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Right Use of Power: The Heart of Ethics
Right use of power is a dynamic, inspiring, and relational approact to ethical awareness. In a time of great misuse of power, it offers sound guidance for an emerging ethic that brings compassion to power. Original and engaging, the approach highlights four dimensions of personal and professional Be Informed, Be Compassionate, Be Connected, Be Skillful. This book provides the skills to use power with heart.
- GenresPsychology
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First published April 1, 2006
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August 9, 2008I haven't read the book yet, but I took a workshop from Cedar and it was awesome. This isn't technical ethics, like rules and regulations, it's about how power operates within the client-therapist dynamic and how to be responsible with that power.
A key concept I got from this is that when you are in the role of therapist, you *step into* that role. It's not *you*. It's like taking on a cloak or a mantle. The power is in the role. There isn't an inherent power differential between the people, but between the roles. Then, you take it off again after the session. It's important to be able to step out of the role of teacher, leader, or therapist so you don't get caught in it.
I've done workshops where the facilitators just did not seem comfortable just hanging out with the participants. They couldn't transition or give up the role, and they looked really uncomfortable. So that makes more sense now.
Obviously with therapists it's different because you never hang out with your clients, but it's still important to be able to step out of that role, and say, not try to therapizing with your family members of friends.
Another key thing I learned was how the most important thing to do when something feels wonky is to bring it up in session. Acknowledging it is a lot better than thinking 'maybe it was nothing'. The therapist role has a lot of power and clients can take things way differently than you intended, so checking in is really necessary.
A key concept I got from this is that when you are in the role of therapist, you *step into* that role. It's not *you*. It's like taking on a cloak or a mantle. The power is in the role. There isn't an inherent power differential between the people, but between the roles. Then, you take it off again after the session. It's important to be able to step out of the role of teacher, leader, or therapist so you don't get caught in it.
I've done workshops where the facilitators just did not seem comfortable just hanging out with the participants. They couldn't transition or give up the role, and they looked really uncomfortable. So that makes more sense now.
Obviously with therapists it's different because you never hang out with your clients, but it's still important to be able to step out of that role, and say, not try to therapizing with your family members of friends.
Another key thing I learned was how the most important thing to do when something feels wonky is to bring it up in session. Acknowledging it is a lot better than thinking 'maybe it was nothing'. The therapist role has a lot of power and clients can take things way differently than you intended, so checking in is really necessary.
December 22, 2017
It feels a bit strange to say that I actually enjoyed a book about ethics, but I'm saying it. I enjoyed this book. It is so far away from the typical text on the subject. Far less focused on abstract and external rules, it offers a relational and body-centered approach to understanding ethics. I enjoyed the experiential exercises - they absolutely deepened my understanding of the concepts from a felt-sense. I've heard that this book is very common for Hakomi therapists - really, I believe it's a must for everyone who is in a position of power in their work lives. I absolutely recommend this book for helping professionals of all kinds - therapists in particular are sure to enjoy it.
I imagine returning to this again and again as a cornerstone in my career as a Psychologist, and will definitely be recommending it to my students.
I imagine returning to this again and again as a cornerstone in my career as a Psychologist, and will definitely be recommending it to my students.
February 25, 2025
I appreciated this clinical focus of addressing transference + compassion in helping conversations. I'd like to see more contexts addressed as to what constitutes the "heart of ethics."
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