Ethics for Addiction Professionals

Filled with proven strategies to help you examine your current practice for ethical snags and refresh your ethical thinking, Ethics for Addiction Professionals leads you in examining, building, and rebuilding aspects of your ethical practice with the goal of helping you become the strongest clinician possible?ethically speaking.Up-to-date and comprehensive, this practical guide examines real-life examples of ethical issues in clinical practice and illustrates potential pitfalls and the actions needed when faced with dilemmas. Helping addiction counselors learn how to deal with and apply ethical standards, Ethics for Addiction Professionals explores the gray area of common dilemmas and provides guidelines on how to determine the best course of action when the best course is unclear.

• Covers basic principles that affect current ethical concerns and dilemmas
• Includes illustrative real-world case studies
• Features well-defined professional codes of ethics
• Treats ethics as a set of guidelines designed to protect the client, the clinician, and the profession as a whole

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xvii

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Part One Protecting the Client 7

Chapter 2 Key: Recognize Your Strengths and Limitations 9

Chapter 3 Principle: Client Welfare 15

Chapter 4 Principle: Cultural Diversity 25

Chapter 5 Principle: The Counseling Relationship 39

Chapter 6 Pitfall: Conflicted Agendas 51

Part Two Protecting the Clinical Information 59

Chapter 7 Key: Respect the Tiers of Ethics 63

Chapter 8 Principle: Proper Use of Written Clinical Material 69

Chapter 9 Principle: Proper Use of Spoken Clinical Material 83

Chapter 10 Pitfall: Confused Roles 95

PERSPECTIVE Are We a Profession? 113

Part Three Protecting the Clinician 123

Chapter 11 Key: Seek Continuous Learning 125

Chapter 12 Principle: Responsibility 129

Chapter 13 Principle: Competency 143

Chapter 14 Pitfall: Clinician Burnout 155

Part Four Protecting the Community 177

Chapter 15 Key: Make the Rule 181

Chapter 16 Principle: Workplace Standards 187

Chapter 17 Principle: Professional Rapport 195

Chapter 18 Principle: Societal Obligations 211

Chapter 19 Pitfall: Cutting Corners 217

Conclusion 233

Ethics Exam 237

References 241

About the Author 245

Author Index 249

Subject Index 253

JENNIFER D. BERTON, PhD, LCSW, CADC-II, is the founder and principal trainer of Clinical Trainings Institute, which provides national trainings on topics related to substance abuse and mental health. She is in private practice in West Hartford, Connecticut, where she provides counseling for adolescents, adults, and families. Dr. Berton also consults with and supervises professionals across the country. Previously the Chair of the Ethics Committee of the California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, she currently maintains a blog on ethics, clinicalethicsblog.com, and provides consultation to ethics boards.