When the World Feels Unsteady, Our Values Stay Firm
As helpers, we will not perpetuate the oppression or marginalization of any group of people regardless of socioeconomic status, sex, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, education, creed, nationality, or immigrant status.
I’m stating the obvious here: these are unprecedented, scary, overwhelming times we’re living in. Our nervous systems are dysregulated, we may feel the urge to isolate or shut down, and we often are not able to engage in self-care routines. What happens within a macro level system, like the government, affects us at a micro, day-to-day level. I think I speak for my coworkers when I say that I wish we could make all this uncertainty, anxiety, turmoil and injustice go away for our clients and for ourselves. I’m having a hard time radically accepting that this is the state of things.
We’re encouraged in these trying times to look for the helpers. I’m deeply humbled and honored to work in a helping profession, even though no amount of grad school work or experiential learning could have prepared me for these last few months. In case there was ever any doubt, from current clients, new clients, prospective business partners, or other colleagues, I want to make one thing really clear: we at K & K Holistic Counseling are now and forever committed to upholding the mission of our code of ethics as professional counselors. From the National Board for Certified Counselors, our core values and beliefs are as follows:
Counselors will be civil in their actions and words, avoiding arrogance, assumptions, and hubris. Counselors seek to listen to others with intention and respond with respect. When engaged in challenging dialogues, counselors do so to seek answers - not confrontations or harm. Counselors strive to be sensitive to differences in attitudes and culture. Counselors always seek to minimize undue harm and take particular care of those who are vulnerable or in anguish. With respect to all clients and work, counselors seek to be mindful of their humanity as they fulfill their counseling duties.
Counselors strive to enhance the social and mental well-being of their clients while supporting the overall physical health of each client. Counselors must engage in self- care and self-reflection.
Access and equity are essential to the profession of counseling and fundamentally important for the success of any society. Counseling services should be provided to achieve the best mental health outcomes. Counselors provide services to all of those in need, utilizing available resources, and advocating for the expansion of resources in underserved communities.
Certified counselors and candidates demonstrate their commitment to ethical behaviors by demonstrating and representing to their clients, sensitivity to multicultural issues, avoiding discrimination, oppression, and/or any form of social injustice.
TLDR: Do good work and do no harm. We cannot participate in the systems that traumatize and harm the clients in our care and expect to do good work. We take an active stance against discrimination, oppression, and any form of social injustice. We uphold our ethical code and values as helpers. We’re here to help if you need a safe place.
