Clash In Counseling

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Reflecting on week five readings in the textbook, “Becoming an Ethical Helping Professional: Cultural and Philosophical Foundations” written by Rita Sommers-Flanagan and John Sommers-Flanagan (2015), I can apply the concept of teachers and school counselors having professional values clash. School counseling requires its own ethical standards of practice. Confidentiality is a major ethical value that counselors must uphold. Whereas, teachers often share information between each other. The clash can occur when the counselor is upholding the students right to confidentiality which makes them seem uncooperative or not part of the team. The teacher and counselor relationship can be affected particularly when the teacher does not understand why …show more content…

As in any profession, having positive relationships with co-works is extremely vital. Positive relationships make the work environment more enjoyable and promote team collaboration. Additionally, as a school counselor upholding the ethical value of student confidentiality is also extremely imperative. I can see how these two areas could create a clash. Having an awareness of this potential issue ahead of time can help to eliminate a clash. The school counselor would need to be upfront with the teaching staff about confidentiality. Furthermore, be willing to engage in personal conversations with teachers about the ethical value so there is no misunderstanding. Having an open line of communication can deepen the teacher and counselor relationship without breaking student confidentiality. Sommers-Flanagan and Sommers-Flanagan further discuss general guidelines for school counselors from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). One of these guidelines is, “Have a primary obligation to all students. This means that you are committed to treating all students with respect and dignity and providing all students with equal access to school counseling services” (p. 246). I think this is a great guideline from the ASCA. All students absolutely deserve to be treated equally. However, I can foresee a problem with all students having equal access to school counseling

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