Do you know your values, morals and ethical standards? Do you live by them? Do you have an inner unicorn? (see below.*)

I'm catching up on my continuing education credits to maintain my psychotherapy licenses in California, Florida, Oregon and Utah. Right now I'm in the required ethics class and thought I'd share these definitions with you.

Values are the ideals or beliefs to which an individual or group aspires.

Morals relate to making decisions between right and wrong.

Ethics is the articulation of standards of behavior that reflect those values or morals.

Can you articulate your standards of behavior that reflect your values and morals?
Do your standards support eating disorder recovery or do they support the maintenance of the disorder?

If you think your values and/or morals are questionable, can you develop ethical standards based on a higher road, live by them and make them your own?

And then, going beyond the knowing, thinking, and articulation stages, can you act against what is wrong and for what is right?  So important in recovery work.

I'd love to hear your response to this.

Now, back to class. 

pix: attribution: Domenichino [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.  The Virgin with the Unicorn, (working under Annibale Carracci,) 1604-1605, Fresco, Farnese Palace.

*I chose the unicorn picture because I found one interpretation of the unicorn as having the ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong in battle. The unicorn is a ferocious and powerful being which would gore the party in the wrong. I think having a well developed inner unicorn is something to strive for.

Psychotherapy with Joanna

Joanna Poppink, MFT, Los Angeles eating disorder recovery psychotherapist