Ethics For Addiction Professionals - Second Edition

204 Pages·1987·0.49 MB·English

by  LeClair Bissell

Page i
Ethics for Addiction Professionals

title: Ethics for Addiction Professionals
author: Bissell, LeClair.; Royce, James E.
publisher: Hazelden Publishing
isbn10 | asin: 0894864548
print isbn13: 9780894864544
ebook isbn13: 9780585148519
language: English
Alcoholism counselors--Professional ethics-
-United States, Drug abuse counselors--
subject Professional ethics--United States, Allied
health personnel--Professional ethics--
United States.
publication date: 1987
lcc: HV5279.B57 1987eb
ddc: 174/.936
Alcoholism counselors--Professional ethics-
-United States, Drug abuse counselors--
subject: Professional ethics--United States, Allied
health personnel--Professional ethics--
United States.
Page ii
About the Authors
LeClair Bissell, M.D., N.C.A.C. II, is a former president of the
American Medical Society on Alcoholism (now ASAM) and a
lecturer, researcher, and consultant in the addiction field. She has
written numerous articles and coauthored several books on chemical
dependency and related topics, including To Care Enough:
Intervention with Chemically Dependent Colleagues, Chemical
Dependency in Nursing: The Deadly Diversion, and Alcoholism in the
Professions.
James E. Royce, S.J., Ph.D., is a professor emeritus of psychology and
addiction studies at Seattle University. He has been on the board of
directors of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependency since 1976 and received the NCA Marty Mann award for
his contributions to public and professional education about
alcoholism. His publications include numerous journal articles and the
book Alcohol Problems and Alcoholism: A Comprehensive Survey.
Page iii
Ethics for Addiction Professionals
Second Edition
LeClair Bissell, M.D., N.C.A.C. II
James E. Royce, S.J., Ph.D.
With a foreword by Gary Richard Schoener
INFORMATION & EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Hazelden
Center City, Minnesota 55012-0176
©1987, 1994 by Hazelden Foundation
All rights reserved. Published 1987
Second Edition 1994
Printed in the United States of America
No portion of this publication my be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bissell, LeClair.
Ethics for addiction professionals / LeClair Bissell, James E. Royce; with a foreword by Gary Richard Schoener.2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 0-89486-454-8
1. Alcoholism counselorsProfessional ethicsUnited States.
2. Drug abuse counselorsProfessional ethicsUnited States.
3. Allied health professionalsProfessional ethicsUnited States.
I. Royce, James E. II. Title.
HV5279.B57 1994
174' .9362dc20 94-32433
CIP
The typeface used in this book is Goudy.
Page v
Contents
About the Authors ii
Foreword vii
Gary Richard Schoener
Preface xi
LeClair Bissell
Preface xiii
James E. Royce
1. The Worker 1
A New Profession 1
Unique Considerations of the Chemical Dependency 2
Field
Credentials 3
Level of Experience 6
Discrimination 8
The Counselor in Relapse 9
Drinking and Other Drug Use 11
2. Competence 13
Areas and Limits 13
Asking for Assistance 16
Dual Diagnosis 17
Responsibilities of Patients and Professionals 19
Professional Development 21
Page vi
3. Rights of Patients 23
The Myth of Choice 23
Meeting Patients' Individual Needs 25
Evaluation of Treatment Success 27
Confidentiality 29
Confidentiality and Child-Abuse Issues 31
Mandatory Drug Testing 33
AIDS 36
4. Exploitation 41
Financial Contacts with Patients 41
Publicity 42
Social Contacts with Patients 43
A.A. Relationships with Patients 45
Should Alcoholics Drink? 47
5. Economics, Funds, and Fictions 49
Insurance 49
Diagnostic Subterfuge 50
Enter the Family 51
Overtreatment and Undertreatment 54
When Profit Is King 56
6. Professional Relations 59
Obligations to Family and Colleagues 59
Respecting A.A. Traditions 59
Obligations to the Community 63
Other Professionals 65
Publication and Public Speaking 67
Obligations of Animal Researchers 68
7. Conclusion 71
Code of Ethics 73
Appendix: 77
Case Studies in Ethics for Addiction Counselors
Bibliography 83
Index 90
Page vii
Foreword
The addiction field has been evolving as a profession for a number of
decades. Originally, counselors were seen as paraprofessionals who
helped their clients by providing support and sharing personal
experiences. Early training programs, such as the one at the University
of Minnesota, largely served those who had been through chemical
dependency treatment or had been members of Alcoholics
Anonymous. Later, addictions counselors were seen as members of a
recovery program rather than independent professionals who needed
more than the rules of the program to make decisions about care,
release of records, and other complex concerns.
During the past few years, with the advent of licensure in a number of
states, as well as evolving legal standards for professional
responsibility in both statutes and case law, the addictions field has
clearly become an independent profession. Furthermore, with the
growth of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and the
expansion of professional standards review by indemnity insurance
carriers, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the work of addiction
counselors faces increasing review by outside parties. Treatment
decisions are being more greatly affected by outside forces and are
under greater scrutiny. In this context, Ethics for Addiction
Professionals by LeClair Bissell, M.D., N.C.A.C. II, and James E.
Royce, S.J., Ph.D.,