Ministry for Tourism

This paper investigates the challenges households face in Greece in the context of the current energy crisis. “Energy transition” policies, climate adaptation and mitigation goals, geopolitical tensions and COVID-19 pandemic have raised new stakes for the energy sector. Although the ‘big picture’ of the energy crisis is of high importance, it is significant to reflect on the consequences of the rise of energy prices on households. The aim of this paper is to address the impacts of the energy crisis and the crisis management policies on households in Greece. Our intention is to analyze the problems households face with regards to coping with their energy needs at home, investigate how the rise of energy prices has affected living standards and evaluate existing policies. We claim that focusing on households’ experiences and practices could contribute to a deeper understanding of energy poverty; a social problem which is expected to expand in the context of “energy transition.” Understanding energy poverty is also important for developing efficient policies, as well as for supporting bottom-up initiatives. The adopted methodology is based on a survey at national level that was implemented through a structured questionnaire, conducted in May 2022.

Abstract BackgroundThis study explores perceptions regarding counsellors who are also public entertainers, an issue on which there is a dearth in literature and in codes of ethics. For this study, we reviewed three codes of ethics: the 2014 American Counselling Association's (ACA), the 2017 British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy's (BACP) and the 2011 Malta Association for the Counselling Profession's (MACP).MethodThe research question begged a qualitative approach using individual, audio‐recorded, semi‐structured interviews with twelve participants: six counsellors and six non‐counsellors. Thematic analysis was selected as the most appropriate methods for analysis.FindingsParticipants think that counsellors can be entertainers during their free time, but need strict boundaries and ethical responsibility whilst following Rogers' (1957, 1980) person‐centred skills of being non‐judgemental, empathic and congruent. Boundaries, the context of a small‐island community, public life, self‐disclosure, wellbeing and challenges were all major themes elicited. Counsellor participants (CPs) highlighted that there is no guide Maltese counsellors can follow regarding what they can and cannot do in public as public entertainers. Participants noted that in the local context, counsellors need to be careful about disclosing their opinions regarding Politics and political affiliations. Politics seemed to be of particular concern and reflects the local biparty culture often loaded with emotions and very strong opinion and allegiances. Participants also reflected that the status of an entertainer/counsellor can also help publicise the profession in the best interest of wellbeing and the profession.Implications for PracticeImplications for practice include training courses with opportunities for reflection on what counsellors can/not do in public in order to continuously address boundaries; training on social media behaviour; training on specialised ethical issues around being a counsellor/entertainer through continuing professional development sessions; specialised training for supervisors; issues to be address in contacts with clients; and updated codes of ethics/ethical framworks.ConclusionRecommendations include personal reflection and supervision, training at master's level, continued professional development, revised codes of ethics and ethical guidance by qualified supervisors. This study was a master's dissertation submission, where Karen was the supervisee and Ruth the supervisor.