what is happening
A person turns to counseling in situations of trouble in life. But this is his life, and only he himself can be competent in it. Figuratively speaking, the psychologist does not drag the client out of the dead end, he does not leave the client alone in the dead end, but the client walks on his own. Sometimes there are clients with a passive position, eager to be educated, acted, decided for them, etc., they are even ready to pay highly for this, but for the psychologist to relieve them of all worries and definitely achieve a high-quality result. In the counseling process, mutual activity and responsibility are needed - the client and the consultant - to achieve a positive result.
7. Do no harm
The principle is widely known, popular, but not specific. It is unlikely that anyone organizes their professional activities with the intention of harming someone (this is not a matter of psychology, but of law enforcement agencies). It is known that the easiest way to avoid harm is to do nothing. As a rule, this principle (“Do no harm!”) is regularly proclaimed by those who do not know how to teach beginners what can and cannot be done in practical psychology. Just in case, it is proclaimed: “Do no harm!”, thereby removing responsibility from the person transmitting the knowledge. The latter can always say that he warned. This principle, of course, should be communicated to every psychologist in order to remind them of responsibility, but in practice and especially in supervision it is worth supplementing it with clear comments on what can be done in counseling and what should never be done.
