ABSTRACT
When you think of professionalism, what comes to mind? Professionalism is a broad concept that can pose ethical challenges for therapists. The concept of professionalism includes publicly identifying oneself as a professional marriage and family therapist, embracing the identity of being a marriage and family therapist, and representing the profession of marriage and family therapy. Consistent with the idea of relational ethics, being professional, in part, means considering the impact that one has on others (Shaw, 2011), including clients (potential, current, future, and past), colleagues, employers, and the profession as a whole. Along with identifying as a marriage and family therapist comes the responsibility to manage power found within professionalism, and to be aware of the impact one has on others at all times. A relational ethics stance also suggests that our ethical actions reside in all the small decisions we make in our role as CFTs.
Presentation of Self
