The definition of misconduct is unacceptable behaviour by the counsellor that morally and legally impedes the code of ethics. The misconduct that has been chosen for this paper is counsellor responsibilities, professional competence and boundaries. This misconduct underpins attribution theory; is the theory of how a person interprets events through thinking and behaviour. Counsellors responsibilities are defined as the counsellor is ethically and morally responsible for the counselling relationship between themselves and client. Professional competence is the practiced skills and knowledge the counsellor applies during therapy. Boundaries are the counsellor’s responsibility that counselling relationships remains a professional relationship
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(Burkholder & Burkholder, 2014) found the student counsellor breach their professional competence; Student counsellors that are unorganised or are under prepared for clients; the student counsellor has poor management skills, is careless or overwhelmed; such as a student counsellor focusing on completing their hours than their competence. Student counsellors also had poor time management skills; they took on a lot and did not leave themselves time to complete the obligations of their internship. Lastly there are two main parts counsellors breach ethical boundaries with their clients, the first is engaging in sex with their client and secondly dual relationships; these are a breach of the code of ethics counsellors use sex as a technique on clients and professional codes of conduct do not permit counsellors to engage in sex with clients; this is because it harms the client when boundaries are broken. (Gabbard, 1993) found evidence that counsellors abused clients when they had intense feelings from therapy that engaging in sex with the therapist is an acceptable form of therapy. In his study he also found that half of counsellors that have sex with clients are mistaken that they are in love and this is actually transference. Transference is the unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to the next. Secondly dual relationships are ethical violations counsellors have with clients. Dual relationships are defined as counsellors that take holidays with their clients, sharing hobbies together and sleeping at each others houses. Another form of dual relationship is the counsellor offers a client a job where they are
(Burkholder & Burkholder, 2014) found the student counsellor breach their professional competence; Student counsellors that are unorganised or are under prepared for clients; the student counsellor has poor management skills, is careless or overwhelmed; such as a student counsellor focusing on completing their hours than their competence. Student counsellors also had poor time management skills; they took on a lot and did not leave themselves time to complete the obligations of their internship. Lastly there are two main parts counsellors breach ethical boundaries with their clients, the first is engaging in sex with their client and secondly dual relationships; these are a breach of the code of ethics counsellors use sex as a technique on clients and professional codes of conduct do not permit counsellors to engage in sex with clients; this is because it harms the client when boundaries are broken. (Gabbard, 1993) found evidence that counsellors abused clients when they had intense feelings from therapy that engaging in sex with the therapist is an acceptable form of therapy. In his study he also found that half of counsellors that have sex with clients are mistaken that they are in love and this is actually transference. Transference is the unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to the next. Secondly dual relationships are ethical violations counsellors have with clients. Dual relationships are defined as counsellors that take holidays with their clients, sharing hobbies together and sleeping at each others houses. Another form of dual relationship is the counsellor offers a client a job where they are