Among the conclusions that I have arrived at after 18 plus years in the field of addiction and mental health, is the concept of Healthy, versus Unhealthy. This concept has formed the cornerstone not only of my interaction with clients, but as a guide in my personal life.
Morals, beliefs, and value systems, can vary from person to person. I have found over the years that young counselors in particular, may not be aware as to how much their own convictions may color how they perceive their clients and their clients needs.
Right or wrong should not come into the therapeutic relationship equation ever.
Although people can differ on issues of morals, values and beliefs (greatly for that matter), usually people can agree if something is healthy or unhealthy.
For example: If a person drinks a quart of scotch for breakfast everyday, perceptions regarding this can vary depending upon the ‘values’ of those making the observation. For instance, if I were an 18 year old and in a college fraternity, my fellow fraternity brothers might view this as a positive; “wow, how can he do that, awesome.” Then again, if I was 25 years old, married with children, people might have a different perception; “what a loser, how can he subject his family to that?”
In both cases, I feel relatively confident that the people making the observation would both agree that what the person is doing is definitely “Unhealthy.”
This is the reason why I try to always think in terms of healthy vs. unhealthy. Whether it be in my therapeutic relations with clients, or, in my relationship with myself.
