It's an ethical minefield.

An addictions counsellor has made a difference and steered a young native-American from a life of substance abuse and dependancy and in gratitude the youth's mother offers a gift -- a beaded bracelet made by her hand.

While steeped in cultural symbolism and seemingly innocent in gesture the gift is in fact a trojan horse; it raises an ethical dilemma that goes to the heart of the counsellor-client relationship. Should the counsellor accept, and if not, what are the ramifications of saying no? On Friday, about 50 local substance-abuse counsellors, psychiatric nurses, and volunteers wrestled with this and similar scenarios at a Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA) forum held at the Hamilton Princess and featuring guest speaker Nikola Moyer of Moyer Associates -- a US-based agency which provides counselling training and consulting specialists in relapse prevention.

She also acts as a training supervisor for the Hazelden Counselor Training Center in Center City, Minnesota.

The one-day forum was held to augment staff training and raise awareness of the moral issues that confront counsellors in a community as tightly knit as Bermuda.

There needs to be a cultural fit of an ethical code of conduct to the Bermuda model, says Ms Moyer.

"For example how does one deal with the dual relationship of being a counsellor to your neighbour. How severely would you, as a counsellor, confront your child's teacher if they had a problem,'' she told The Royal Gazette .

The forum -- attended by representatives from various public and private agencies -- also marked a critical step towards the development of a Bermuda code of ethics and standards for professionals working in the field.

"We're in the process now of forming a professional association of certified addiction counsellors for Bermuda,'' Transition's Sarah White told The Royal Gazette .

Ms Moyer added she was "delighted to see the initiative of the Bermuda College, the National Drug Commission, CADA, and other agencies in the field moving towards more formalised training for professionals and volunteers.'' Certification will be based on the bylaws of the Wisconsin-based International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Inc., which helps sets US standards for counsellors.

Only six counsellors on the Island hold ICRC/AODA international qualifications while three Bermudians are in training at Hazelden.

To be known as the Association of Certified Chemical Dependency Counsellors of Bermuda, the group is pushing for Government to regulate the qualifications of those employed in the field. They have run into some resistance and resentment from those without such credentials.

"The problem you've got is that there is a lot of well-intentioned people who get involved but can only get so far,'' says CADA's Kim Wilkerson who does not hold ICRC qualifications.

Nevertheless the idea of a minimum level of counsellor qualification is being explored by the National Drug Commission, she said.

"The resistance is coming from good people who have years of practical experience but don't have the theoretical background to take them further,'' says VJCM's Carol McNiff, an outpatient counsellor.

"There is fear that once the guidelines are in place they will lose their jobs, which is not the case. If anything it will only make them better,'' she stresses.

"Our intention is to apply a specific focus on the question of substance abuse counselling and to be an organ of inclusion, not exclusion,'' added Ms White.

DRUGS DGS