Professionalism & Ethics Assignment 4
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COUNSELING POLYAMOROUS CLIENTS 1 WEEK 4: Counseling Polyamorous Clients Sammie E. Haynes, Jr. Lamar University CNDV 5322-L11 Professionalism, Ethics & Law Professor Dr. Lisa Wines February 15, 2023
COUNSELING POLYAMOROUS CLIENTS 2 Introduction There are many different aspects that go into counseling families, and as our society develops many things that we deem “normal” are now being considered old fashion in some collective groups. For instance, marriage has changed and isn
’t just considered to be between a man and a woman solely, but we now have “gay and les
bian
” marriages and the like. One of the newer ideas that are starting to be widely accepted is the polyamorous outlook on marriage and family. This provides a new subject area for those of us that will venture into the career of counseling. “
Counselors often work with couples, parents and children, nuclear families, families of origin, extended families, and nontraditional families. Therefore, the first question that the counselor needs to answer is, “Who is the client?”
(
Remley Jr., T. P., & Herlihy, B., 2020). It will be imperative to know, understand, and be able to respond to our “consensually non-monogamous clients when they come to our office for assistance. Consensual Non-Monogamy “
Consensually Non-Monogamous relationships
—
those in which all partners agree that each may have romantic or sexual relationships with others
—
are widely viewed as illegitimate and objectionable
”
(
Remley Jr., T. P., & Herlihy, B. 2020). When considering the cultural norms within our society surrounding marriage and relationships it is no wonder why monogamy is the widely accepted form of relationship status within our society. As a future therapist, it will be imperious to immerse myself in different and/or alternative forms of relationships if I wish to be inclusive, which I know and understand will incur some challenges when all things are considered. One of the major forms of Consensual Non-Monogamy (CNM) is Polyamory which is “
a form of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) in which adults negotiate multiple loving relationships with their partners’ consent” (
Henrich, R., & Trawinski, C. 2016). The following
COUNSELING POLYAMOROUS CLIENTS 3 article touches on some of the challenges that I will face when considering the assistance of this type of client. There are a few things that one can glean from this article; first, one of the major challenges associated with this client base is the lack of training. Scholars have communicated that there is a lack of “education about
polyamory in graduate psychology departments, very few of which even mention polyamory, much less provide adequate training ... Very few mental health professionals are truly equipped to work with poly clientele
”
(Henrich, R., & Trawinski, C. 2016). The second thing I learned is the study done within the article found that even though polyamory is a mutual decision between individuals there is still the opportunity for a range of emotions that may arise. The article imposes that there are several major areas of importance which are jealousy, disclosure and identity challenges, benefits of poly relationships, and the importance of negotiation. I love that this article focuses on the findings relevant to the therapist like challenges the client might face when disclosing to others or seeking compassionate and effective therapy. Lastly, this article covers the social challenges the members of this community face as contemporary culture valorize traditional monogamy. All of these things are important if the therapist is going to be pivotal in the help he or she provides to the client. All things need to be considered and known for the success of the therapeutic relationship. This is one step closer to attaining the professional and ethical nature of the counseling experience. Questions for the Author If I were to sit with the author of the article there would be three things that I would ask; first, would be “
What are some ethical issues that can arise for the counselor when counseling a polyamorous couple? The logic surrounding this question is “
there is an inherent assumption that a secure bond cannot be established within the context of consensual nonmonogamy (CNM). This is important because a clinician’s attitude about the viability
of nonmonogamy will
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COUNSELING POLYAMOROUS CLIENTS 4 certainly influence his or her approach to working with nontraditional couples
”
(Kolmes, K., & Witherspoon, R. G., 2017). The thought behind this is the preparation involved when considering helping this demographic. “
Mental health professionals have historically played a critical role in providing support for marginalized populations, but without adequate education and training, they are subject to holding CNM-stigmatizing attitudes, and (unintentionally) use biased, inappropriate, or harmful practices with their CNM clients
”
(
Schechinger, et.al., 2018). The second thing that would be asked is “
how would culturally competent counselors provide assistance to this client base when there is not enough research surrounding this sort of relationship style?
”
There has been some research surrounding that topic, but unfortunately is has been a siloed approach. “
A fundamental precursor to understanding how to provide culturally sensitive care, and developing training programs that promote it, is a solid evidence base documenting barriers to such care. In assessing potential barriers to culturally sensitive care, researchers have documented explicit and implicit biases of providers toward sexual minority individuals
”
(
Herbitter, C., et.al., 2021). Lastly, I would ask the author of this article, “
There are clear and distinct differences that make each community unique, as well as overlapping experiences that broadly shared between these sub-cultures (e.g., societal stigma, general minority stress). Yet, how to conceptualize CNM as well as how it fits within the sexual minority community is largely unchartered empirical and legal territory
”
(
Kolmes, K., & Witherspoon, R. G., 2017). How does a counselor refrain from client marginalization? What would I change about the article? One of the main things that I would incorporate within the article is the exploration and/or identification of related psychological theories associated that can be defined within this group. “
evolutionary psychology suggests that individuals engage in multiple mating strategies
COUNSELING POLYAMOROUS CLIENTS 5 because different strategies are effective in different situations from this perspective, consensual nonmonogamy can be viewed as part of the normal range of human sexuality rather than as a symptom of a psychological problem or a problem within an individual’s
relationship
”
(
Remley Jr., T. P., & Herlihy, B., 2020). Another thing I would add is more information on client marginalization. I thought the author simply touched on this topic and did not delve deeply into it. It will be of the utmost importance for a counselor to treat each client like they
’
re brand new and to not minimize or overlook the issues. Lastly, I would dig deeper into the therapist to exemplify biases when assisting this group. The article mentioned that clients “
can trigger therapists’ biases, tempt therapists to side
with one person or group within a relationship against another, or diminish therapists’
ability to recognize client marginalization. Even though bias against sexual minorities in a therapeutic setting is not new
”
(
Henrich, R., & Trawinski, C., 2016) I feel that the author could
’
ve shed more light on this as it will affect the therapeutic relationship.
COUNSELING POLYAMOROUS CLIENTS 6 References: Henrich, R., & Trawinski, C. (2016). Social and therapeutic challenges facing polyamorous clients. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 31(3), 376
–
390. Herbitter, C., Vaughan, M. D., & Pantalone, D. W. (2021). Mental health provider bias and clinical competence in addressing asexuality, consensual non-monogamy, and BDSM: a narrative review. Sexual and Relationship Therapy
, 1-24. Kolmes, K., & Witherspoon, R. G. (2017). Therapy With a Consensually Nonmonogamous Couple. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(8), 954
–
964. https://doi-
org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.1002/jclp.22509 Schechinger, H. A., Sakaluk, J. K., & Moors, A. C. (2018). Harmful and helpful therapy practices with consensually non-monogamous clients: Toward an inclusive framework. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
, 86
(11), 879. Remley Jr., T. P., & Herlihy, B. (2020). Ethic, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling.
Pearson Rubel, A. N., & Bogaert, A. F. (2015). Consensual nonmonogamy: Psychological well-being and relationship quality correlates. The Journal of Sex Research
, 52
(9), 961-982.
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