Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The relationship between ethics and professionalism
The relationship between ethics and professionalism
The relationship between ethics and professionalism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The relationship between ethics and professionalism
My Personal Ethics, Values and Orientation to Counseling Working on personal ethics, values and orientation to counseling gives us a clearer understanding of what type of counselor we wish to become. Once these elements are linked one can focus on providing a practice statement on what clients will come to expect when seeking counsel. I will explore my own morals, beliefs and direction to counseling with an end goal to become a more effective counselor and summarize those qualities for my future clients. Through a better understanding of our own beliefs we see our theoretical orientation for counseling methods emerge.
Professional Ethics and Qualities
Exploration the ethical qualities of a professional counselor is fairly simple. One only
…show more content…
Only with the counselor’s respect for privacy of the client are you able to protect the confidential information. Client Welfare is of the utmost importance. “The Primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and promote the welfare of clients” (ACA, p. 4). The client’s health does not only fall on the counselor’s hands, but the client must also take some responsibility to their own clarity. “Counselors and their clients work jointly in devising counseling plans that offer reasonable promise of success and are consistent with the abilities, temperament, developmental level and circumstances of clients” (ACA p. 4). These professional ethics of a counselor speak to me as I continue on my journey of becoming a professional counselor.
My Personal Beliefs
The most important element of an effectual/helpful counselor is to know their own strong counseling qualities and be willing to develop those qualities into an effective skill for their clients. Currently, my best qualities are organization, empathy, positivity and encouragement. “Organization of paperwork, scheduling, and personal details will give your clients peace of mind and confidence in your work.” (Maynard, 2017) I am a detail-oriented person whose organizational skills are strong. I plan to strive for my future clients to be confident in my working ability and organizational
…show more content…
One of my favorite books is Everyday a Friday, by Joel Osteen. The stealing of joy is a simple mind over matter that you will not let others steal your joy with their bad moods. Happiness is inside us and we can choose to let others bring us up or bring us down. This concept of not letting others steal our joy is a statement I love to use with my family. When their bad mood tries to rob me of my joy I don’t let them and bring them up to the joy they so desire. When my girls were younger I was concerned about all the negative comments I would tell them, don’t do this versus that, so I devised a Happy Book. It is simply a diary I use to help my daughters know how happy they make me and give positive encouragement to them even when I miss the opportunity, I can always write it in their journal. For me encouragement goes hand in hand with positivity. First Thessalonians 5:14-16 states, “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (Bible,
A promise of confidentiality assures clients that information revealed during counseling will not be shared with others without permission. An individual has the right to choose the time, circumstances, and extent, to which he or she wishes to share or withhold information. Marriage and family therapist have different confidentiality aspects from other counseling areas. Marriage and family therapist mostly have more than one client in a therapeutic relationship, there are different limitations for each individual client. AAMFT Standard II (2015 2.2) states When providing couple, family or group treatment, the therapist does not disclose information outside the treatment context without a written authorization from each individual competent to execute a waiver. Conclusively, counselors may be counseling a couple, group, or family for treatment, each client has their own rights to privacy protection and confidentiality. All counselors must follow specific guidelines when in regards to disclosing information that has potential harm to the client or identified others. If court ordered or third party payers have requested information it is the counselors job to obtain written consent from the client to release information about that
Chapter 135-7-03 of the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia (2014) stipulates that confidentiality especially of client information must be observed at all times. The counselor should safeguard the client’s information to the extent stipulated by the law. The American Counseling Association (2005) incorporates confidentiality as part of their Code of Ethics. It requires counselors to keep the counselor-client relationship and information shared confidential. In the case of group counseling it stipulates that provisions must be stated that protect confidentiality. The counselor must clearly record and keep the client information confidential at all costs. According to the Texas certification Board of Addiction Professionals, the chemical dependency specialist has a duty to protect the privacy of clients and must not disclose information obtained fro...
For Example if confidentiality is the dilemma The NAADAC Code of Ethics states that” Every effort is made to protect the confidentiality of client information, and in very specific cases or situations to disclose information appropriately and according to federal law”(NAADAC, 2011, para. 5). In as much According to ACA Code of Ethics counselors are required to violate confidentiality only “to protect clients or identified others from serious and foreseeable harm or when legal requirements demand that confidential information must be revealed” (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2005). Therefore, since trust is one of the most important aspects of a counselor client relationship a counselor must be certain if confidentiality is the ethical dilemma being presented, there should be clear-cut reasons for the information to be disclosed. If a counselor is educated with the proper laws and the relevant Code of ethics pertinent to there field of study they can validate their decision to supervisor, clients, and even legal entity’s if
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
Ethics is important for both group and individual counseling, especially group counseling. Both are beneficial; however, group counseling allows a counselor to work with a small-to-medium size group of people who share similar struggles. Members have the ability to learn from one another. Ethics in group counseling is crucial because the counselor or group leader is not only responsible for one person’s personal struggles, but the struggles of multiple people within the group. Counselors and group leaders must emphasize confidentiality in group counseling sessions, unless what a person is sharing is a danger to themselves or others, or against the law. Group counseling has many positives; however, it is important
...g with veracity include not only the basic expectation that we are honest in our professional interactions, but also in the area of informed consent. Counselors must be honest with clients concerning all areas of treatment, including the responsibilities for reporting certain information to parents or the authorities. The client must be made aware that counselors are accountable to the client, but legally as well.
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...
Linde, L.E., Erford, B.T., & Cheung, A. (2010). Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling. In B.T. Erford (Ed.), Orientations to the Counseling Profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations (pp.55-92). New Jersey: Pearson.
Sometimes individuals consider becoming counselors after overcoming some major life challenge such as addiction or a history of bad relationships. Perhaps an individual has encountered a particularly effective counselor or therapist and has a desire to follow in those footsteps. Others may have had a bad experience with counseling and concluded that it can be done better. People do not think of this work so much as a job, or even as a career. More typically, a constellation of life experiences that demand explanation and a sense that others seek one out for assistance and emotional sustenance become driving forces leading one toward the counseling profession” (An invitation to). .
I know as I further my education in the counseling field my philosophy of counseling will change. For myself, I feel that I am still young and learning about myself and my surroundings. In my eyes to be suitable to help others I need to continue to grow as a person myself both professionally and mentally. I want to be able to move forward and develop new distinctions and aspects to my philosophy of counseling as time goes on. I hope to continue my growth in understanding of what it means to be a good therapist or counselor by using good theories and techniques to help future clients.
Values, Morals, and Beliefs are components that play a role in an individual’s self-identity. The establishment of these components shape human nature, behavior, and the development of an individual’s purpose. The basis of these fundamentals has contributed to my desire to become a counselor. This paper will discuss my views of human nature, factors of behavior changes, goals of therapy, the roles of a therapist, and the counseling approaches that I chose to incorporate in a practice.
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,
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
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...
It is very important to listen and pay attention because as a Counselor you do not want to miss out on any important information that can help determine the root of the problem. I also find that being a good listener is one of my strengths as well as being compassionate, open-minded, and sympathetic. I overcame many personal hardships in my life, and because of those hardships I am a stronger person, with a positive outlook on life that can help make a difference in someone. One of my personal characteristics that I feel that I need to improve on is that I become too emotionally involved because I care about those I will work with. I want to be able to do my job without my emotions getting in the way. The best way to do that is to learn strategies and techniques to help me improve. I am willing to learn and work hard to make sure I become a qualified professional for this