The Texas Administrative Codes of ethics that oversee the Licensed Professional Counselors
In regards to the scenario of the patient Cindy who had an affair while being married, one of the red flags that I noticed was AACC Code 1-143 counseling with family, friends and acquaintances. According to the scenario, Cindy, as well as her family, attend the same church as the counselor, but also know the counselor very well. This was a breach in ethics on the counselor’s part, because in the AACC code, it states in Code 1-143, “Christian counselors do not provide counseling to close family or friends.” (Clinton, Ohlschlager, and Hart; pg. 269). The counselor has already broken the ethics code by giving Cindy counseling advice, which is part of the AACC code 1-145 (pg.269).
The ACA provides professional ethical advice, discounted liability insurance, and the chance to market one's practice in accordance with the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2023). The ACA also offers advocacy training and continuing education credit, career consultations, and foundation grants for members who apply for support (ACA, 2023). It seems that obtaining membership with the ACA, allows the counselor to access essential resources and services that aid in both professional and personal development. Current Issues
(2017). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.amhca.org/ Remley, T., P., & Herlihy, B. P. (2016). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,
Profession Code of Ethics Comparison As a social work student, we are provided with the foundational education necessary to succeed in our profession. The National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics is the most significant publication because it “is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers” (NASW Code of Ethics, 2017). For this assignment, we are charged with exploring other professional codes of ethics to gain a better understanding of how they may be similar or differ from one another. Therefore, I choose to explore the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics with the intention of conducting a comparison analysis of both documents.
2. An academically and socially struggling 11-year-old female student, Irina, comes to speak with the school counselor, Mrs. Moon, about her increasing awareness of herself as lesbian. Irina’s parents are conservative Catholics and the culture of the school community is likewise politically conservative. She would like to meet in a group with other gay and lesbian students in the school. As a result of the school’s emphasis on the Common Core, group counseling has been eliminated this year.
Coming into the master’s level counseling program, I was bewildered by the complexities of the various professional associations and the separation of the code of ethics of varying associations and laws created for counselors. Likewise, I needed to familiarize myself with the discordance between the state regulatory laws and statutes in counseling. It is significant to be familiarized with ethical standards and understand the law's differentiation with an emphasis on personal morals and values. It is indispensable to gain knowledge of professional codes by considering Texas law and how the implementation could affect my future professional counseling career.
Therefore, it is necessary to clear any ambiguity. Important information is to be retained and used while irrelevant ones may be discarded. Counselor would have to look at the situation and exercise wisdom before embarking on the process of consultation and touching on the nature of the
Counselors must be aware of their ethical and legal obligations when providing counseling services, such as those related to crisis prevention and intervention. This knowledge can guide the counselor in making appropriate decisions to best assist the client. The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014) provides counselors with the core principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and fidelity to guide them in decisions making. Furthermore, the following ACA (2014) ethical codes are applicable to crisis counseling: A.1.a. Primary responsibility.
Counselors may allow their own personal experiences and histories to cloud the direction of their treatment due to personal conflicts in their lives. Counselors often ignore the feelings that their clients create in them. In order for me to deal with this type of situation ethically and effectively I would first have to accept the countertransference that is at hand, and seek personal therapy. Therapy will enable me to share my countertransference concerns, and become aware when they are taking place. It is important that I acknowledge these feelings and deal with them right away before it can effect therapy with the client, by seeking personal therapy or consolidation with a colleague or professional.
Another relating ethics of counseling service is letting the parents know the nature of counseling services that are being afford to their children. Because the parents have a right to understand what services are helping. Maintenance of standards is definitely related to ethical and legal delivery of counseling services. If things should get out of control it be in the best interest to resolve the issue by going to speak to a
As I learn more about counseling theories, I realize that it is important for a counselor to not act as an expert on a client’s life, rather, this role is solely
Research is vital in the field of counseling because it provides with proper data on the impact and effectiveness of counseling. Duffy and Chenail (2008) indicated, that quantitative research has helped counselor in the filed because it provides with values and dominated research can prove that treatment can be effective. Therefore, there has been studies prove
According to American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics, beneficence is working for the benefit of the others by developing mental health and welfare. The principle of beneficence need counsellors making a decision to the benefits and best interest of the clients based on professional evaluation. Simply stated, counsellor must proactive to do good to client and prevent harm when possible. To boost the quality of the services provided to client, regular and on-going supervision is needed. Systematic monitoring of practice is needed to make sure that the client’s best interests are achieved.
The counselor has an ethical responsibility to strive to reduce any harm caused to a client through a empathic
