Contents
- 1. The psychologist has no right to use violence against you.
- 2. The psychologist has no right to give you advice for which he is not responsible
- 3. The psychologist must take care of the emotional state in which you leave the session or group
- 4. The psychologist has a duty of confidentiality
- 5. Seeing you outside the walls of the consultation, the psychologist will not greet you first.
- 6. The psychologist is obliged to keep secret everything that he learned from you.
- 7. The psychologist must answer your questions about yourself if they are related to therapy.
- 8. You can discuss the work of a psychologist with anyone. But a psychologist has no such right
- 9. The psychologist is obliged to respect the boundaries
- 10. If a psychologist refuses to work with you, he must give a reason
- 11.Customer safety is a priority
Can the psychologist tell your partner how the sessions go? Are you obligated to follow the advice given to you by a specialist? Is it “convenient” to stop therapy if something does not suit you? Professionals talk about how the work of a psychotherapist and a client goes, what is welcome in these relationships, and what is strictly prohibited.
A group of well-known psychologists, psychotherapists and coaches, including Anna Varga, Alena Prihidko, Marina Travkova and Inna Khamitova, have prepared a video about what ethical principles should be observed in the process of psychotherapy. The creators of the video say that the reason for this was a small study on Facebook: (an extremist organization banned in Russia)
“It turned out that Russian psychologists do not have ethical support, clients do not know about their rights,” says psychologist Marina Travkova.
The authors of the video are sure that the responsibility for ethics lies with therapists, but the professional community is also obliged to inform clients about the principles of work.
“Confidentiality is regularly violated, basic ethical principles are not respected, specialists work even in areas in which they are incompetent. Often, therapy is practiced by people without a higher psychological or psychotherapeutic education, adds Alena Prihidko, psychotherapist and project initiator.
— A vivid example is a story about the progress of working with a client in social networks. This is largely due to the lack of a law on psychotherapy. As a result, clients in Russia are often afraid to tell the therapist to their face that they do not like it. So they just disappear without explanation.”
Alena Prihidko also hosts group «Ethics in Psychology and Psychotherapy» on Facebook (an extremist organization banned in Russia), whose members organize face-to-face and online meetings.
So what ethical rules should be observed in the process of therapy? Here’s what professionals say to their potential clients:
1. The psychologist has no right to use violence against you.
This means that he cannot call names, insult, shout. And, of course, under no circumstances can he beat a client.
2. The psychologist has no right to give you advice for which he is not responsible
This means that a specialist can advise you on a specific type of therapy, suggest how to improve sleep or children’s academic performance. But he cannot give advice on whether you should divorce or not, whether to change jobs, whether to start a family.
A psychologist should not teach you how to influence others. He should discuss with you specifically your situation and how you can change it. The decision is always yours.
3. The psychologist must take care of the emotional state in which you leave the session or group
He shouldn’t blame you. His position is either supportive or neutral. No “Yes, it’s your own fault, pull yourself together, calm down!”
4. The psychologist has a duty of confidentiality
If you do not want to tell something, you have every right to do so and you can say at any time: “Stop! I don’t want to talk about it.»
5. Seeing you outside the walls of the consultation, the psychologist will not greet you first.
In order not to embarrass you or cause discomfort, the psychologist will wait until you say hello yourself. Or ignore it.
6. The psychologist is obliged to keep secret everything that he learned from you.
And everything I know about you. Even if you have ceased to be his client. The exception is when it comes to a matter of life and death.
He is obliged to tell where and for whom he studied, what is his specialization. You need to know how qualified your psychologist is, so you have the right to ask him about the methods of work, as well as search for information about him on the Internet. The psychologist, on the other hand, should not look for any other information about you, except for the one you provided.
8. You can discuss the work of a psychologist with anyone. But a psychologist has no such right
For supervision, the psychologist must change your data beyond recognition. If your case is so recognizable that confidentiality is impossible, he should not talk about it. In order to discuss your case with your actual data, the psychologist must obtain your written permission.
9. The psychologist is obliged to respect the boundaries
This means that only a professional relationship is possible between you during therapy. A psychologist cannot be your friend or business partner, cannot enter into a love relationship with you. And also has no right to come to visit you, ask you for money in debt or the phone number of your dentist. And of course, a psychologist cannot have sexual relations with you. This is an absolute taboo, the same as insulting or humiliating a client or divulging information about him.
10. If a psychologist refuses to work with you, he must give a reason
If the psychologist abruptly stopped therapy, he should explain why he did so. Psychologists, like all of us, get sick, give birth, change their place of residence, stop practicing. In this case, your psychologist is obliged to transfer you to a colleague. But he can’t just «dump» you.
11.Customer safety is a priority
Feel free to give the psychologist feedback on his work and find out what professional community he belongs to. Psychologists value trust in client relationships. Ethics is the basis of the psychotherapist’s work.