Becoming Ethical Helping Professional

When evaluating practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, it is necessary that Competency 2: Ethical Practice and Competency 3: Critical Thinking are taken into consideration. Competency 2 requires that social workers are able to recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. Competency 3 requires social workers to demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations, and colleagues. By following these competency skills, a social worker is able to evaluate their experience with these different populations without being bias, and can display diversity within the profession of social work.

When I entered this class I did not know anything about ethics or what it meant. I learned so many thing that it would take to long to list them all. I do understand the Ethics Code and the Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. That is one think I will have to always have with me and if I need to have a cheat sheet to look back on as I move forward. My biggest challenge was my grammar as I need to continue to work on this through out my life. I learned this was a problem for me through my assignments but am working on it. I hope some day it will come natural for me. This class was my biggest challenge as in terms of a grade. Because of this I learned that I have things to work on to improve myself moving forward.

1. Describe and discuss ethical frameworks within which counselling and therapeutic practitioners work. Include justification for observing codes of conduct and how professionalism is maintained.

A career in Social Work requires conviction to personal values that reflect and uphold the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Professional ethics are the foundation of social work, as the trade has an innate obligation to endorse ethical principles and basic values to advocate for the wellness of others. The core values adopted by all social workers, as distinguished by NASW, are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. As a Clinical Social Worker, I will honor the NASW Code of Ethics in addition to my personal values of respect, self determination, responsibility, motivation, and wisdom. My personal values complement the NASW Code of Ethics and will resonate in my work as a social worker.

Due to the widespread of inequality, social injustice, and variations of erroneous acts, social workers are imperative figures in contemporary society. In the social work profession, it is essential that each worker understand and enforce the six core ethical principles: service, social injustice, dignity and worth of a person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. With the proper knowledge and sufficiency of each value, a social worker can effectively help to improve modern day society. In the story "The Seed," there were multiple instances in which the characters demonstrated both positive and inadequate ways to display each ethic.

While working with vulnerable groups of individuals in health and social care settings there are times when care workers are faced with a conflict of interests. Very often ethical dilemmas will not have the right answer and will depend upon a number of considerations. When the care worker is faced with a dilemma and will be expected to make a decision. Before making a decision, the care worker must consider their risks to the individual and any other people, the policies of the organisation and if they have all the facts of the case.

Professional boundaries, in human services, are essential to helping clients and upholding the standards of the profession. Human service professionals provide several different services and are often faced with ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas are a major reason professional boundaries are established as they protect both the helper and the individual seeking help. Boundaries are not just rules that we enforce with clients, they are essentially an understanding of how we interact with people, both, professionally and personally. Boundaries are crucial if you want to have an effective relationship with the individual you are helping. Professional boundaries set the structure of the relationship and provide a framework in which you will

A paper discussing the ethical issues from a video that discuss cases that are regarding barter, boundaries crossing and violation, touching, receiving and giving gifts, and termination of care. The ACA code of Ethics and Michigan States Rules and Regulation for Professional Counselors on the ethical issues of barter, boundaries crossing and violation, touching, receiving and give gifts, and termination of care are summarized. My feelings toward the cases that were discussed in the video regarding the ethical issues and topics of barter, boundaries crossing and violation, touching, receiving and give gifts, and

“In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost” –Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

Values are what dictate our choices and decisions, values are what determine the course of our life (e.g., relationships, career choice, interacting with people, etc.) Values are not universal; each individual simply adopts the values of his/her parents or whatever dominant in the society. As human we differ in how we experience pain, how we communicate, our attitudes, expectations, beliefs, behavior, actions, etc. My values either the personal or professional are congruent to the helping profession and the ACA code of ethics. The primary value that I feel is significant is the self-determination to promote social justice and be the advocate for change on behalf of the clients and the society as a whole. In parallel to self-determination; are

Ethical issues are bound to arise in the counseling profession. Professionals must use personal judgment as well as adhere to ethical standards such as APA, ACA, and NBCC (Dougherty, 2010). There are three ethical issues that are in constant topic in the counseling profession, which are consultant competence, informed consent, and malpractice. This paper will go into detail of the three ethical issues as well as how to address each issue in future practice.

When looking at the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice, there were some steps that Betty Vinson could have taken to avoid any of the punishments that were given to her. Before following any of the IMA’s recommended actions of recourse, Vinson should have referred to WorldCom’s recognized policies on ethical behavior and follow the actions that they have written and approved to take. If WorldCom’s executives still were demanding her to falsify the journal entries after following her company’s policy, then the IMA would state that she should have discussed the issue with your immediate supervisor or the next level of management if her supervisor was involved in the unethical activity. One important thing to note with this, however, is that “Contact with levels above the immediate superior should be initiated only with your superior’s knowledge, assuming he or she is not involved (Institute of Management Accountants, 2005).

Workers in the helping professions endure a massive amount of ethical and professional issues. These issues affect the practice of counseling and the relationship with the client. The book Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions by Corey, Corey, and Hallanan gives many themes that one will encounter throughout their career. The book also gives possible solutions to problems and stimulates different ways to think about issues. The authors of this book provide good knowledge and information for anyone in the helping professions.

In no more than 3,000 words you are required to complete an essay on ethical issues in the practice of counseling, by addressing the following question:

This essay aims to examine ethics, and the importance of using a code of ethics. It will discuss the counsellor’s personal values and professional values that should be used within the profession. There will be an exploration of the importance of contracting in the initial stage of counselling. At the end of this essay it is anticipated that the reader, will have a greater understanding of the importance of contracting with clients, confidentiality and its limitations, how to gather informed consent. It is anticipated that the reader will understand how vital it is for the counsellor to be aware of their own competence and limitations in order to keep the client safe and free from harm. Supervision and the importance of self care will be discussed and examined in order to stress the importance in maintaining a health effective therapeutic alliance.