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Counseling: Ethical Issues Essay

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Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be …show more content…

Why is this important in counseling? The informed consent process involves establishing the basic framework between a therapist and their client that serves as an ethical and legal requirement as well as the formation of a basic working partnership between a therapist and their client. The informed consent is essentially an informational exchange between a therapist and a client that outlines the process of therapy. It also allows the client to be informed of their rights in order to make conscientious and thoughtful decisions related to their therapy. An interesting fact about informed consent is that is it can be provided in written and oral form, or a combination of the two (Corey, 2013). If done orally, the counselor must document what was addressed in the informed consent. The information that must be presented to clients, first and foremost, are their rights and responsibilities as a client working with a particular therapist. Beyond this, an informed consent should outline the goals of the counseling relationship, the responsibilities of the client as well as the therapist, expectations of the client, limitations of the counseling relationships, fees involved, approximately how long the therapy process will take, and background information regarding the therapist, particularly their past experience and educational qualifications (Corey, 2013). Corey also mentions the informed consent process is an ongoing educational experience that lasts the

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