Problem
Our reading this week explores the important concept of therapeutic impairment as well as the negative impact it can have on the counseling process. The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) suggests that counseling and human service professionals continually monitor themselves for signs of physical, mentally, and/or emotional impairment and abstain from providing professional services when impaired to prevent inadvertent harm to clients. In reflecting on our reading and topics of discussion, answer the following questions:
1) Identify and discuss two risk factors which could cause therapeutic impairment in the counseling process.
2) Additionally, how might an impaired counselor potentially harm a client? Does responsibility of an impaired counselor fall on the supervisor of the impaired counselor? explain why or why not by citing specific codes in the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) as well as our reading sources.
3) Share with the class your present self-care practices as a human services professional. In addition, identify three forms of self-care that a counseling and human services professional can implement into their personal or professional life.