In the counseling profession, the code of ethics and
responsibilities we have to keep confidentiality is a crucial element of our
practice. It's not an option, if we have
a client who comes to see us, initially, we must explain to them what our code
of ethics and our responsibility to them as a client is in the scope of
confidentiality.
What does all of that mean?
Simply put, if you are my client and I am seeing you in a
therapeutic role and thereafter, I will always have an ethical obligation to
you to minimize our contact outside of the counseling session, not disclose personal
information about you as a client to anyone who you have not given me
permission to discuss your case, and to always explain to you my position and
role in and outside of the counseling session. Basically, if I see you at the
grocery store, gym, church, school, etc, I will purposely avoid you. If you say hello to me, I will say hello back
and go about my business as I would had you not seen me. I care about you enough to pretend to not
know you to protect your privacy and not have any of your private issues
potentially be discussed outside of the protected counseling environment.
I will always be upfront with my clients about my personal
experience with bariatric surgery. I cannot
ethically, work in this field without telling my clients that I am a bariatric
surgery patient. My experience is not
the same as other weight loss surgery patients' experiences. I recognize and acknowledge that we all have
our own reasons as to why we choose weight loss surgery as an assistive tool
for us to lose weight.
Some have major medical issues, others are preemptively
electing to have surgery to prevent potential medical issues in the
future. I consider myself as part of the
latter group that was anticipating that my health would decline in the long run
due to excess weight. I know that many
clients are already suffering from painful, major medical issues and their
reasoning behind their choice to undergo surgery maybe different from my own.
I will never use my role as a counselor to seek out my needs
as a weight loss surgery patient. I am
in this field because I see a dire need for bariatric counseling in the process
of long term after care. Losing weight
will not solve all of life's problems.
More often than not, the new issues are going to be challenging,
changing and identifying of underlying problems that may not have been observed
by "the cloak." The cloak is
all of the things we've hidden from addressing throughout our lives about
what's bothering us on the inside. What
was it that made us turn to food in the first place. How did we ignore or fail to understand our
body's needs and limits? Our internal
ability to find satiation was skewed in some way. Again, we are all different, each person is
an individual and gaining this insight and understanding is crucial for adopting
permanent healthy habits.
Understanding the weight loss surgery community, online
communications, and confidentiality, I will never identify in discuss a single
person's experience or relay information regarding that person that could
impact their life. First and foremost, I
do no harm. I will never engage in, take
sides with or include myself in the conversations that occur regarding a
person's situation and/or the choices they make. Quite frankly, I will acknowledge that
talking amongst each other occurs, but as a counselor, I respect the privacy of
others. If someone seeks out help from
me, they can be assured that I will take their trust in me seriously and apply
my ethical standards to their confidence in me, no matter they be a paying
client or an online contact asking for my help.
The only time I would ever breach confidentiality is if the person made
me aware of their intention to harm themselves or someone else. In taking any action, I will make that person
aware of my duties prior to doing so and specifically know what that action is
I must ethically take.
Also, as a counselor intern in the State of Louisiana, I
cannot treat people who reside out of my state.
The practice of counseling must occur in the state, therefore unless I
have established a face to face relationship with a client in the State of
Louisiana, I will not work with a client through video conferencing
mediums. In email, I am limited in my
ability to help and assist clients with their problems. I will not offer advice but rather ask you
how you can change your current situation or what it is you could do to move
toward the progress you seek that you are not currently finding. If I have the resources for professional
mental health practitioners in your area, I will refer you to those resources.
This post is meant to be a documentation and clarification
for everyone who I have met, become friends with, and come to know in the
bariatric community. It takes a long
time to build confidence and rapport in a community. As a counselor intern in
the mental health field, I want to establish clear and concise guidelines that show
my clients and colleagues that I am aware of my role and responsibility to this
community. I may be seen as a newbie, but counseling is
nothing new to me. We are always
learning, and we learn by doing.
