| The factors which contribute to a quality of ethical integrity for mental health professionals who live and work in rural areas were researched qualitatively using heuristic principles to analyze questionnaires and interviews of participants. Thirty mental health professionals endorsed questionnaires and were interviewed in an attempt to elicit the essences of the factors which contribute to a high quality of ethical integrity. The convenience sample consisted of 19 Euro-American females and 11 Euro-American males, between the ages of 38 and 62 years. The participants included one clinical psychologist, 14 licensed clinical social workers, and 15 licensed professional counselors. All mental health professionals (therapists) have maintained good conduct and healthy boundaries based on information received from their current standing in relation to any disciplinary action with the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Health Professions, Board of Psychology. Experiences were described by these mental health professionals in relation to their self-understanding of ethical integrity and their own internalized ethical stance. The analysis of the questionnaires and interviews using heuristic principles revealed that the factors included values, extensive experience with boundary issues (gift giving, sexual attraction issues, physical touch among others), the attributes of one's own personality, modeling of behavior and lifestyle by parents and other adults, level of self-awareness, and the impact of living and working in a rural context. |
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