Code of Ethics for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists __________________________________
TECHNOLOGY-ASSISTED SERVICES The computer age has presented new areas of ethical concerns that have affected every mental health organization today. Com- puters and other forms of technology are now the standard methods for recording, storing, retrieving, and transmitting patient information, clinical records, session notes, insurance information, evaluation results, and all other data involved in a client’s case. Massive amounts of information can now be stored on increas- ingly smaller, faster, and more portable electronic devices. Audio and visual records of every part of the therapeutic and counseling service can now be easily recorded and accessed. The convenience, ease of use, and portability of these systems can unfortunately lead to confidential information being sto- len, lost, or transmitted accidentally. The constant upgrades and expansions among these systems lead to increasing pos- sibilities of privacy violations and other ethical concerns for confidentiality maintenance in cyberspace. Email interception by unauthorized parties is a widespread problem and is a violation of a client’s privacy. Some compa- nies and agencies feel justified in monitoring worksite email accounts and Internet usage because they view these employee email accounts as the company’s property and a part of the company’s technological infrastructure. Another justification is that they claim to determine whether personal business is being conducted on work time or if inappropriate Internet sites have been accessed. An example of this is within school systems where specific words and content are regularly flagged to monitor student and faculty use. If a school counselor or therapist reports that a child threatened to kill themself, the word “kill” may be red flagged in email correspondence by a county technology official who is monitoring the account in an office in another city and may trigger an investigation by individuals outside of the counseling relationship. This type of monitoring is a common practice in many public-school systems for all students and staff. Technology has taken therapy and counseling out of the office and moved it across geographic borders. It allows a practitioner to work with clients from any location any time of day or night. This may be convenient for both parties; however, it opens many opportunities for confidentiality breaches and privacy right violations that will be covered in detail in subsequent sections. In addition to crossing geographic boundaries, technology leads to boundary issues that cross the line from professional to personal with clients. Counselors and therapists may have websites and social media pages that are professional, in addition to personal online pages. These two types of social media must be kept separate at all times to maintain appro- priate boundaries with clients. An example of this might be a Facebook page that can be used for professional purposes; however, the profile can also include personal information that may include interactions with friends.
There is no “typical” family group, and each person in the family may face issues related to their unique family composi- tion. These issues may include discrimination, bullying, loss of employment, child custody issues, antigay prejudices or violence, feeling ostracized or isolated in the community, and feeling devalued by society. The family or group counselor or therapist should acquire specialized skills and experiences to understand the complexi- ties of nontraditional family groups in order to practice in a nonjudgmental, supportive manner. The following issues may present: • Sexual or gender orientation within the family group may lead to prejudice, discrimination, or bias in the community. • Minority sexual orientation or gender issues may be the focus in custody issues the family is facing. • Co-parenting and blended families may present added stress to all family members. • Children may face issues at school or within the community due to their family composition. • Same-sex or transgender couples may experience discrimination related to adoption or conceiving a child through the use of a surrogate. • There may be conflicts between the biological parent and a stepparent who now has custody of the child. • Extended families may not accept the nontraditional family members. • Parents may need support to help their children feel confident and comfortable with a lifestyle that contradicts what they see and experience outside of their homes. The parents may require strategies to help their children face discrimination, isolation, and any negative stereotypes that they may encounter. • Teens and children may face challenges due to their sexual or gender identity. • It may take additional time to build trusting, collaborative relationships with members of the group to overcome their reluctance to share their feelings due to negative, judgmental experiences that they may have had in the past. • A member of the family may be questioning sexual orientation or gender or may be in transition and need support through the process. The family may need services to help them adjust to the changes within the family. Microaggressions that are related to gender expression and sexual identity can occur when working with members of the LBGTQ community. For example, the counselor or therapist should ask in their first session which gender pronoun the client prefers.
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