Ethical Perspectives on Trauma Work

Traumatology Trends: A Content Analysis of Three Counseling Journals From 1994 to 2014

“…Posttraumatic stress is a core counseling issue in the aftermath of disasters, and “disaster mental health cannot be addressed adequately without understanding the impact of trauma” (Webber, Mascari, & Runte, , p. 204). In the immediate aftermath of natural or human‐caused disasters, psychological first aid is delivered through the lens of skilled trauma‐informed counselors to reduce distress and provide safety and stabilization (Brymer et al, ; Tarvydas & Ng, ; Webber et al, ). Although articles in JMHC focused on both disaster mental health and trauma, several did not meet the criterion of 50% trauma content (Evans, ).…”

Ethical Guidelines for Mass Trauma and Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

“…Interactions in the field may not be structured and occur on demand. Where counselors are not able to offer proper conditions and adhere to full requirements for confidentiality and consent, they can, at a minimum, honor the need for as much confidentiality and consent as possible by taking such measures as (a) identifying themselves clearly as a mental health professional, (b) providing a practical and abbreviated form of informed consent, (c) looking for and using as private a space as possible given the available surroundings, and (d) emphasizing and modeling keeping survivor information confidential with other workers and staff (Tarvydas & Ng, , p. 523). Client autonomy Avoiding long‐term harm . Counselors take measures that enable clients to exercise the highest degree of self‐determination possible.…”

“…This article focuses on guidelines for appropriate counselor ethical response in extreme circumstances of mass trauma and complex humanitarian emergencies. The negative consequences that are inherent in situations involving mass trauma make the application of counseling ethical best practices much more difficult (Levers, ; Tarvydas & Ng, ).…”

“…Professional ethical standards in counseling and related professions traditionally have addressed more mainstream types of practice; however, these standards have not directly addressed the types of high‐stakes dilemmas that may emerge in CHE‐specialized practices. Both the formative elements and the solutions to these ethical problems for individuals are linked intimately to the specific social systems and hierarchies from which they emerge (Levers, , ), making traditional forms of ethical analysis (Tarvydas & Ng, ) and counseling standards insufficient (Webber & Mascari, ).…”

“…Across all the codes, specific mention of the terms tended to be merely cursory (e.g., “not to withhold client records in an emergency,” “call supervisors to assist with handling crises”) rather than substantive. For this reason, we consulted relevant best‐practice documents (e.g., APA, ; American Red Cross [ARC], ; Green Cross Academy of Traumatology [GCAT], ; Inter‐Agency Standing Committee, ; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], , , ; Tarvydas, ; Tarvydas & Ng, ) and concluded that the lack of substantive mention of key aspects of trauma, crisis, emergency, and disaster in the major codes of ethics is representative of an absence of sufficient understanding of an important category of client suffering and resilience. We explore relevant issues to illuminate the ethical complexities of mass trauma work and the need for aligned ethical guidelines.…”