Handbook of professional and ethical practice for psychologists, counsellors, and psychotherapists

Some of the contributors to this handbook are prominent practitioners experts in their field they have published bodies of work that are known to many practitioners unfortunately other contributors are not & this lets the book down quite considerably The chapter 'Complaints' by Gallagher and Haworth seemed rather blaming and almost paranoid I would have preferred a more productive exploration relating to the very serious issue of complaints against therapists,an exploration into why complaints arise would have been helpful,their view seems quite exaggerated almost self centered-perhaps their writing indicates a cynicism inherent in the profession or perhaps its intellectual laziness or perhaps some other reason? I think most of us are aware that false allegations against therapists are extremely rare as is "delusional transference".Oftentimes complaints arise due to arrogant therapists who are so dissociated from their own emotional state sometimes through overly scientific training,sometimes by habit or choice,dogmatic adherence to an inappropriate service delivery style or unchecked countertransference that they genuinely have no idea of the damage they do to their clients-then there are the ultimate abusers the therapists who deliberately seek out therapeutic power in order to abuse perhaps Gallagher and Haworth should have focussed more on what the practitioner learned from the experience of being complained about,focusing on blaming others (externalising all blame) just doesnt support a therapists growth and professional development I feel oftentimes narcissism gets in the way. The therapist needs to be seen as credible prove the correctness of a theory or save face and this can be a huge impediment to responding to our future clients needs The chapter 'Complaints Professional and Ethical Issues' made me smile it reminded me of the book 'Mistakes Were Made...But Not By Me' On a more positive note I agree with Mandatory Psychotherapy for therapists. Most therapists do not undergo significant long term personal therapy as part of their training programme,psychologists especially are told they should be detached and this can lead to prospective therapists hiding any perceived weaknesses or insecurities in order to 'look good' to colleagues tutors,ex-tutors and co workers A Therapists unfinished business can lead to the therapist distorting the therapeutic needs of the client,enacting and not being able to handle their counter transference.In order to combat this all therapists should commit to therapy in order to work on their unresolved family of origin issues. Some therapists are not stable Interestingly bad therapists have a common profile of developmental unfinished business.They are often first born or the only child are pushed through childhood too quickly without sufficient nurturing,warmth or protection and are parentified (asked to become a little adult and take care of parent(s)) they have low self esteem and tend to be loners they find it difficult to make friends and dont know how to be intimate [Weinhold 1992] Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 List of tables and figures......Page 11 Contributors......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 18 Professional practice and ethical considerations......Page 20 Introduction......Page 22 Developing and monitoring professional ethics and good practice guidelines......Page 26 European guidelines to professional and ethical issues......Page 38 Psychological contracts with and within organisations......Page 52 The person in ethical decision-making: living with our choices......Page 66 Legal considerations and responsibilities......Page 80 Client confidentiality and data protection......Page 82 The legal context of therapy......Page 96 Writing a report for use in Court and appearing in Court as a health professional and/or expert witness......Page 110 The ethics and responsibilities of record keeping and note taking......Page 124 Clinical considerations and responsibilities......Page 136 Referrals: clinical considerations and responsibilities......Page 138 Complaints: professional ethical issues......Page 150 Fitness to practise......Page 164 Suicide: professional and ethical considerations......Page 178 Working in a healthcare setting: professional and ethical challenges......Page 190 Working with diversity - professional practice and ethical considerations......Page 202 Professional and ethical considerations when working with children and adolescents - an educational psychology perspective......Page 204 Professional and ethical issues when working with older adults......Page 216 Professional and ethical practice in the consulting room with lesbians and gay men......Page 228 Professional and ethical issues when working with learning disabled clients......Page 240 Professional and ethical practice in multicultural and multiethnic society......Page 252 Research, supervision and training......Page 266 Research in therapeutic practice settings: ethical considerations......Page 268 The ethics (or not) of evidence-based practice......Page 282 Mandatory personal therapy for therapists: professional and ethical issues......Page 296 Teaching ethics for professional practice......Page 310 Training supervision: professional and ethical considerations......Page 322 Trainee perspectives on professional and ethical practice......Page 336 Appendix: List of resources......Page 352 Index......Page 354

Closer regulation of psychological counselling means that an awareness of the professional, legal and ethical considerations is vital.

The Handbook of Professional and Ethical Practice brings together leading therapists and psychologists who have a wealth of knowledge and experience of their subjects. Each chapter places particular emphasis on the current codes of practice and ethical principles underpinning safe ethical practice and the implications for practitioners. Comprehensive coverage of the legal, clinical and ethical considerations involved in research and training is provided and the reflective questions at the end of every chapter serve to prompt further discussion of the issues. The following subjects are covered:

· professional practice and ethical considerations
· legal considerations and responsibilities
· clinical considerations and responsibilities
· working with diversity - professional practice and ethical considerations
· research, supervision and training.

This innovative Handbook provides a supportive guide to the major professional, legal and ethical issues encountered by trainees on counselling, clinical psychology and psychotherapy courses, as well as providing an invaluable resource for more experienced therapists and other members of the helping professions.

16. Professional And Ethical Issues In Working With Older Adults / Eleanor O'leary & Nicola Barry -- Professional And Ethical Practice In The Consulting Room With Lesbians And Gay Men / Lyndsey Moon -- 18. Professional And Ethical Issues When Working With Learning Disabled Clients / Peter Foster & Rachel Tribe -- 19. Professional And Ethical Practice In Multicultural And Multiethnic Society / John Newland & Nimisha Patel -- Section Five. Research, Supervision And Training -- 20. Research In Therapeutic Practice Settings : Ethical Considerations / Adrian Coyle & Camilla Olsen -- 21. The Ethics (or Not) Of Evidence-based Practice / Martin Milton -- 22. Mandatory Personal Therapy For Therapists : Professional And Ethical Issues / Andrew Grimmer -- 23. Teaching Ethics For Professional Practice / Shirley Morrissey -- 24. Training Supervision : Professional And Ethical Considerations / Jean Morrissey -- 25. Trainee Perspectives On Professional And Ethical Practice / Rachel Tribe. Edited By Rachel Tribe And Jean Morrissey. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Charles Swett (1828-1910) was a prosperous Vicksburg merchant and small plantation owner who was reluctantly drawn into secession but then rallied behind the Confederate cause, serving with distinction in the Confederate Army. After the war some of Swe This innovative handbook provides a supportive guide to the major professional, legal and ethical considerations faced by trainees on counselling and psychotherapy courses, as well as providing an invaluable resource for more experienced therapists. Closer regulation of psychological counselling means that an awareness of the professional, legal and ethical considerations is vital. This title brings together leading therapists who havew a wealth of knowledge and experience of their subjects