Читать книгу Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling - Kenneth S. Pope - Страница 40

 “I live and maintain a … private practice in a rural area. I am also a member of a spiritual community based here. There are very few other therapists in the immediate vicinity who work with transformational, holistic, and feminist principles in the context of good clinical training that ‘conventional’ people can also feel confidence in. Clients often come to me because they know me already, because they are not satisfied with the other services available, or because they want to work with someone who understands their spiritual practice and can incorporate its principles and practices into the process of transformation, healing, and change. The stricture against dual relationships helps me to maintain a high degree of sensitivity to the ethics (and potentials for abuse or confusion) of such situations but doesn’t give me any help in working with the actual circumstances of my practice. I hope revised principles will address these concerns!”

 “Six months ago, a patient I had been working with for three years became romantically involved with my best and longest friend. I could write no less than a book on the complications of this fact! I have been getting legal and therapeutic consultations all along and continue to do so. Currently they are living together, and I referred the patient (who was furious that I did this and felt abandoned). I worked with the other psychologist for several months to provide a bridge for the patient. I told my friend soon after I found out that I would have to suspend our contact. I’m currently trying to figure out if we can ever resume our friendship and under what conditions.” [This latter example is one of many that demonstrate the extreme lengths to which most psychologists are willing to go to ensure the welfare of their patients.]