Dual Relationships and Self-Disclosure

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Dual Relationships and Self-Disclosure Chemical Dependency counselors have quite a few ethical dilemmas to deal with. Therapists that are in recovery may confront some even more complex dilemmas, opposed to those who are not. There is a high percentage of addiction counselors that are in recovery. In fact, 55% of 36,000 members of the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors (NAADAC) are recovering alcoholics and 21% are recovering from some other chemical dependency. This brings up two sides to counselors in recovery. "There is something about the personal experience that assists counselors to being especially attentive to the needs of the recovering client." On the other hand, counselors bringing personal experience with them are likely to raise personal/professional boundary violations. Two specific dilemmas that recovering counselors may run into are dual relationships and self-disclosure. Outpatient rehab centers are on the rise because it is what most people with drug and alcohol problems are attending. The one problem with outpatient facilities is that they create the likelihood of dual relationships. A dual relationship is a situation where a counselor (usually in recovery) and client have more than one type of relationship. A good example of this is the counselor -- client relationship and the relationship they might possess in A.A. The difficult part for the drug therapist is knowing which hat to wear and when to wear it. It is hard for them to differentiate between their professional self and their self as an A.A. member. It is two completely diverse settings. Some counselors have no problem going to an A.A. meeting when a client is there and others would feel very uncom... ... middle of paper ... ...The word itself denotes a predicament that seemingly defies a satisfactory solution, not just any predicament or problem. Work Cited Bissell, LeClair and Royce, James E. Ethics for Addiction Proffessionals. Minnesota: Hazelden Foundation,1994 Official Site in Addiction Technology Transfer Center. Ethical Challenges for counselor competency. 23. May. 2000. Online Available http://www.mid-attic.org/courses/freemod_ethics2.html Pita, Dianne D. Addiction Counseling. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992 Wendel, Peter Counselors in Recovery find answers to ethical dilemmas. Counseling Today. May 1997: 28 pars Online: Available http://www.conseling.org/ctonline/archives/recovery.htm White, William L. Critical Incidents: Ethical Issues in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment. Illinois: Lighthouse Training Institute, 1993

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