Power and ethics in psychosocial counselling: Reflections on the experience of an international NGO providing services for Iraqi refugees in Jordan.
Author: Gilbert, J.
Source:
Intervention, 7(1), 50-60.
This paper re£ects on some of the moral dilemmas
inherentin the provision of counselling for Iraqi refugees by highlighting the day-to-day experiences of
psychosocial counsellors employed by an international nongovernmental organization (INGO)
inJordan. It is argued that the lack of clarity in role,
short term recruitment policies, confused demands
on INGOs and the complexity of the political situation of Iraqis in Jordan contribute to profound,
and often insoluble, moral dilemmas for local sta¡
charged with providing front line counselling
services.These dilemmas are rarely discussed explicitly, but permeate every aspect of the refugee and
counsellor interaction. Having identi¢ed the issues
raised, speci¢c suggestions as to how they may be
addressed are put forward.