Blog a Log

This is a Guest Post from my good friend Kathy Cha.

Dr. Celestin began the class by asking whether knowledge was taught or learned. I was

intrigued because I had never thought of knowledge that way before. As a class, we managed to

answer the question by establishing that knowledge is both taught and learned, because it is

shared. This led onto the connection between sharing and relationship. When the professor

defined “learning” as “relationship,” I was challenged to think of learning in a completely new

way. It brought me to think more about what leading or participating in a group entails; if

learning is relationship, the leader is on the same level as the member in a way. This is not to say

that the leader should be considered as someone superior anyway, but it is beneficial for

members, who would feel more comfortable in an environment the leader established as non-

hierarchical with everyone on equal footing. I both agreed with the other classmates who decided

that group dynamic is a choice. The main idea I learned for the first half of lecture is the

importance of creating relationships in order to establish good group dynamics that help increase

trust, respect, intimacy, and each participant’s self-awareness. The next half reviewed the ACA

ethical code, which was an overwhelming lecture to absorb and digest intellectually, because the

ethical code basically had to take into account every aspect of therapy that risked either the

client’s or therapist’s heath and/or safety. To be honest, the thought of dealing with the law

brought feelings of both fear and annoyance. As a counselor, I am sure everyone tries to avoid as

much hassle dealing with legal issues as possible. But I understand that each therapist must go

into the field prepared for possibilities of breaking the ethical code. The ultimate goal of the

ethical code, as I learned it, is protection. And this goal keeps in mind all aspects of a person’s

well-being: mental, physical, emotional, sexual, relational, and even spiritual. While learning this

material can be very overwhelming, it is also both important and necessary. As a Christian, I also

understand the need for this due to human depravity, which makes all of us sinful by nature.