I strongly disagree with the issue at hand – if it is unethical for a counselor to meet his psychological needs partly from work. However, certain boundaries have to be met that are necessary to define the bold term from the phrase “…Partly through work.” It is a known fact that the more we experience, the more we learn, and all the more we can share those experiences – though I am always open to the notion that each client’s situation is unique no matter how similar they are to previous engagements. We all learn from each other, and one professionally grows with a lot of experiences, be they good or bad. As a counselor, however, when we say meeting psychological needs, there is always that thin line between yourself and your client’s.
I may meet my psychological needs by counseling him, but his needs are always put first. My meeting my needs should not disrupt his way of living or his positive thoughts on life. Quoting one of the American Counseling Association’s objectives, a culturally skilled counselor possesses knowledge about their social impact on others.
We should always know that our mingling/style may clash or foster the counseling process with our clients. Thus, we must always anticipate the impact it may have on them. The area where the issue is imposed is quite in the gray shade. However, as the author of Ethics in Psychotherapy & Counseling, 3rd Edition puts it, awareness of the ethics codes is crucial to competence in the area of ethics. But, the formal standards are not a substitute for an active, deliberative, and creative approach to fulfilling our ethical responsibilities.
After all, the ultimate goal of counseling is to help one move on with life with a new, positive outlook when one is hampered by a negative event that has haunted them. So why not learn from their experience, but of course in a discreet, silent, and non-destructive way?
Apparently, there is a difference between the two, but their goals align to help an individual stand up in a crisis. Yes, both roles are different, and both require some degree of understanding of the human being and the way their counselees would think. Yes, there is.
After answering the above yes-or-no questions, here is one firm comparison between the counselor and the guidance counselor in the context of the school environment. School counselors do not like being referred to as guidance counselors.
Quoting from Adri Shipp, MAEd, NCC, NCLSC, a school counselor herself: In 1957, the launching of Sputnik I by Russia prompted the U.S. government to react to the concern that the U.S. was falling behind in the areas of math and science. Hence, the National Defense Education Act was passed, placing ‘guidance counselors’ in schools to identify those students who were especially gifted in math and science.”
Basically, guidance counselors” identified students and encouraged them to pursue careers in math or science, and the U.S. benefited from their skills in these areas. Quite a bit has changed since then. Counselors are no longer just in charge of “guidance,” but also of developmental school counseling programs that meet students’ academic, personal, social, and career needs. School counselors now hold master’s degrees and state licensure in the area of school counseling.
Many, such as myself (Adri Shipp), also hold additional credentials such as national certifications or have chosen to do post-master’s work in the field. In short, the term guidance” counselor does not do justice to the role school counselors play in helping students achieve all they can. School counselors do so much more than guidance!
From the narrative, the major value as I see it is the notion of the future. How will they cope with another child in addition to the two they already have? Also, how will she manage to finish school in time for her husband to finish his law degree? The discussion should flow from taking every pro and con into consideration, weighing them, and guiding the client throughout the whole process.
Several values would present challenges and would even come out as dilemmas to the client. One, and the greatest as I see in this narrative, is the value of seeing a fetus as a life form, which is greatly contributed to by one’s religious upbringing. Guilt always presents as an aftermath and need not be neglected. The second value is financial instability, as presented by them already having two unprecedented” kids (as she put it). Another is the courage to get on with it, as presented by her calling the clinic but cannot seem to talk the minute there is a “Hello” on the other end of the line. Apparently, this is brought about by the first notion.
