Honesty and Business Ethics

    Honesty is an especially meaningful topic to me. It is arguably the most important thing to me in relationships, in academics, and in life in general. It started for me as a child. I had a natural tendency to lie and to steal. My mom had this way of always knowing what the truth was. Or, maybe she didn’t, but the moral dilemma was enough for me to believe that she always knew. She learned to first address my misdemeanor by reminding me that the consequences of being honest were always better than the consequences of lying. Then, she would ask me if I was lying. Regardless of my response, she would say, “I’m going to give you one more chance to be honest,” and then repeat the question. When I would initially double-down and lie, that follow up question always got me. Thankfully, I was raised by some incredible parents who helped me to learn from the consequences of my own actions, rather than by unnecessary punishment. That has had a profound and lasting impact on my life. Because of that, I know exactly what kind of professional I want to be in my career. I know that even when it is incredibly hard to make the right decision and come clean, such as when I inadvertently flooded a tenant’s house, or when I marked working hours when I was taking my lunch breaks, I will always be making the right decision when I’m being honest.

    Personally, I don’t feel like I will have too much of a problem with the ethical challenges I may face as an MFT. Nevertheless, those challenges include: maintaining confidentiality, being vigilant of dual relationships, observing cultural sensitivity, valuing neutrality, setting and keeping boundaries with clients, obtaining informed consent, claiming and admitting professional competence, and prioritizing my own self-care. As a man, I can foresee prioritizing my own self-care as a potential issue, but I’m sure that the more familiar I become with my field, the more I will recognize and prioritize that important aspect.

    I wanted to share all of these things as a sort of self-declaration of what is important to me. Perhaps in the future I will talk about the challenges that may arise, while maintaining confidences of course, and I hope that it’s a useful tool for anyone in their professional endeavors. I am excited to see what challenges and rewards await me as I seek to bring the most purpose and happiness to others.