client or trainee
HV Psychodrama
hvpi at hvc.rr.com
Mon Sep 11 16:41:15 CDT 2006
This note makes me very sad. Too many times I have had students come to us
with tremendous damage done by trainers who mix their role as individual
therapist with trainer. I am wondering if we can't get the board to make a
statement about the ethics of this.
Rebecca Walters
----- Original Message -----
From: "Melissa Monahan" <melissa_erin_monahan at hotmail.com>
To: <list at grouptalkweb.org>
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: client or trainee
> This dialogue is so important.
> As a student of Drama Therapy, as well as a Psychodrama trainee, I can
> appreciate the fine and delicate line that MUST be drawn between the
> therapist/trainer and client/trainee.
> As a creative therapeutic novice, I had chosen to extend my trainer's role
> to include that of individual therapist. At that time, she was more than
> happy to expand her professional repertoire and make a monetary deal.
> This
> maneuver, however, eventually proved disastrous, as the boundaries became
> increasingly vague.
> For example:
>
> *Her asking permission to eat salad during a one-on-one session.
> *Delegating duties, that included phone calling and drumming up business
> for
> her group/workshops.
> *Assuming I'd drive her home following a back-to-back individual session
> and
> training evening.
> *Explicitly suggesting, during one-on-one psychodramatic work that, one
> day,
> we'd have an office together and she would send me child clients because,
> after all, sometimes being a solo practitioner gets "lonely."
>
> While I acknowledge that reality is subjective, I do believe that some of
> the boundary issues stemmed from my trainer/therapist's insecure and egoic
> need to be regarded as someone with a "gift" for psychodrama, or "one of
> the
> best psychodramatists around" and "a role model of honesty for my
> clients."
> Conversely, I am a newcomer, and instinctively welcomed any/all guidance
> as
> well as professional mentoring.
> After emerging from a profound crisis, I realized how informal and skewed
> the relationship was; how compromised MY therapeutic process had become
> (and
> at some pricey hourly rates). While such nuances certainly don't CAUSE
> one's
> crisis, they're not of much HELP either.
> Eventually, I suggested she continue to be my psychodrama trainer, but
> divulged my decision to work one-on-one with someone else.
> This was, naturally, met with bewildered criticism and, then, an ultimatum
> to either work with her in individual therapy or leave her psychodrama
> group. While I understand her motivations
> were---always---well-intentioned,
> that kind of strong-arming hammered the proverbial nail into the
> psychodramtic coffin, and I chose to abort the relationship.
>>From this experience, I learned so much about the boundaries necessary to
> distinguish a client from trainee, and I thank my former therapist/trainer
> for that.
>
>
> ~Melissa Erin Monahan
> New York City
>
>
>
>>From: Carole Oliver <caroleolivernj at optonline.net>
>>Reply-To: list at grouptalkweb.org
>>To: list at grouptalkweb.org
>>Subject: Re: client or trainee
>>Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 08:41:18 -0700
>>
>>Peter, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses as clinicians. Working
>>on one's boundaries issues are important, however, it is also equally
>>important to know your self enough to set strong boundaries with some
>>pretty explicit rules, no dual relationships. Kudos to you to be able to
>>maintain all those dual roles, I know I wouldn't want so therefore
>>probably
>>would not be good at it----- Original Message -----
>> From: Peter Parkinson
>> To: list at grouptalkweb.org ; grace at graceworks.co.nz
>> Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 12:22 PM
>> Subject: RE: client or trainee
>>
>>
>> I practiced psychodrama for 15 years in a community of 800 people.
>> About
>>500 of these were utilizing psychodrama for their development. As a result
>>my boundaries and that of my staff had to be both clear and powerful. It
>>was inevitable I would share the role of Director, doctor, colleague,
>>committee member, fellow sportsperson etc. with one individual. There was
>>no way of escaping this scenario, in fact it was the norm rather than the
>>exception. Every psycho-dramatist goes through the progression of
>>client/group member, auxiliary, trainee and then colleague.
>>Professionalism
>>and personal development is about clarity of boundaries, and I believe
>>that
>>is not good enough to be saying "my boundaries are not very good' and
>>thereby justifying evading the issue. Life is for living fully, and
>>therapy
>>does not end at the consulting room door. Boundaries and fine tuning them
>>is our work, let's get on with it. A person s not a "trainee" or a
>>''client', they, like all of us, at times, assume these roles, the role of
>>client lasts about an hour, then its time for a change of role on both
>>sides.
>>
>>
>>
>> At times I would be in the main street of this country town and someone
>>would assume, erroneously, that I was in the role of their doctor and ask
>>me about a lab result. At that particular moment I was embedded in the
>>role
>>of the window shopper, and I would respond that they would not want me to
>>be thinking of them as a disease or an illness every time that I saw them.
>>To this comment I usually got a laugh of awareness and a spontaneous
>>agreement to see me or a staff member about the requirement IN THE
>>SURGERY.
>>And not on he street.
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>>
>>
>> Peter Parkinson from New Zealand
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> From: list-bounces at grouptalkweb.org
>>[mailto:list-bounces at grouptalkweb.org] On Behalf Of Carole Oliver
>> Sent: Monday, 11 September 2006 6:35 a.m.
>> To: grace at graceworks.co.nz; list at grouptalkweb.org
>> Subject: Re: client or trainee
>>
>>
>>
>> grace, I agree that the psychodrama community is small and we know many
>>people, first as clients and then maybe in a psychodrama/training group.
>>The roles can get murky. I think it requires a therapist who can be very
>>strong with boundaries. I am a pretty friendly accessible therapist and so
>>I find it harder to keep very strong boundaries between training,
>>supervision, group[p member, client.
>>
>> It is difficult to sort it all out. As for me, I wont see a person in
>>individual and be their trainer. If they are in my group which is a
>>therapy/psychodrama group, they can log hours but if they are indivual
>>clients, I wont do just a training group or supervision group with them.
>>Does that make sense?
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>
>> From: Grace
>>
>> To: list at grouptalkweb.org
>>
>> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 3:14 PM
>>
>> Subject: RE: client or trainee
>>
>>
>>
>> Kia ora Peter,
>>
>> Yes, I like your view of your work as education or adult education
>> (we
>>sometimes refer to what we do as psycho-education), although I do believe
>>it is deep learning that we facilitate in the group of people we work with
>>people, so I have a new descriptor to use. Thank you!
>>
>>
>>
>> I have also been pondering on the reality of dual relationships
>>especially living in a small country where the degrees of separation are
>>few. It's pretty difficult here in Aotearoa/NZ to meet people in either
>>work or social situations who don't have an acquaintance in common. I
>>think Moreno gives us a great tool in Role Theory, enabling us to become
>>conscious, to identify and warm up deliberately to the roles necessary to
>>respond adequately in situations where dual relationships such as Client /
>>Trainee exist. One such role might be something like a 'responsible
>>professional' who is able to bring a wealth of technical and ethical
>>expertise into practice when making decisions, when in doubt consulting
>>with supervisors and networks. I really like that this approach engages
>>the professional in the 'deep learning process' also, giving us the
>>opportunity to continue growing our ability to be creative and spontaneous
>>rather than referring to entrenched and conserved rules that squash
>>vitality and imply that there an end to what is really an infinite
>>process.
>> This is NOT the easy road however! And we won't always get it right-
>>can we live with that?
>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Grace
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> From: list-bounces at grouptalkweb.org
>>[mailto:list-bounces at grouptalkweb.org] On Behalf Of Peter Howie
>> Sent: Tuesday, 5 September 2006 2:10 p.m.
>> To: Adam Blatner; list at grouptalkweb.org
>> Subject: Re: client or trainee
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Adam,
>>
>> Sorry Adam but I can't help myself.
>>
>> "So there's a cultural lag-- a need to recognize this sub-field, but
>>still the main field of psychodrama is based on the conventional model of
>>psychotherapy-- and training certification is also geared to this, albeit
>>loosely. "
>>
>> I came across this quote as I was perusing some early ANZPA thesis.
>>
>> "I have always tried to show that my approach was meant as much more
>>than a psychotherapeutic method--my ideas have emphasized that creativity
>>and spontaneity affect the very roots of vitality and spiritual
>>development, and thus affect our involvements in every sphere of our
>>lives.
>>Furthermore, I have always wanted to have people attend to the processes
>>of
>>health, as well as to the problems of illness; thus I am glad that Dr
>>Blatenr has noted the applications of psychodrama in the home, school and
>>world of business" J L Moreno, M.D., 1973 in Forward to "Acting In" by
>>Adam
>>Blatner.
>>
>> Part of our discussion involves, at an underlying level, how the
>>conserves of the psychotherapeutic communities/world (Psychology,
>>Psychoiatry, Counselling etc) have dominated some of this discussion. It
>>may not be so much about the dilemmas that arise from boundary issues with
>>clients/patients/trainees but more about how this work is conceptualised.
>>Personally and professionally I think viewing most of our work as that of
>>education or adult education works for me. Deep learning is deep therapy.
>>Still working on this idea.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Peter Howie
>> Brisbanew, Australia
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Grouptalk mailing list
>> List at grouptalkweb.org
>> http://grouptalkweb.org/mailman/listinfo/list_grouptalkweb.org
>>
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.7/437 - Release Date:
>>9/4/2006
>>
>>
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> Grouptalk mailing list
>> List at grouptalkweb.org
>> http://grouptalkweb.org/mailman/listinfo/list_grouptalkweb.org
>>
>>
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.3/444 - Release Date:
>>9/11/2006
>
>
>>Grouptalk mailing list
>>List at grouptalkweb.org
>>http://grouptalkweb.org/mailman/listinfo/list_grouptalkweb.org
>
>
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Grouptalk mailing list
> List at grouptalkweb.org
> http://grouptalkweb.org/mailman/listinfo/list_grouptalkweb.org
>
More information about the List
mailing list