Rehabilitation Counselor Ethics

1745 Words4 Pages

Michigan’s Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCC)
The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) covers confidentiality in section B with much detail. In B.1., the right for privacy, requires counselors to respect client’s rights by avoiding “illegal ad unwarranted disclosures of confidential information” and secure a waiver to these rights for privacy in writing for his or her records, if needed (Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, 2017). Exceptions for breaking confidentiality include the need to disclose to third parties information about contagious and fatal diseases that are communicable. However, this must only be done after confirmation of such a disease is present. When court-ordered …show more content…

Counselors must ensure breaches do not occur with fellow colleagues, clerical staff, volunteers, supervisors/supervisees, etc. It is also pertinent to maintain client’s privacy when working with translators, caregivers and others who aid in the client’s care. Therefore, any member of the team in pursuit of the rehabilitative state for the client must be respectful of the client’s rights and always done with the highest priority (Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, …show more content…

If information is revealed in sessions which indicate that the minor is being abused or neglected, then counselors must alert the appropriate authorities. However, all decisions to report to the appropriate authorities must not be based on suspicion alone. Just as the law requires the burden of proof to be met before legal action can ensue, the laws that govern the counseling profession also commands the presence of “empirical evidence” as described in AMHCA Standard I.D.2.a. (AMHCA, 2015). Additionally, counselors are obligated to break the confidentiality agreement with clients when the law or ‘foreseeable harm’ presents itself, compelling the counselor to reveal or disclose confessions, intentional actions or similar information from sessions, such as in the United States v. Glass (1998) case, as explained in ACA Code of Ethics Standard B.2.a. (Slobogin et al., 2014; ACA,

Open Document