Therapists must recognize their emotional strengths and weaknesses, their needs and resources as well as their abilities and limitations for doing clinical work (see Pope et al., 2006). Another crucial form of education pertains to self-care (Baker, 2003; Barnett, Baker, Elman, & Schoener, 2007; Norcross & Guy, 2007). Properly understood, self-care refers not merely to avoiding impairment and ethical violations, but also to avoiding ethical mediocrity and moving toward excellence.
Yet not all trainees in professional preparation programs have the opportunity to acquire these skills. Too many professionals complete their training without the emotional education and awareness needed to avoid self-deception and to act in the prudent, considered manner that society expects and that represents professional ethical excellence.
A final way in which education can make people vulnerable is when psychologists fail to continue their learning process. New ways of understanding may be neglected, as psychologists continue to rely on what they once learned, even if it’s outdated.