Ethical Issues in Counseling Practice Flashcards
Chapter 2
involves a level of ethical functioning at the minimum level of professional practice
Mandatory ethics
focuses on doing what is in the best interests of clients. involves the highest standards of thinking and conduct. requires counselors to do more than simply meet the letter of the ethics code.
aspirational ethics
is an approach taken by practitioners who want to do their
best for clients rather than simply meet minimum standards to stay out of trouble
Positive ethics
Our professional relationships with our clients exist for their benefit. A useful question to frequently ask yourself is this: “Whose needs are being met in this relationship, my client’s or my own?” It is not unethical for us to meet our personal needs through our professional work, but it is essential that these needs be kept in perspective. An ethical problem exists when we meet our needs, in either obvious or subtle ways, at the expense of our clients’ needs. It is crucial that we avoid exploiting or harming clients.
Putting Clients’ Needs Before Your Own
We must also examine other, less obviously harmful personal needs that can get in the way of creating growth-producing relationships, such as the:
need for control and power; the inordinate need to be nurturing; the need to change others in the direction of our own values; the need for feeling adequate, need to be respected and appreciated.
Professionals are expected to exercise prudent judgment when it comes to interpreting and applying ethical principles to specific situations. You should also be aware of the consequences of practicing in ways that are not sanctioned by organizations of which you are a member or the state in which
you are licensed to practice.
Ethical Decision Making
Provide a basis for accountability, and protect clients from unethical practices.
Perhaps most important, ethics codes provide a basis for reflecting on and improving your professional practice. No code of ethics can delineate what would be the appropriate or best course of action in each problematic situation a professional will face.
The Role of Ethics Codes as a Catalyst for Improving Practice
is a better route for professionals to
take than being policed by an outside agency
Self-monitoring
are best used as guidelines to formulate sound reasoning and serve practitioners in making the best judgments possible.
ethics codes
Some Steps in Making Ethical Decisions
- Identify the problem or dilemma.
- Identify the potential issues.
- Look at the relevant ethics codes for general guidance on the matter.
- Consider the applicable laws and regulations, and determine how they may have a bearing on an ethical dilemma.
- Seek consultation from more than one source to obtain various perspectives on the dilemma, and document in the client’s record the suggestions you received from this consultation.
- Brainstorm various possible courses of action.
- Enumerate the consequences of various decisions, and reflect on the implications of each course of action for your client.
- Decide on what appears to be the best possible course of action.
involves the right of clients to be informed about their therapy and to make autonomous decisions pertaining to it.
informed consent
Some aspects of the informed consent process include the general goals of counseling, the responsibilities of the counselor toward the client, the responsibilities of clients, limitations of and exceptions to confidentiality, legal and ethical parameters that could define the relationship, the qualifications and background of the practitioner, the fees involved, the services the client can expect, and the approximate length of the therapeutic process. Further areas might include the benefits of counseling, the risks involved, and the possibility that the client’s case will be discussed with the therapist’s colleagues or supervisors.
The Right of Informed Consent
is an ethical concept, and in most states it is the legal duty of therapists not to disclose information about a client.
confidentiality
is a legal concept that protects clients from having their confidential communications
revealed in court without their permission.
Privileged communication
T OR F? legal concept of privileged communication does not apply to group counseling, couples counseling, family therapy, child and adolescent therapy, or whenever there are more than two people in the room.
True
There are times when
confidential information must be divulged, and there are many instances in which
keeping or breaking confidentiality becomes a cloudy issue.
Exceptions to Confidentiality and Privileged Communication
some other circumstances in which information must legally be reported by counselors:
- When the therapist believes a client under the age of 16 is the victim of incest, rape, child abuse, or some other crime
- When the therapist determines that the client needs hospitalization
- When information is made an issue in a court action
- When clients request that their records be released to them or to a third party.
T OR F? In general, the counselor’s primary obligation is to protect client disclosures as a vital part of the therapeutic relationship. Informing clients about the limits of confidentiality does not necessarily inhibit successful counseling.
TRUE
some approaches place heavy emphasis on the role of assessment as a prelude to the treatment process; other approaches find assessment less useful in this regard.
Ethical Issues in the Assessment Process
Assessment and diagnosis are integrally related to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy, and both are often viewed as essential for planning treatment.
The Role of Assessment and Diagnosis in Counseling
evaluating the relevant factors in a client’s life to identify themes for further exploration in the counseling process.
assessment
which is sometimes part of the assessment process, consists of identifying a specific mental
disorder based on a pattern of symptoms.
Diagnosis
Certain behaviors and personality styles may be labeled neurotic or deviant simply because they are not characteristic of the dominant culture. Counselors who work with diverse client populations may erroneously conclude that a client is repressed, inhibited, passive, and unmotivated, all of which are seen as undesirable by Western standards.
Considering Ethnic and Cultural Factors in Assessment and Diagnosis
Many practitioners who use the cognitive behavioral approaches and the medical model place heavy emphasis on the role of assessment as a prelude to the treatment process. The rationale is that specific therapy goals cannot be designed until a clear picture emerges of the client’s past
and present functioning. Counselors who base their practice on the relationship-oriented approaches tend to view the process of assessment and diagnosis as external to the immediacy of the client-counselor relationship, impeding their understanding of the subjective world of the client.
Assessment and Diagnosis From Various Theoretical Perspectives
Most practitioners and many writers in the field consider assessment and diagnosis to be a continuing process that focuses on understanding the client.
A Commentary on Assessment and Diagnosis
is a legal concept that generally bars the disclosure of confidential communications in a legal proceeding
Privileged Communication
TRUE OR FALSE? In general, the counselor’s primary obligation is to protect client disclosures as a vital part of the therapeutic relationship. Informing clients about the limits of confidentiality does not necessarily inhibit successful counseling
TRUE
Assessment and diagnosis are integrally related to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy, and both are often viewed as essential for planning treatment.
The Role of Assessment and Diagnosis in Counseling
consists of evaluating the relevant factors in a client’s life to identify themes for further exploration in the counseling process.
Assessment
which is sometimes part of the assessment process, consists of identifying a specific mental disorder based on a pattern of symptoms.
Diagnosis
: “the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)
Norcross, Hogan, and Koocher (2008) advocate for inclusive evidence-based practices that incorporate the three pillars of EBP:
(1) looking for the best available research, (2) relying on clinical expertise, and (3) taking into consideration the client’s characteristics, culture, and preferences.
either sexual or nonsexual, occur when counselors assume two (or more) roles simultaneously or sequentially with a client.
Dual or Multiple Relationships
T OR F? The ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2005) stresses that counseling professionals must learn how to manage multiple roles and responsibilities in an ethical way.
TRUE
ACA stands for?
American Counseling Association
What makes multiple relationships so problematic?
Pervasive
Difficult to recognize
Unavoidable at times
Potentially harmful, but not necessarily always harmful
Beneficial
Subject of conflicting advice from various experts
Ways of Minimizing Risk
Set healthy boundaries early in the therapeutic relationship.
Involve clients in ongoing discussions and in the decision-making process, and document your discussions.
Consult with fellow professionals as a way to maintain objectivity and identify unanticipated difficulties.
When multiple relationships are potentially problematic, or when the risk for harm is high, it is always wise to work under supervision.
Self-monitoring is critical throughout the process.
is a departure from a commonly accepted practice that could potentially benefi t a client.
Boundary Crossing
is a serious breach that harms the client and is therefore unethical
Boundary Violation
As you become involved in counseling, you will find that interpreting the ethical guidelines of your professional organization and applying them to particular situations demand the utmost ethical sensitivity.
BECOMING AN ETHICAL COUNSELOR
