Code of Ethics for Psychological Counseling, Second Edition

The core value of the "Chinese Psychological Society's Code of Ethics for Clinical and Counseling Psychology (Second Edition)" is to implement the previously suspended principle of "putting the well-being of clients as the first priority" into three previously completely blank practical scenarios of digital socialization, multiculturalism, and counselor professional protection. It is no longer a set of paper requirements to cope with assessments, but a code of conduct that can truly support front-line practitioners.

To be honest, when many novice consultants around me first got the second edition, their first reaction was "Why is it so much thicker than the first edition? It will take years and years to memorize it"? You really don’t need to memorize it. If you encounter something you are unsure about, you will understand it just by reading it. Last week when I was supervising, a little girl who had just been in the industry for half a year said with a sad face that she received a 14-year-old depressed client last week. Her mother asked her privately for WeChat. She said that the child sometimes had thoughts of self-harm in the middle of the night and was afraid that she would not be able to find someone in an emergency. She looked at the first version of the code and it only said "avoid multiple relationships."

If this matter happened in the past, counselors from different schools could argue all afternoon. Old-school counselors with a psychoanalytic orientation would definitely say, "You absolutely cannot add it. If the setting is broken, the consultation will be useless." Colleagues who do adolescent family therapy will most likely refute, "Human life is a matter of life. Isn't the dead card setting too rigid?" The second version of the code directly gives an intermediate solution: You can add it, but you must make it clear to the visitor and family members in advance that this WeChat is only used to deal with sudden crisis situations, and you still need to use the appointment platform for daily consultation and adjustment. You must take screenshots of all WeChat communications and save them in the case record, and delete the friend as soon as possible after the consultation. It does not block the space for dealing with special situations, and it also draws a safe line for counselors to not cross the line. It is much easier to use than the previous vague "avoid multiple relationships".

Oh, by the way, there is another adjustment that everyone has discussed a lot. It is the first time that the professional well-being of counselors has been included in the ethical requirements in the second edition. In the past two years, a colleague of mine who worked in crisis intervention took care of three suicidal teenagers in succession. He was almost suffering from vicarious trauma. He wanted to refer the cases to other colleagues, but he was afraid of being said to be "irresponsible. If you can't take it, don't take the job." In the past, everyone would only think of this consultant as "dedicated", but according to the requirements of the second edition, she has actually violated ethics - when your own condition can no longer guarantee the quality of consultation, it is irresponsible to the client to bear the burden. Explaining the situation to the client in advance and helping him connect with a more suitable consultant is really good for both parties. Of course, this adjustment was controversial when it first came out. Some people said that this opened the door for counselors to "pass the blame midway." However, most colleagues who have been on the front line for more than five or six years understand that this is truly pragmatic: counselors are not saints. Only when you are in a stable state can you support the emotions of your clients.

There is also a very fine adjustment, which is about gifts and favors. The first version basically stated that "no gifts from visitors are allowed", but we are a humane society after all. I met a visitor before who brought me a box of cookies he baked and a handwritten thank you card when he finished the consultation. I pushed it for a long time, and the little girl turned red and said, "Teacher, I really don't mean anything else, just thank you for accompanying me these six months." I accepted it later, but I was always a little uneasy for fear of violating ethics. This is explained in the second edition: small symbolic gifts such as handmade products and holiday cards that are worth less than one-tenth of the local average hourly consulting fee and do not involve the exchange of interests are acceptable, but things such as valuable jewelry and shopping cards that are obviously beyond the scope of normal gratitude must be clearly declined. Of course, some colleagues who insist on the classic setting feel that not accepting even a piece of candy will break the neutrality of the counseling relationship. This kind of debate still exists today. The code only gives a minimum bottom line for action. The specific choice depends on the specific circumstances of the counseling relationship between you and the client.

Many people think that the code of ethics is a strict curse that binds counselors, but I think it is a protective umbrella. I have two versions of the code in my drawer. The first version was so thumb-reading that the edges were curled up. When the second version first came out, I complained about why so many detailed requirements were added. Only when I encountered an issue did I realize that these provisions were all the pitfalls and falls that my previous colleagues had stepped on and the experiences I had accumulated one by one. You don’t have to memorize it all by heart, but every time you are unsure, ask yourself: Is what I am doing really good for the visitor? Can I also protect myself? Basically nothing can go wrong.