Recognizing and Resolving Ethical Issues

Abstract

Counseling stepfamilies necessitates appreciating the relational complexity of this family constellation and the impact of these relational schema on the provisions of ethical counseling. Clinicians need to recognize common ethical concerns as specific to stepfamilies and learn how to resolve these potential concerns in a manner that enhances therapeutic service and honors the ethical aspirations of the counseling profession.

Relational Maintenance Strategies and Satisfaction in the Stepmother–Stepdaughter Dyad

“…In family conflict and times of family stress, individuals can only control their own behavior. Similarly, to counsel clients ethically, counselors must handle relational issues in an individualized context, and individual family members have the right to disavow the existence of a family issue (Gold, 2018). Therefore, in order to improve relationships, individuals should be counseled to focus on their own communication and behaviors and use communication strategies, such as RMS, to work on improving their relationships and relational satisfaction.…”

“…The identification of RMS within stepmother–stepdaughter dyads and their relationship satisfaction will contribute to addressing this gap in the research. In order to counsel stepfamilies effectively, counselors must thoroughly understand the complexity of stepfamily relationships (Gold, 2018). Understanding RMS allows counselors to help clients develop effective interventions and improve communication behavior within the stepmother/stepdaughter relationship.…”

Aile Danışmanlığında Etik: Ayrıcalıklı Zorluklar ve Etik İkilem Çözme Süreci

“…Buna karşılık, aile danışmanlığında ise durum böyle değildir. Aile danışmanlığında bireylerin hem süreçten önce hem de süreçten sonra birbirleriyle ilişkileri devam etmektedir (Gold, 2018). Bu nedenle, aile danışmanlığının doğası gereği birtakım zorlukları barındırdığı söylenebilir.…”

“…Aile danışmanları için bir diğer zorluk ailelerin kavramsallaştırılması ile ilgilidir. Aile ya da çift danışmanlığında çok çeşitli toplumların ve farklı aile yapılarının bulunması evrensel bir aile tanımının yapılmasını güçleştirmektedir (Gold, 2018;Corey, 2015). Bu durumun doğal bir sonucu olarak da aile ya da çift terapisine yapılan tanımlamalar bir o kadar çeşitli olmaktadır.…”

Exploring Family Service Providers Perceptions of Working with Recoupled Parents in Stepfamilies

“…This can result in precarious stepchild-stepparent relationships that may impact the health of the recoupled parents (Falke & Larson, 2007;Stanley et al, 2004). This may cause recoupled parents to seek professional, relevant support from family service providers who are resourced to work with these families differently addressing their unique issues (Gold, 2018). Family service providers need to stay connected with the current research literature and practical clinician guidebooks on first-time family separations and on the healthy development and function of stepfamily life (Browning, 2017;Drozd et al, 2016;Fromme, 2017).…”