Christian Counseling Ethics

Since its publication,Christian Counseling Ethicshas become a standard reference work for Christian mental health professionals and a key text at Christian universities and seminaries. This thoroughly revised edition weighs and assesses the many significant developments of the intervening years that have changed the landscape of counseling.New chapters consider ethical concerns when counseling crossculturally, addressing spiritual and value issues in counseling, the broader range of services and severity of issues on college campuses, and the special considerations for mission and relief workers around the world in stressed circumstances.As more churches have developed their own counseling centers for members and others, therapists tend to see people in counseling that they know in other contexts, creating problems with confidentiality, objectivity and boundaries. Christian professional therapists are also increasingly involved in providing services to members of the military and their families or in providing services through governmental agencies, which bring their own unique ethical concerns. New chapters are devoted to these as well.The book retains the core chapters on counseling ethics that have made it so valuable in a wide variety of settings. Now fully updated, these reflect the revisions in professional codes of conduct in regard to both the emergence of new issues and the rapid advance of thought about the ethical practice of psychotherapy.In addition, psychotherapy ethics tend to focus on the rules and principles for ethical practice, attempting to ensure that therapists behave correctly. While such principles are duly covered, virtue ethics and the development of character within the Christian therapist receive special attention.Written by a cadre of highly qualified professional counselors and scholars, this book remains an indispensable resource for understanding and applying ethics in Christian counseling.