HUBUNGAN ANTARA KEFAHAMAN, KESEDARAN DAN AMALAN ETIKA KERAHSIAAN DALAM KALANGAN KAUNSELOR MALAYSIA (RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UNDERSTANDING, AWARENESS AND THE PRACTICE OF ETHICS AND CONFIDENTIALITY AMONG MALAYSIA COUNSELLORS)

Abstract

Kerahsiaan merupakan satu isu yang mempunyai implikasi etika dan perundangan untuk pengamal kesihatan mental. Seseorang kaunselor boleh disabitkan kesalahan perundangan iaitu penyelewengan amalan sekiranya beliau gagal dalam mentadbirkan klien yang mengancam untuk melakukan keganasan. Di Malaysia, kajian lepas menunjukkan bahawa klien lebih suka Pusat Bimbangan dan Kaunseling di sekolah terletak jauh dari bangunan pentadbiran, selamat dan biliknya telap suara. Kenyataan ini menunjukkan bahawa klien sangat mementingkan kerahsiaan. Persampelan kajian dibuat secara rawak mudah yang melibatkan kaunselor yang bernaung di bawah Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia (LKM) dan PERKAMA. Jumlah sampel kajian adalah seramai 602 orang responden. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa wujud hubungan yang signifikan antara kefahaman legal dengan kefahaman etika iaitu nilai r² = .055 (5.5%); antara kefahaman legal dengan kesedaran (r² = .017 (1.7%); antara kefahaman etika dengan kesedaran(nilai r² = .080 (8.0%) dan antara kesedaran dengan amalan etika kerahsiaan (nilai r² = .071 (7.1%). Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa kaunselor mempunyai kesedaran dan amalan terhadap etika kerahsiaan, namun kefahaman legal dan kefahaman etika mereka adalah di peringkat sederhana. Kesedaran dan amalan etika kerahsiaan kaunselor yang dikaji menunjukkan bahawa mereka memahami komponen kesedaran dan amalan etika kerahsiaan bukan secara mendalam iaitu hanya di peringkat permukaan (surface) sahaja. Kesedaran dan amalan etika kerahsiaan hanya akan berfungsi dalam sesi kaunseling kerana iannya menjadi keperluan asas hubungan terapeutik antara klien dengan kaunselor.

KATA KUNCI: kaunselor, kefahaman, kesedaran, amalan etika kerahsiaan

Abstract

Confidentiality is an issue that bears ethical and legislative implications towards mental health practitioners. A counsellor can be convicted for misappropriation of practice if he fails to manage clients who threaten to cause violence. Past research in Malaysia indicates that clients are favourable of Guidance and Counselling Centres that are safe, situated far away from the administrative block as well as equipped with rooms that are non-voice permeable. This is declarative of the fact that clients favour confidentiality. Simple random sampling was administered on 602 counsellors who resided under the auspices of The Malaysian Board of Counsellors (LKM) and PERKAMA. Findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between legal and ethical understanding with a value of r2= .055 (5.5%); between legal understanding and consciousness (r2= .017 (1.7%); between ethical understanding and consciousness (with a value of r2=.080 (8.0%) and between consciousness and the practice of confidentiality ethics (with a value of r2= .071 (7.1%). This research is indicative of the fact that counsellors are conscious towards the ethics of confidentiality although their legal and ethical understanding is at a moderate level. It has also been revealed that their understanding on the ethics of consciousness and confidentiality is only at a superficial level. The practice of ethical consciousness and confidentiality will only be functional in counselling sessions as it is a basic requirement in a therapeutic relationship between a client and a counsellor.

KEYWORDS: counsellor, understanding, consciousness, practice of ethical confidentiality