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Working Humanistically as a UKAHPP Practitioner
This
statement on Humanistic Practice as a Practitioner includes a range
of views which reflect a respect for and tolerance of diversity. An UKAHPP
Practitioner bases their practice on UKAHPP's Statement of Core Beliefs
and the Codes of Ethical Principles and of Practice. These provide detailed
guidelines for Humanistic Practice.
Core
Beliefs and Practices
We apply the same criteria of respect, empowerment, authenticity, etc.
that we have for our clients, to ourselves personally and professionally.
We believe in human uniqueness; a holistic need to balance intellect,
spirit, emotions and the body; individual autonomy and responsibility;
fundamental innocence; and the importance of a shadow side. We believe
that in counselling and psychotherapy the therapeutic relationship is
the main agent of change that the practitioner has any influence on, so
who we are is crucial to the well-being of our clients. We see the therapeutic
relationship as one of shared responsibility and view transference and
counter-transference as a valuable form of communication that takes many
forms, including body language and non-verbal communication, and does
not necessarily imply pathological aspects.
Sources
of Humanistic Psychology
There are several sources of humanistic psychology, including the phenomenological
tradition, the existential tradition, self-actualisation, abundance motivation,
the person-centred approach, body-oriented approaches, group dynamics,
peak experiences, eastern philosophy and transpersonal perspectives.
Self-awareness
and Accountability of Practitioners
Being humanistic is a way of life, in being committed to one's work and
having an awareness of competence, limitations, contextual awareness of
social and political concerns and of counter transferential issues. This
necessitates maintaining one's authenticity and having and using a support
network that includes supervision and personal and professional development.
Although any person can foster self awareness in another, it requires
having humility in relation to others' offerings; knowing we do not have
the answers but are fellow searchers; being devoted to self vigilance;
being willing to experience vulnerability and uncertainty.
Equal Opportunities
Humanistic practitioners aim to work within a framework that both recognises
and values human differences, whether of ethnicity, sexual orientation
and identity, religious and spiritual belief, culture, class, age,
levels of ability/disability, etc. We accept that we may lack direct
experience of many such differences and accordingly recognise our own
capacity for prejudice, as a result of blind spots in our knowledge,
thinking, beliefs and behaviours. We aim to counteract these through
the use of relevant supervision, attending courses, reading and where
possible personal interactions with others from across the whole human
spectrum. We are aware that structural inequalities and discrimination
exist in society and its institutions and impact particularly on the
lives of people from marginalised groups. We believe that as practitioners
we need to hold in mind this reality and consider carefully how we
address it in our work. We recognise the value of and have a commitment
to building a client base that reflects social diversity, as far as
possible. We are willing to be challenged and to accept the necessity
for change in our practice as and when necessary, with the aim of constantly
growing in competence. Such self-development applies to us as persons
in the world as well as our being practitioners. We accept that such
development is a life-long task. We seek to know our own limitations
and carefully consider not taking on clients whose issues evoke our
unresolved prejudice, or make requirements outside our growing experience.
Humanistic
Research
Quantitative research methods are of doubtful value in relation to understanding
people and their relationships. More appropriate are the methods of qualitative
research, which include ways of doing research with people rather than
on people.
Participation
as a Member of UKAHPP
UKAHPP as an organisation is dependent upon the voluntary participation
of members in the work of its various committees and sub-groups. Accordingly
members are expected to contribute to these tasks by offering their services
from time to time.
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Working
Humanistically as an Organisation
This statement on Humanistic Practice as an Organisation is
based on UKAHPP’s Statement of Core Beliefs and the Codes of Ethical
Principles and of Practice. It is intentionally addressing both UKAHPP
members themselves
and members of the public who would like to know more about how UKAHPP
works humanistically. UKAHPP is an inclusive organisation, integrating
a range of views from within humanistic practice. We seek the active
involvement of the membership in running the organisation. All members
of various committees, working parties and in other roles give their
services and time without payment.
Core Beliefs and Practices
As an organisation, we aim to practise and demonstrate the organic processes
parallel to those of a healthy human being. These include being able
to hold complexity; knowing when to conserve and when to embrace change
in order to thrive; having an awareness of our needs as an organisation;
being self-examining as well as open to different perspectives and
experiences; holding ourselves in ethical and spiritual good faith;
being willing to actively adopt new practices where appropriate so
that growth and development is enhanced, whilst honouring and maintaining
what still works well. We aim to apply the same criteria of respect,
empowerment, authenticity, etc. that we have for our clients to ourselves
as members of an organisation and to others we interact with. These
might be our own membership, other organisations, members of the public
and society as a whole. In such interactions we acknowledge human uniqueness;
a need to balance intellect, spirit, emotions and the reality of the
body; individual and corporate autonomy and responsibility; and the
existence and importance of human shortcomings and a shadow side.
Relationships and Responsibilities within the Organisation
Just as in counselling and psychotherapy the therapeutic relationship
is the main agent of change, healthy, open and clear relationships
within the organisation and with others are crucial to the well being
of the organisation. In our relationships with other members, this
requires us to have humility in responding to others’ offerings.
We know that just as individual practice is determined by our own core
beliefs, in our organisation we are interfacing with the core beliefs
of others. We need to be open to hear and experience difference. We
therefore see organisational relationships as incorporating a shared
responsibility to view conflict and disagreement as a type of communication
that takes many forms, including overt and covert aspects, all of which
require compassionate and respectful handling. At different stages
in any interchange, disagreement or conflict each of us will experience
the need to lead, or to yield. Where an impasse or irresolvable dilemma
arises within UKAHPP, the parties concerned may use the UKAHPP Ethical
Review Procedure in order to seek a satisfactory solution within a
humanistic process.
Equal Opportunities
In its dealings with potential and present members, other organisations
and members of the public, UKAHPP as an organisation endeavours to
practice the same principles of equal opportunities that its members
apply as individual practitioners. UKAHPP aims not to discriminate
or collude with discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender,
sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status,
political belief, mental or physical handicap or any other preference
or personal characteristic, condition or status. Recognising the significance
of institutional prejudice and the capacity of any organisation to
develop blind spots in their experience and thinking, UKAHPP is open
to the possibility of criticism on such issues, and will arrange training
and development where appropriate.
Humanistic Research
UKAHPP is an organisational member of the United Kingdom Council for
Psychotherapy (UKCP) and maintains informal links with other organisations
such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
and the Association for Humanistic Psychology in Britain (AHPB) and
in so doing has access to new ideas and research in the field of humanistic
therapies. UKAHPP also endeavours to maintain informal links with a
range of other related organisations, via the personal connections
of members, and is keen for members to share new experience and thinking.
New research can be supported and disseminated via UKAHPP’s events
and workshop programme, and in the journal Self and Society.
Ethics
Committee – July 2003
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