The Ethics Exam Chris Warren; Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine, 4/03

Ethics in Groups Groups – H76

The Law Test : Is what you ’ re considering doing illegal? There ’ s very little nuance to this question; if it ’ s illegal, don ’ t do it.

The Smell Test : Does what you ’ re thinking of doing smell? Even if you ’ ve asked yourself all the other questions, there still might be something that makes you feel uneasy. If there is, you should consult someone else.

The Child Test : Ask yourself what you would tell your child or a friend to do if he or she were in your situation.

The Newspaper Test : Would you want to read about your actions on the front page of your local paper? If not, you should reconsider.

The Harm Test : Who gets hurt if you do this? “ One way of boiling down a lot of complex ethical principles is that you ought not do anything that causes unjustifiable harm. ” Michael Hoffman, Executive Director of the Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College.

Ethics  “Ethics comprise the principles of morality, including both the science of the good & the nature of the right, and they constitute the rules of conduct in respect to a particular class of human actions, such as medical ethics.” (Myers & Salt, 2000)  Primum non nocere - First, do no harm  Legality does NOT equate to ethics  Ethics is the science of right moral conduct derived from an analysis of human nature by the light of reason (Myers & Salt, 2000)

Ethics  See CAADAC/CAADE Code of Ethics  State regulations for AOD counselors  Scope of practice v scope of competence

You  Pay attention to your impact in group  Listen to your gut  Model  Know your values  Be aware of your motivations  Deal with being seen as a superhero  Use techniques mindfully, w/purpose

Group Member Preparation  Disclosure statements –Informed consent Academic training & supervision Relevant experience  Goals of group  Qualifications to join  Taping –Allow member to view

JoeAnn the Plumber, or“Fixing” things  Avoid members’ confrontations  Never let them see you sweat  Ignore the wisdom of the group  Silence is scary, not golden

The Pressure Cooker  Allow members to pass  Pressure from other members  Being harshly confrontational  Forced touching (yuck!)  Emotions out is not = success  Freedom to leave w/explanation –Referrals are mandatory!

Using Physical Techniques  Don’t! –Recent research shows increase in hostility after hitting balls, pillows, yelling, etc.  Different from drama therapy

Competence  Do you have solid training? –Taking courses; supervision workshops; professional consulting groups  Keep up with changes in the field by reading professional journals?  Are you a participating member of a group?

Summary  Techniques can be harmful  Ethical “itch” when techniques used to accommodate the leader  Group can suffer from these “parlor tricks,” losing focus and identity Remember: You ‘re not responsible for fixing members, just for giving a bit of guidance (leading, directing) so they can find their own inner abilities to fix themselves.