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Samantha Stevwing

PSYC 781

Dr. Todd Avalar

12 September 2024

Ethics Autobiography

Throughout the evolution of psychology, the field has seen significant rise in the

representation of all groups of people and experiences that are attempted to be understood.

Movements for gender rights and the disabled community have opened the door for social justice

issues to be included in ethical standards. Despite these areas of advocacy seeming obvious and

what should be the standards in treatment, this is not what was always what was put into

practice. Practicing psychology with a social-justice perspective serves the purpose of

broadening one’s horizons to all types of societal issues, taking other’s lived experiences into

account when addressing individuals’ concerns. Understanding these aspects of existence and

having aspirational goals for our society is why I believe acculturating into the mental health

profession will come more naturally for me. Taking into account the historical events that have

impacted different groups of people and the lasting effects these incidents have had on

individuals, is substantial when considering another person’s perspective. Nevertheless, there are

some aspects within the mental health profession that may not come as easily for me and I will

have to learn in order to be a stronger psychologist.

From early high school I began getting exposure working with groups of people from

different marginalized groups. A best buddy program at my high school offered students to be

paired with students who had intellectual or developmental disabilities, providing all children the

opportunities to do bonding activities and events together. Next, I worked in a preschool program
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that my school provided, creating lesson plans and teaching the children basic reading, writing,

math, and hygiene skills. Volunteer work I participated in included some time at the Light of Life

Rescue Mission, connecting with homeless people who came in for meals. Furthermore, my

internship in college involved working with adults who have intellectual disabilities, where I

would help residents through their daily routines. These experiences opened my perspective to

other people’s daily challenges, from varying age groups and upbringings. When one is

immersed in seeing people struggle for one to understand them or there being a lack of resources

for someone in need, implementing social justice into psychology simply seems like what has

always been meant to be done. This intrinsic need to implement the basic values of life into the

profession can be seen in the paper titled, Counseling for Wellness and Justice: Foundations and

Ethical Dilemmas by Prilleltensky (2007) et al., who stated, “In recent years an increasing

number of mental health professionals and scholars have presented convincing arguments in

favor of a value-based approach to counseling. This perspective asserts that as counselors we

bring a set of values to work, that if we don’t challenge the societal status quo we tacitly support

it, and the if we concentrate exclusively on intra-psychic dynamics we run the risk of neglecting

the social origins of suffering and distress” (p. 3). Thus, by acknowledging the societal influence

on mental health that people from marginalized groups especially face, I believe the values and

ethics I bring to the profession align with the standards that have been set.

The morals that make up what I believe to be right and wrong have aspects that I was

born with but I also have learned throughout the course of my life. The health care professionals

that I have encountered in my life have helped me gain a clear understanding of adults doing

their jobs because they want to help for the sake of improving someone’s life, not crossing any

boundaries for external reasons. For one to look out and care for others, I believe it is only right
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for one to have the intrinsic need to uplift and help improve someone that is in need. Crossing

any professional boundary and breaking the sacred connection of practitioner and client, creates

an untrust towards those who are meant to help people. It is only right to maintain that

professional space, still holding a close connection but not causing a patient any additional harm

for one’s own personal interests. This can also be seen if one has different values than the client,

where pushing one’s personal beliefs can disregard another person’s values. In the APA

Handbook of Counseling Psychology, Toporek (2012) et al., discusses how it is significant to

uphold respect for a client’s values relating to their religious views or sexual orientation, as long

as one’s views are not harmful to the individual or community (p. 316). Respecting another

person’s beliefs, ensuring one is safe, and that they are fulfilled in life are aspects I believe to be

the correct professional behavior. While pushing what one believes in spite of a client’s belief

being unharmful, or disagreeing with one’s religious views, to be wrong behaviors.

There are various aspects within the field of psychology that I believe to be compatible

with who I am as a person. By understanding the influence of multiculturalism, feminism, an

individuals’ socioeconomic status, ableism, and other issues relating to minority groups in

society, we can recognize one’s lived experience rather than simply the diagnostic issue they are

also facing. Nevertheless, I still have a lot of learning to do when it comes to applying these

perspectives to real peoples lives. Working with different groups of people in the past is still

different from truly treating someone one on one. I’m unsure how I will approach sitting down

with a client. If I will feel the need to perform and apply certain procedures or if I will let the

client lead the session. Furthermore, I feel with the eagerness I have for helping individuals may

prevent me from fully letting a client lead in a session. However, I believe with the fundamental

values and ethics I have relating to social justice issues, learning the fundamental techniques will
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hopefully come more naturally for me. Talking to people I hardly know is something I intuitively

do but taking in their full experience throughout multiple sessions and not instantly trying to find

a solution for someone, are aspects within the field I believe I will need to work on.

Nevertheless, I expect to learn and grow, even once I become a practicing psychologist, because

every individual has a different lived experience.

References

Prilleltensky, I., Dokecki, P., Frieden, G., & Wang, V. O. (2007). Counseling for Wellness and

Justice: Foundations and Ethical Dilemmas. In Advancing Social Justice

Through Clinical Practice (pp. 1–54). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Toporek, R. L., Kwan, K.-L. K., & Williams, R. A. (2012). Chapter 13: Ethics and Social Justice

in Counseling Psychology. In APA Handbook of Counseling Psychology (Vol. 2,

pp. 305–332). American Psychological Association.