Ethics for Addiction Professionals

Book excerpt: Guidance for addiction counselors in understanding and applying ethical standards Filled with proven strategies to help you examine your current practice for ethical snags and refresh your ethical thinking, Ethics for Addiction Professionals leads you in examining, building, and rebuilding aspects of your ethical practice with the goal of helping you become the strongest clinician possible—ethically speaking.Up-to-date and comprehensive, this practical guide examines real-life examples of ethical issues in clinical practice and illustrates potential pitfalls and the actions needed when faced with dilemmas. Helping addiction counselors learn how to deal with and apply ethical standards, Ethics for Addiction Professionals explores the gray area of common dilemmas and provides guidelines on how to determine the best course of action when the best course is unclear. Covers basic principles that affect current ethical concerns and dilemmas Includes illustrative real-world case studies Features well-defined professional codes of ethics Treats ethics as a set of guidelines designed to protect the client, the clinician, and the profession as a whole