individuals and that sustain, replenish, and give meaning are an essential part of our work to maintain competence (see Chapter 17), particularly to maintain “emotional competence for therapy” (Pope & Brown, 1996; Pope, Sonne et al., 2006).
The psychology profession emphasizes the ethical aspects of self-care. General Principle A, Beneficence and Nonmaleficence, and Standard 2.06 of the APA Ethics Code (APA, 2017a) encourage psychologists to be aware of the possible effects of their own physical and mental health on their ability to help those with whom they work. The new proposed General Principle of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence also encourages psychologists to safeguard, protect, and contribute to the well-being, welfare, and rights of Persons and Peoples. Psychologists are also encouraged to maximize benefit and avoid or minimize harm in ways that respect the dignity of Persons and Peoples (APA Ethics Code Task Force, 2020, July 31).
The Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists, Standard II.11 (CPA, 2017a), states that psychologists “seek appropriate help and/or discontinue scientific or professional activity for an appropriate period of time, if a physical or psychological condition reduces their ability to benefit and not harm others.” Standard II.12 states that psychologists “engage in self-care activities that help to avoid conditions (e.g., burnout, addictions) that could result in impaired judgment and interfere with their ability to benefit and not harm others.”
The National Association of Social Workers (2017) and the American Counseling Association (2014) are among the other major mental health professions whose ethics codes highlight the role of self-care in supporting competence and preventing impairment.
Table 6.3 presents the results of a national study of therapists as therapy patients (Pope & Tabachnick, 1994). Eighty-four percent of the therapists in this study reported that they had been in personal therapy. Only two respondents indicated that the therapy was not helpful, but 22% reported that their own therapy included what they believed to be harmful aspects (regardless of whether it also included positive aspects).
Table 6.3. Therapists’ Experiences as Therapy Patients.
| Item | Never | Once | Rarely | Sometimes | Often |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In your own personal therapy, how often (if at all) did your therapist (N = 400): | |||||
| Cradle or hold you in a nonsexual way | 73.2 | 2.7 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 6.0 |
| Touch you in a sexual way | 93.7 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Talk about sexual issues in a way that you believe to be inappropriate | 91.2 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| Seem to be sexually attracted to you | 84.5 | 6.2 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 1.5 |
| Disclose that they were sexually attracted to you | 92.2 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Seem to be sexually aroused in your presence | 91.2 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Express anger at you | 60.7 | 14.3 | 16.8 | 5.7 | 1.8 |
| Express disappointment in you | 67.0 | 11.3 | 14.8 | 4.7 | 1.3 |
| Give you encouragement and support | 2.5 | 0.8 | 6.2 | 21.8 | 67.5 |
| Tell you the they cared about you | 33.7 | 6.7 | 19.5 | 21.8 | 16.3 |
| Make what you consider to be a clinical or therapeutic error | 19.8 | 18.0 | 36.2 | 19.0 | 5.5 |
| Pressure you to talk about something you didn’t want to talk about | 57.5 | 7.5 | 21.3 | 8.8 | 4.0 |
| Use humor in an appropriate way | 76.7 | 8.8 | 10.0 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| Use humor in an inappropriate way | 5.2 | 2.5 | 12.5 | 35.0 | 43.5 |
| Act in a rude or insensitive manner toward you | 68.7 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 4.0 | 1.5 |
| Violate your rights to confidentiality | 89.7 | 4.5 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.8 |
| Violate your rights to informed consent | 93.2 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Use hospitalization as part of your treatment | 96.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
|
In your own personal therapy, how often (if at all) did you
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