Secrets and Ties : Private Thoughts of Helping Professionals in Small Communities

Secrets and Ties guides helping professionals to support their communities without sacrificing their own lives. I interviewed eleven helping professionals working and living in small communities and from a variety of professions: medical, nursing, social work, clergy and mental health. The interviews demonstrate that there is a shared ethical complexity which is tempered by the professionals length of work experience and personality. For instance, some are quite happy to engage with clients/patients in the supermarket, while others will look for the nearest aisle to disappear down. Some have chosen to be participate in community life and others have isolated themselves. In these pages you will read truthful accounts of helping professionals who aim to understand the ethics of working in a small community. Because they are all anonymous, each one has risked being honest and often vulnerable about their experiences. Each speaks about their struggles with secrets and ties. Hopefully readers will find their own ethical struggles are normal and shared by others. I hope you will come away from this book with a greater empathy for yourself, your colleagues and those you serve.