Two very important aspects of a counseling career are ethics and diversity. To my understanding, ethics refers to a set of moral codes and policies created to protect a client’s rights and privacy and to promote an ethically competent counselor-client atmosphere. Understanding the diversity among societies and being able to respect and comprehend issues among them creates a positive therapeutic relationship. Diversity is a broad term referring to different groups and subgroups of individuals. The purpose of this paper is to explain each term in more detail and explain how they relate to clinical mental health counseling.
Ethics in the Workplace
Within a counseling career, following a strict set of moral codes and policies is essential. Counselors
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There are different types of principles that are categorized based on the company’s expectations as a whole, general individual expectations, and consequences of violating said expectations. It is crucial that a counselor understand basic law and the code of ethics because situations may arise in which an ethical decision must be made. According to Daniels (2001), there are several implications that counselors should be aware of within their work environment: informed consent, confidentiality, maintaining records, competence, integrity, human welfare, conflict of interest, conditions of employment, and ethical decision making. Of these implications, I believe ethical decision making is the most crucial role in counseling. As Daniels (2001) explained in his article, when an ethical problem arises, certain steps should be followed to examine and handle the situation. First, the counselor should acknowledge the problem and gain as much information relating to it as possible. Once the problem is recognized, the counselor should seek advice from colleagues or literature relating to ethics and legality. The final step is for the counselor to determine a course of action and weight the benefits and risks of each option. By following this model of decision making, counselors are protecting themselves from legal …show more content…
Clinical mental health counselors have the ability to use their resources to gain knowledge about diverse societies. Examples of gaining knowledge might be consulting with a colleague, researching articles, attending educational workshops, incorporating specialized training, or other ways to educate themselves. Another important aspect of an effective counselor is the ability to understand each client and be able to address issues that arise from cultural differences. As Newsome and Gladding (2014) explained in chapter 4, clients from a different background may seek counseling for many reasons. Some of those reasons may be for their own personal growth and understanding, coping mechanisms to effectively express themselves to family members or friends, or adjusting to life events or transitions. Many clients from a diverse society manifest feelings of rejection, loneliness, confusion, and depression. Counselors are able to use strategies and skills to encourage
When contemplating the subject of diversity in relation to ethics, several questions may arise for the first-year counseling student. These inquiries may be broad or rather specific. Primarily, one may wonder if the topic of diversity itself is such a significant subject that it is outlined in a code of ethics. Secondarily, if diversity is addressed, is it treated as a singular subject or broadly covered under an umbrella of principles? Consequently, every student should strive to understand how professionals best respond to the range of issues involving diversity. One may retort that while “everyday” people may dismiss the issue, diversity is indeed an important matter worthy of attention,
The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions provides the foundations and guidelines for ethical understanding and good practice in counselling work. This enables a counsellor to practice safely in private practice or within an agency. Different agencies may work with other frameworks, for instance the National Counselling Society (NCS), who support counselling and related therapies, and are closely linked with the NHS. (Nationalcounsellingsociety.org). The BACP framework can’t inform a counsellor of specific rights or wrongs, but outlines the values, principles and moral qualities that a counsellor should adhere to, which helps with guidance and ethical decision making and safeguarding client and counsellor. (BACP, 2015)
In the past, counselors have lacked the knowledge and skills to interpret ethical guidelines in multicultural counseling. The ethical guidelines dictate how a counselor should have the necessary tools when conducting a counseling session. There is a shortfall of training and education when dealing with race, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds in today’s society. Ethics is a hot topic for counselors, partially because there are so many different situations that can be affected by ethical behavior. These situations can range from betraying the clients trust to injustice. There tends to be a lot of ambiguity for how to handle a situation ethically since there are a lot of
Providing services to such a wide array of individuals is not only likely, but also ethically mandated (Armstrong, & Rounds, 2008). According to Hackett (1993) “…a lack of interest in clients’ vocational concerns can negatively affect the quality of intake evaluations and bias the assessment process” (p. 107). This underscores the necessity of unconditional positive regard and leaving one’s personal views “at home”. The multicultural ethical dilemmas that may arise often occur when a counselor’s values and beliefs misalign with the client’s and rather than collaborating with the client for what is best for them the counselor seeks to impose his or her views onto the
The philosophy that underlies the counseling profession is unique among mental health professionals. According to Remley & Herlihy (2014), the philosophy is made up of four components. First, counselor 's view mental health challenges through a positive, wellness-oriented lens. The primary goal of the wellness model is for the client to achieve the highest degree of mental health possible. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers follow the medical model of mental health. The goal of these clinicians is to cure the client’s illness, which differs drastically from counselor’s view of clients.
It goes without saying that at some point in a counselor career, he or she can expect to be faced with an ethical dilemma. Ethical decisions are rarely easy to arrive at, as the dilemmas a counselor is faced with can be very complex
Ridley (1995) suggested that the counsellor should adopt a bio-psychosocial model of assessment from which to understand the minority group client. This model emphasises the whole person and considers physical health, interpersonal and social competence, and psychological and emotional well-being. Ridley (1995) suggested that this model, if used appropriately is effective for avoiding unintentional bias when working with minority clients.
Barnett, J. E., & Johnson, W. B. (2014). Ethics desk reference for counselors. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
The importance of diversity in counselling has been the subject of much research over the last 50 years Patterson (1996) and is aimed at preventing inequalities among different population groups regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, age, physical abilities and religious beliefs/beliefs. (Patterson, 1996)
The American Counseling Association (ACA) developed the code of ethics with six principles in mind that they thought were the foundation for ethical behavior and decision making: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, fidelity and veracity (American Counseling Association, 2014). This lead to the six different purposes for the code of ethics. First, it sets ethical obligations and ethical guidance for professional counselors (American Counseling Association, 2014). Second, it recognizes ethical dilemmas that are relevant (American Counseling Association, 2014). Third, it clarifies what is ethically expected and accepted of its members (American Counseling Association, 2014). Fourth, it is an ethical guide for members deciding the best course of action and expectations for conduct, when it comes to those using their counseling services (American Counseling Association, 2014). Fifth, it supports the mission of the American Counseling Association (American Counseling Association, 2014). Finally, it has standards that serve as a baseline for questions and complaints for ACA members (American Counseling Association, 2014). To fulfill the purposes of the code of ethics, the ACA categorizes the ethics into nine different areas (American Counseling Association, 2014).
The beginning section of the book describes the challenges counselors face in dealing with clients. (1). Moving from Two Areas of Competence to Three (2). Blurred Personal-Professional Distinctions (3).Expanded Definitions of Training (4). Confronting Dominant Views of Mental Health (5). Establishing a Scientific Base (6). Defining Relevant Ethical Standards (McMinn, 2011). After mapping out the challenges facing interdisciplinary integration, McMinn first divides his renowned book into eight rewarding chapters including summary and reflection following each of them. He also uses vignettes in order to ask his readers”What if this Happens” scenarios (McMinn, 2011)
The importance of following both the ethical guidelines and legal standards for counselors is of the upmost importance. Both the ethical and legal considerations are put into place to not only protect the client but the counselor as well. Have a code of ethics or set ethical standards helps to validate and give credibility to the mental health profession (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). The ACA or American Counseling Association (2014) Code of Ethics A.4.a. states that counselors are to avoid harming their clients.
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
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.
I would serve all groups from an unbiased counseling perspective in order to serve the client well and to make the applicable recommendation as set down in the laws of counseling. For to be culturally competent means that as a counselor, I must have a very good working sense of how clients look at things. In other words, as the article so ably expressed, be understanding of clients’ worldviews. It is excellent to know the client and not push the “traditional counseling” which is basically “Eurocentric” onto the client. Rather, I should seek to understand the clients’ perspective. Hence “Cultural competence has a direct impact on the counselors work with diverse populations.” It is, therefore, critical for me as a culturally competent counselor to be sensitive and always aware of clients’ perspectives because it is the right thing to do morally, as well as legally. The Code of Ethics states “that counselors treat clients with respect and speak to the client with a tone and a langue which is understood by clients.” Which is the type of counselor professional which this article suggests for me to become. Along the same venue, the article speaks to allowing for knowledge of the culturally diverse client’s community and language which is important since “language is culture.” Knowing this, becomes critical for me to immerse myself within the culturally diverse community in order to learn about the norms, mores, and values of