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Introduction about ethics in counseling
Introduction about ethics in counseling
Introduction about ethics in counseling
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Counselors have a tremendous responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the counseling relationship and support the client’s trust. They must seek high levels of training and education in the ethical application of counseling practices. It is these practices and professional values that empower clients and families to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals of their own. Helping professionals have an ethical obligation and professional responsibility to clients to protect their rights, warn and protect, record-keeping protection, counselor self-care, advocacy, and counselor values. The professional values of counseling provide a conceptual basis for the ethical principles and professional ethical behavior. These are moral principles and may be found within the ACA Code of Ethics (2014). The five principles include autonomy, nonmaleficence, …show more content…
To incorporate this, clients should be encouraged to make their own decisions and act on their own values. Nonmaleficence is avoiding any actions that may cause harm. This is accomplished by doing no harm or participating in actions that risk causing harm to clients. Beneficence is caring and working for the good, empowering, and promoting the well-being of clients. Counselors achieve this by contributing to the welfare of their clients. Justice is treating clients equally and with fairness. To incorporate this counselors do not treat all clients the same, but rather fairly by respecting their rights and appreciating their differences. Fidelity is fulfilling the responsibility to clients by making realistic commitments and keeping those promises. This is accomplished by not threatening the therapeutic alliance or leaving any obligations unfulfilled (Forester-Miller & Davis, 1996). Among these moral ethical principles are also legal principles to client
It is important as a professional health care provider to have guidelines, regulations, and ethical standards to obey when providing care to the public. The ACA is to improve the quality of professional counselors in the community with education, knowledge, and guidelines by providing an ACA Code of Ethics standard when delivering treatment toward a clientele (American Counseling Association, 2015). One particular part of the ACA mission that is essential, is the ACA Code of Ethics. The purpose of the ACA Code of Ethics is a guide to ensure counselors in training and professional counselors understand the ethical obligations toward clients, possible grievances for conduct unbecoming, and professional responsibilities, which supports the ACA
The Kitchener Critical Evaluation Model came about in the 1980’s and is considered the building block for other models. This model believed there was a need to deeper the understanding of ethics beyond a counselor’s moral judgment (Cottone & Claus, 2000). Kitchener created five principles for counselors to follow that create a guide for what is ethically expected. The first principle is autonomy, which is given to the client for them to find their freedom. The second principle is beneficence, which is the counselor’s duty to seek out the good. The third principle is nonmaleficence, which is the counselor’s responsibility to do no harm to the client. The fourth principle is justice, which is counselors dedicating fairness to clients. The final principle is fidelity, where counselors are loyal to their clients (Herlihy & Corey, 2015). Kitchener viewed right and wrong on a critical evaluation level. Depending upon each situation there is
ACA Section C on professional responsibility informs counselors that their mission should be to promote changes in their clients’ lives, to in all improve their quality of life. However, through each process a counselor should not harm a client more than they were in the beginning. AAMFT does not speak on the duty of not harming the clients specifically. The AAMFT code of ethics Standard I Responsibility to clients does include sections on sexual intimacy with current or former clients, abuse of therapeutic relationships, and how it is prohibited, similarly to ACA section A.5.a. – A.5.c. AAMFT (2015 1.9) states that Marriage and family therapist continue therapeutic relationships only so long as it is reasonably clear that clients are benefiting from the relationship. The process of counseling involves intervening, reaching goals, or making changes, if a counselor is no longer fostering a positive and healthy relationship with the client then the relationship should be ended. f the counselor is no longer motivating their client or there is a lack initiative a counselor may refer their client to another appropriate therapeutic service. Comparably ACA and AAMFT both have an obligation to not abandon or neglect their clients. AAMFT 1.11 and ACA (2015 A.12) both states that counselors assist in making appropriate arrangements for the continuation of treatment for those
A counselor should always keep their thoughts to themselves and remain open-minded about the situation. The only time a counselor should share their thoughts is if it helps the client with their situation that they are dealing with. “Counselors must practice only within the boundaries of their competence (Standard C.2.a.), and, if they “determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients” (Standard A.11.b.), they should facilitate a referral to another provider. (Kocet, M. M., & Herlihy, B. J. (2014). Addressing Value-Based Conflicts Within the Counseling Relationship: A Decision-Making Model. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 92(2), 180-186 7p. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00146.x).” Keeping your thoughts to yourself is
Mandatory ethics is the level of functioning where the counselor is abiding by the basic “do’s and don’ts” of professional counseling. These are definitive codes that will protect a counselor from legal action and professional censure. All mental health professionals will be held accountable by the minimum standards set by state licensure boards and courts of law. Issues addressed by the Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA) include, but are not limited to, competence, human relations, confidentiality and fees. (American Psychological Association, 2002)
Keeping a positive and open relationship so that the client feels comfortable sharing their issues with the counselor. If the client is feeling judged they will withhold information and stunt the counseling process.
In the case study of Gwen, there is one major problem presented. That problem is whether it is ethical for a supervisor to counsel his supervisee. I think that Gwen is going through the grieving process after learning about her mother’s condition and is in a vulnerable spot. She feels like she cannot continue her work with hospice patients because of personal feelings. Ken thinks that Gwen is a great therapist and does not want to see her give up. He also feels like he would be the most effective person to give Gwen counseling, because of their trusting relationship. I think that this would be a bad idea and could cross professional boundaries. The Ethical Guidelines for Counseling Supervisors strongly suggest against a supervisor entering in a psychotherapeutic relationship with supervisees. It is important to limit the possibilities of a dual relationship. Dual relationships can easily become unethical and present problems or possible harm to the client, which in this case is the supervisee. They can also create dependency or have unfavorable symbolic meanings. I also do not think it was a good idea that the counseling happened in the supervision sessions. This time should be spent on improving knowledge and helping clients. Spending most of the supervisor sessions working on personal problems could potentially harm the progress and well-being of the supervisee’s clients. My reaction to Ken blending the roles of supervisor and counselor is that it was not a good, professional, decision. He has entered a dual relationship with Gwen that could potentially cause harm to her or create a conflict of interest. Since Ken is Gwen’s supervisor, he has more power over the relationship than Gwen does. This power can easily be abused by Ken...
.... Also following a guideline pointed by Saddler (1986 -retrive from Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T., 1996) counselors should apply the three test in their practice. The test of justice which determines if you would treat others the same in this situation, the publicity test, if you would want your behavior to be known and reported to the public, and the test of universality to ask yourself if you would administer the same action to another counselor in the same situation. With that in mind the professional has to believe that after all of this is achieved the professional is capable to perform the career with an outstanding background and knowledge on how and when to act and perform the social and personal changes that relies on the profession and always having in mind what is more beneficial to the patient in resolving and responding to their ethical conflicts.
The ACA code of ethics (2014) gives counselors a guideline to follow and establish certain expectations of the type of conduct a counselor should be. The third step is to find out the nature and extend of the issue. There are ways to find how such as look at the issue's implications for all of the foundational principles, for example, autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity. Choose which one applies to the issue, and determine which takes priority for you as a counselor in the situation. Another example, is to use professional literature
This model identifies five moral principles which are: justice, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and fidelity. These fundamental guidelines are used to clarify issues that involve any given situation. Ethical guidelines may not address all situations, but will allow a counselor to explore ethical dilemmas and conflicting issues. Counselors are responsible to encourage clients to make their own appropriate decisions and to act on their own values. Two important things to consider when counseling client are: autonomous encouragement helps clients understand how their decisions and values that may or may not receive within the context of the society; they live in or may impinge on the rights of others (Kitchener,
If sessions are not beneficial for the client, new methods need to be created or the relationship must be re-evaluated by the therapist. The sessions may be terminated due to certain circumstances such as dual relationships forming or ethical dilemmas are occurring where it is no longer professional to maintain sessions with the clients. Referring clients to another councillor may be an option if the client is willing (Heppner, Wampold & Kivlighan, 2008). To allow for the best possible service for my clients and to promote non-malficence, a counsellor needs to recognise their own limitations, therefore I will ensure that I am promoting self-respect and continually working towards being self-aware, practicing in my own life what I tell my clients (Franklin,
As a result if these ethics codes are not followed, legal action can be brought up against this counselor. Committing to clients is the first code of ethics which includes: “Primary Responsibility, Confidentiality, Dual/multiple relationships, Exploitive relationships, and counseling environments. “ Mental health counselors value objectivity and integrity in their commitment to understanding human behavior and they maintain the highest standards in providing mental health counseling services” ( https://amhca.site-ym.com/page/codeofethics). Establishing a relationship with the client opens up the floor in which she or he will be honest. S/he will be comfortable with speaking about the problem. The honesty of the client gives the counselor an ideal start of how the problem began. Under Ethic code C Assessment and diagnosis: Competent “Mental health counselors employ only
This paper will explore the concept of dual relationships between counselors and clients and the ethical implications of such relationships. In addition to presenting several examples of dual relationships, this paper will also explore how ethical decisions must be made to avoid potentially harmful or exploitive relationships in therapy as well understanding how different interactions between counselor and clients can be understood from an ethical standpoint, as well as how reviewing these ethical dilemmas may shape my future career as a counselor.
While approaching this case of ethical code violations the idea that counselors “facilitate growth and development in ways that foster the interest and welfare of the clients and promote formation of healthy relationships” (Birrell & Bruns, 2016) repeatedly came to mind. Most of my rationale in the decision-making process of this case comes back to what is expected of LPC and how the disconnection of this was viewed in the accused LPC and his clients. Birrell and Bruns (2016) informed more of how autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, fidelity, and veracity contribute to the principles of counseling and the therapeutic process. Birrell and Bruns (2016) state that ethics is to be the core of work as therapists. Having this research
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...