Prompt Post #2: Defining Ethics

According to the American Association For Marriage and Family Therapy, Marriage and Family Therapist are obligated to obide by a certain code of ethics. Their responsibility to clients include being...

• Non-Discriminate
• Informed consent
• Avoiding Multiple Relationships
• The prohibition of sexual intimacy with current/former clients and others
• Not abusing the Therapeutic relationship against the client
• Client Autonomy in decision making
• Written consent 
• Etc

This code corresponds with what I believe is right and wrong in a therapist workplace in a very accurate way. Family therapist are supposed to help people, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, status, etc, every individual should be provided the same services. People should be informed on what the steps are to making them a better person and the consequences, rules, or risk that may arise to achieve that goal. When the client is lacking knowledge of the possible down falls that come along with things such as treatments, could cause conflict between the client and the therapist. The emotional stability of a therapist could be affected if they involve themselves in a more personal relationship with their client. One of the important values of a family therapist is to maintain your composure and your overall health even in the most extreme conditions and developing a closer than expected, or sexual relationship could make this value harder to maintain. The environment of a counseling session should always be a positive one. This will allow the client to feel comfortable and be willing to open up and share personal information. If you are very demanding on the types of decisions you feel they should make and abuse your power as the therapist, more than likely the client will feel as thought they can not vent to you because of your judgmental, and demanding ways and therefore makes the sessions "pointless". The more accurate way to go about this is to let the client make their own decisions, and you as the therapist, can inform them of the consequences that follow that decision.
    I am sure that most people understand what therapist should and should not do within a counseling session because of what is presented in the media or even from experience. For example, a therapist should not show discrimination towards any clients or they should not speak of your information without your approval to do so. A person will know if something that happened between them and their therapist is unlawful. I feel that professionals within this field often follow the code of ethics because if not followed they could potentially lose their job and license, as well as leave them with a lawsuit. Knowing and following the code of ethics will help me a lot with my future profession. It will allow me to do my job in the most efficient way possible. It will help keep the client and therapist relationship as professional as possible, not allowing any serious emotions, that could possible alter the clients judgments if me as a professional and vice versa. It will help to avoid conflict between me and my future clients as well, by stating what is legal and what is illegal so that me and my client have a mutual understanding of the whole process.

Source: https://www.aamft.org/iMIS15/AAMFT/Content/legal_ethics/code_of_ethics.aspx