Where Do You Stand?

I don’t watch TV. I especially don’t watch national news. People ask me all the time if I’m familiar with this program or that, or know about this issue or that issue—and the truth is I turned it all off a long time ago. I do hear about things from others, catch some on Facebook and the internet, I don’t filter it all out, but I don’t watch it directly. Years ago, I decided for my own sanity, that I needed to protect myself from the negativity and attacks that just go on and on with contempt and vitriol between political factions. As a therapist, “I hear enough about pain and strife and division in my office to last a lifetime,” I say to myself. When I go home I need a safe place to regroup and find hope and comfort in order to keep my balance in my office.  I also realize that by turning it off and tuning out, I insulate myself from the pain and needs of others.  It’s not that I don’t really have beliefs or political ideologies, it’s that I don’t want to fight about it and contribute to the discord.  So I turn off the TV, filter in only bits and pieces of the news, and tune into a narrow band of needs where I feel I can make a difference, and shut out the rest.

“Being politically neutral is taking a stand for status quo.” I recently heard this at a workshop I attended.

It made me think. Hard. It made me start to ask myself some difficult, but important questions. Do I really like the way things are? What realistically can I do to make a change so I’m not agreeing with the status quo? Do I even know enough about what is really happening to make a difference?

These aren’t easy questions, nor are there easy answers. But they are questions that need to be answered, not only by me, but those of us in the helping field.

ETHICS CODE

“Marriage and family therapists are defined by an enduring dedication to professional and ethical excellence, as well as the commitment to service, advocacy, and public participation. The areas of service, advocacy, and public participation are recognized as responsibilities to the profession equal in importance to all other aspects. Marriage and family therapists embody these aspirations by participating in activities that contribute to a better community and society, including devoting a portion of their professional activity to services for which there is little or no financial return (AAMFT code of ethics, 2015).

Counselors actively participate in local, state, and national associations that foster the development and improvement of counseling. Counselors are expected to advocate to promote changes at the individual, group, institutional, and societal levels that improve the quality of life for individuals and groups and remove potential barriers to the provision or access of appropriate services being offered. (ACA code of ethics, 2014)

AAMFT and ACA are very explicit about our duty to advocate for a better society. But no matter which organization we hail, all of the associations either implicitly or explicitly describe the need to advocate and promote beneficence, equality, and improvement in the world. In essence, it is the heart of what we do and who we are in the behavioral helping fields.

I don’t know that I will be watching a lot more TV, but I think I can allow myself to filter in a bit more about the current political, economic, and societal issues that plague us today to be more informed.

I would love to hear from you about ways in which you are taking a stand against status quo, and donating part of your time and focus to advocating for an improved world!