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3.05 ACA code of ethics
3.05 ACA code of ethics
Christian counseling ethics
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Abstract
Christian counseling and treatment that may focus on sexuality can be challenging for not only the client but the counselor. As a counselor, the American Counseling Association (ACA) outlines that it is considered unethical to refuse treatment to a client who is different than you and may not share the same views as yours and that refusing treatment can be considered discrimination. Counselors are encouraged to embrace diversity in all aspects and express empathy as well as endorse social justice. But, what if you are a practicing Christian counselor? Should your religion influence your willingness to work with clients that have beliefs that differ from yours? What should you do if treatment is based around the most controversial topic when it comes to Christianity; sexuality? These are just some concerns that a Christian counselor is faced with when sexuality is involved in treatment. Chapter 10 of “Christian Counseling Ethics; A Handbook for Psychologists, Therapists and Pastors” written by Randolph K. Sanders (2013) talks about providing treatment to clients who struggle with sexuality.
Summary
For each chapter in the Sanders text, he assigns clinicians and academicians to address each issue, for chapter ten clinicians and academicians Mark A. Yarhouse, Jill L. Kays and Stanton L. Jones address the
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Multiculturalism is understanding and appreciating clients’ unique differences and using them to help assist in conceptualization and treatment. Differences like; age, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, language, culture, national origin, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class. (Sanders, 2013, p. 259) This movement is an effort to assist in helping counselors develop an open mind and appreciation the value of their
The start of this article focuses on a Christian client named George who is plagued with feelings of worthlessness, depression, low self-esteem, and suicide. His mother had also battled depression, and his father had an abusive relationship with alcohol, which caused his father to have verbally and physically abusive altercations with George and his mother. The abusive experiences that George was exposed to as a child paved the way for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as an adult (Garzon, 2005). With all of these factors present in this client’s life, a treatment plan was created that involved scripture interventions. The author made sure to touch on the fact that every client is unique in the hopes that counselors would be aware that one type of scripture intervention might work for one client and not work for another. The article highlights three guiding values when considering these types of interventions; “respect for the client’s autonomy/freedom, sensitivity to and empathy for the client’s religious and spiritual beliefs, and flexibility and responsiveness to the client’s religious and spiritual beliefs.”(Garzon, 2005). ...
Acculturation, worldview and perceived discrimination as cultural variables influence career behaviors of racial/ethnic minorities. Multicultural education and diversity appreciation training are thought to decrease counselor prejudice. Theme four looks at multicultural issues that require counselors to incorporate cultural data into their thinking and actions. Multicultural competence incorporates learning how to include cultural data into decision making process of complicated problems and interventions posed by culturally different clients. Theme five posits that people have multiple identities that affect the ways they experience and view the world. Multiple identities are used to refer to variables such as sex, age, socioeconomic status, nationality and ethnicity which impact an individual’s behavior, perception and
In 2005, the American Counseling Association (ACA) published a document titled the ACA Code of Ethics which was designed to aid counselors in the ethical decision making process and, in response, “expand the capacity of people to grow and develop” (p. 3). The ACA Code of Ethics provides regulatory guidelines for all counselors to follow in ethical decision-making and practice. Of a more specific nature, the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) has also published a document stating the ethical practices and procedures for the Christian counseling field. The two documents contain many similarities, but, due to differing goals and principals, also containing may differences. This paper compares these two documents and more specifically focuses on the similarities and differences in the areas of confidentiality, fees, and records.
Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling written by Mark McMinn and published by Tyndale House in 2011 notions towards the idealization that Christian counselors need to be privy in the most recent psychological methods as well as theological theories. “This is a book about counseling processes techniques” (McMinn, 2011, p. 150). McMinn also alluded that Christian counselors benefit from having a spiritual maturity. With having these attributes counselors are better prepared to take note of prayer, Scripture, sin, confession, forgiveness, and redemption. McMinn (2011) model flows in the direction of healing while equating to a more advantageous relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ as well as with other relationships (McMinn, 2011).
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
Confidentiality. Confidentiality is just as important in Christian counseling as it is in secular counseling. According to the American Association of Christian Counselors (2014), “confidentiality recognizes that every client has a fundamental, moral and legal right to privacy and to have a wide range of personal thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and behaviors that are protected from public knowledge” (p. 22). It is crucial for counselors to maintain client confidentiality unless what a client discloses brings harm to themselves or other people. Confidentiality should be kept at all
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...
The diversity among clients and the counselor is an issue that has recently come to the forefront. The counselor must be very cautious and sensitive to the cultural values of their clients, gender and gender preference, age, language preference, ethnicity, and spirituality and religious beliefs.
When an individual or family takes the initiative to reach out to a counselor, they do so expecting that the counselor will have the necessary skills and ability to help them find a resolution to the issue at hand. In order to be a competent clinician, the clinician needs to have a thorough understanding of all theories in order to know the best approach to take with the unique individual or family which is sitting in front of them. Each client exhibits diverse characteristics which when put together leaves the clinician with a unique case each session. When discussing diversity, most people often think about gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, religion, and age. However, diversity goes much deeper than what can be observed.
According to delval.edu “multicultural counseling is defined as what occurs when the professional counselor works with a client from a different cultural group and how that might affect interactions that take place within the counseling relationship. This definition is expanded to include dissimilarities in religion and spirituality, sexual orientation, gender, age and maturity, socioeconomic class, family history, and even geographic location. The first step in effective multicultural counseling is to identify and acknowledge these differences between the counselor and client”
3. Pedersen B. (1994) A Handbook for Developing of Multicultural Awareness, American Counselling Association: USA
Biblical Counseling is making a strong impact in today's churches and community. Counseling is seen as one of the most productive ways of helping a
In order to effect social justice changes within counseling, counselors will have to re conceptualize the traditional perception of counseling. Conversely, acquiring multicultural competence is necessary to addressing social justice and ethical issues encountered within the counseling process as according to the ACA code of ethics, “counselors have an ethical obligation to be multiculturally competent” (Lee, 2007, p. 182). Multicultural competence requires counselors to be aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors and how they might impact the way they relate to their clients. Also, counselors will need to acquire knowledge and understanding of the worldviews of the diverse clients they serve. “Culturally competent counselors acting from a virtue ethics perspective recognize that the counseling relationship is situated in a shared community that includes clients, their social support systems, and a variety of resources that might be enlisted in removing systematic barriers to client growth” (Lee, 2007, p.
The diverse population that counselors serve daily requires knowledge in many areas. Hays & Erford (2014) state that developing multicultural competence is essential as the number of culturally diverse clients continue to rise. Furthermore, counselor who is culturally competent implies the counselor is aware of their biases, understands the values of the diverse client, and provides interventions that are appropriate for the specific culture (Hays & Erford, 2014). A counselor must be cognizant of the differences between themselves and the client, and can equally respect the differences. In the same way, a counselor should be open to learning about a different culture, sexual orientation, or a disability if it is not familiar to them.
Multiculturalism in counseling is a huge factor that can impact their techniques, therapies, interventions etc. There are three dimensions in order for a counselor to avoid multicultural biases. These include, self awareness, understanding/knowledge and skill in using and developing counseling therapies and interventions that are appropriate. In order for a counselor to avoid any multicultural biases, a counselor has to first be aware of his or her own cultural values and biases. The counselors attitudes and beliefs are important for their own cultural self-awareness and how they feel about their own cultural background.