An ethical dilemma exists when an individual is deciding between two right choices. No dilemma exists if one choice is wrong. What framework guides these decisions? Is the moral value common to all those involved in the decision making process? The commonly accepted virtues of Plato, Socrates, St. Augustine and many other philosophers are honesty, responsibility, respect, fairness and compassion. The expression of these virtues in beliefs guides one’s behavior. In the counseling profession, values plus behavior communicates what one believes concerning what is important. How then does a counselor manage conflicting values in the counseling relationship? Changing Landscape Early in 1980, reports surfaced in the mainstream media …show more content…
Another recent survey reported, “41% of the respondents reported at least one suicide attempt, 53% reported being harassed in a public accommodation, and 27% earned less than $20,000 per year, often related to employment discrimination” as members of the Transgender, Gender Nonconforming (TGNC) community (Singh, 2016, p. 755). The ACA Code of Ethics preamble directs counselors to honor diversity and “embrace a multicultural approach in support of the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of people within their social and cultural contexts” (American Counseling Association, 2014, p. 3). Nonmaleficence is not a reason to abandon our ethical responsibility. Counselors must take on the professional responsibility of beneficence by continuing education. As the Lord calls us to love our neighbors, He does not delineate those who are and are not valuable in this equation. Therefore, as professional our obligation is to find ways of continually balancing our professional and personal values. Counselor’s Problematic Dilemma Eastern Michigan University professor, Irene Ametrano states, “students enter graduate programs with preexisting ideas of right and wrong professional behavior, based in large part on their own backgrounds” (2014, p. 154). Learning to integrate the profession’s ethics into one’s own personal values and beliefs requires a “process of being socialized
Great post! I like how you applied participants from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In section A of the ACA code of ethics (2014), it focuses on the counseling relationship, that they encourage to actively attempt to understand the diverse culture backgrounds of the clients they serve.
Our counseling history and Ethical Code we practice by demand that counselors take personal responsibility to ensure equality for all. Sweeney (2001) calls for counselors to model concern and
6. Ethics - This counselor will uphold a high ethical standard. Not allowing anyone or anything to come between the righteousness of God that she stands on. She will be the example for others to follow. (Inspiration: 1 Timothy 3:1-7; pp. 39-40)
I feel it is a person’s choice and it is different than suicide. It has to be well thought out and talked about with a team of people involved including physicians, psychologists, and family. I also think it is based more on
“Standard 2.01(a) requires psychologists to “provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience” (Shiles, 2009). Counselors should remain inside their span of training, be mindful of the restrictions of his/her licensed expertise, be present at essential education programs and maintain their learning, use his/her own common sense, and be able to identify when referrals should be made. It should be the disposition of counselors to always value the mixture of their clientele, novices, and study partakers. The ACA Code of Ethics (2005) section A.4.b. Personal Values states, “Counselors are aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling goals” (Kaplan, 2014).
Cultural competence and ethical responsibility of counselors is an issue that holds increasing importance. To be both multicultural and ethical is increasingly challenging. The population of the United States is changing quickly from a predominately white Caucasian society to an ethnically diverse society`. The Hispanic population, which represented only 9% of the population in 1990, is projected to increase to about 25% of the population by 2050. The number of African Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Eskimos/Aleuts will continue to increase as well (Aponte & Wohl, 2000). It has been predicted that Whites, who made up three fourths of the U.S. population in 1990, will no longer be in the majority by the
It is ethical for counselors to address these influences they may face to better serve their clients and can face their own preconceptions that may surface from these forms of oppression. When learning about multiculturalism and social justice in counselor education, whiteness is taking off because in order to be able to address classism and who suffers from it, we must also take into account who benefits from it, and it usually is at the cost of people of
Pedersen, P. B. (1997). The cultural context of the American counseling association code of ethics. Journal of Counseling & Development, 76, 23-28.
The similarities between the ACA and the AMHCA code of ethics, they both providing training, guidance, and direction in making ethic decisions for their members (ACA, 2005) (AMHCA, 2010). The ACA and AMHCA codes of ethics cover a wide range of ethical and professional situations common to the practicing professional. An example of not having the correct training in multicultural counseling is in the case study of “Allison: The Case of the Well-Meaning Feminist”. Allison, a 28 year old student was counseling Carmen, 19- years old Latina, did not understand the Latina cultural. If Allison would of have training on the Latina cultural, she would have understood the importance that
When encountering an ethical dilemma, it is important for the counselor to be aware of ethical considerations. Making good ethical decisions is dependent on being familiar with models of ethnical decision-making, knowledge of ethical situations, and one’s own code of ethics. If a counselor is not knowledgeable of his or her ethical standards, they are more likely to break a code without even knowing it. According to Neukrug and Milliken (2011) say that few professionals are actually accused of unethical conduct during their careers, but those who can be traumatized as well as their clients from the repercussion’s of the counselors mistake (p. 206). Thankfully, there are many organizations that have established a code of ethics for their employees to abide by while in that organization.
Different organizations are driven by specific sets of code of ethics, which are used to protect many different aspect of the organizations, specifically the client, counselor, and organization. Concerning the standards of a counselor, their ethics are not only provided by the laws of the state or their practice, but also outside sources who present basic values and regulations of ethical standards in their code of ethics. This paper will look at two specific associations: the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Association
Make arrangements to send patients who need more complex care to the nearest available medical centers or hospitals.
Counselors, just like all people, have their own beliefs and values. It is impossible for counselors to completely ignore the opinions and ideas that make them who they are. However in order to provide the best service to a client, counselors need to keep their values to themselves.
Every individual may have different perspectives on whether or not a decision is right or wrong. When it comes to ethical dilemma, there really are no correct answers but there are proper steps to take to reduce unethical behaviors. The ethical dilemmas that are presented in this case are: Hiding or Divulging Information, Balancing Ethical Dilemmas, Unfair Advantage, Violating Rules, Perpetrating Interpersonal Abuse, Condoning Unethical Actions.
The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014) requires counselors to respect and promote client autonomy, and withhold imposing their personal values onto client. This is particularly difficult when counselors hold deep beliefs that are fundamentally opposed to client’s goals. The ACA code of ethics (2014) states that the primary goal of counseling is “…to respect the dignity and promote the welfare of clients” (1.A.1). Self-awareness and evaluation is critical to best care practice, as counselors may not be consciously aware of the values they hold or place upon their clients (American Counseling Association, 2014). This is also helpful for counselors in training who are Christians, and it was