Ethics In Counselling

Although someone who uses counselling skills will utilise the same key concepts and principles, such as empathy and unconditional positive regard, they are less likely to belong to, and be bound by, a professional body such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

I understand counselling to be a helping practice that differs from other helping activities, such as teaching for example. Counselling requires professional training and is specifically contracted or explicitly agreed. It has a theoretical base and uses specific methods within an ethical framework. The relationship between the counsellor and the client is built upon mutual expectation and is central to the process of the client under-going significant change in their lives.

To have good ethical practice within counselling it is important that there are boundaries and contracts in place that are agreed to and understood by both the counsellor and the client.

Professional associations establish codes of ethics to ensure that clinicians uphold the standards of their association in order to protect the clients they serve and the profession they are affiliated with. This paper will compare the codes of ethics of the American Counseling Association (ACA), American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

To have good ethical practice within counselling it is important that there are boundaries and contracts in place that are agreed to and understood by both the counsellor and the client.

I intend to show an understanding of the ethical framework for good practice in counselling, relating it to practice and also my own beliefs and opinions, how this influences the counselling relationship, I will also show the need for protection of self and client.

When considering the different contexts in which counselling takes place, diversity appears to be the most distinguishing factor that is linked to client satisfaction Hankins (2007) and is aimed at providing a more ‘universal system of counselling’. (Patterson, 1996,

The British Association for Counselling’s Code of Ethics and Practice for Counsellors states that ‘Counselling may be concerned with developmental issues, addressing and resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insight and knowledge, working through feelings of inner conflict or improving relationships with others’ (BACP Ethical Framework).

(2001). Codes of ethics as signals for ethical behavior Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/eds/ Gorbman, M. G., (2007). An analysis of codes of ethics of nonprofit, tax-exempt membership associations: Does principal constituency make a difference? Vol. 9 Issue 3, p245-263.

The term counselling facilitates personal and interpersonal functioning across the lifespan with the main focus on emotional, vocational, social, educational, health related and developmental concerns this encompasses a broad range of practices that help people to improve their well being, alleviate stress and maladjustment, reslove crisis and increases their ability to live more fully functioning lives. Counselling is unique in its attention to both normal developmental issues as well as the problems associated with physical, emotional and mental disorders. The BACP states that “counselling takes place when a counsellor see a client in a private and confidential

Several professions have developed codes of ethics that define the behavior expected of their cohorts. The code of

This essay is to illustrate my understanding of the skills of counselling. Evaluate and analyse the value of counselling skill used throughout the recording of the DVD. Furthermore, I will talk about my improvement that I have accomplished during completing this module and lastly I will demonstrate exactly how I can incorporate theories and approaches to support different skills used in the recording of the DVD.

In this assignment I have written about five different types of counselling. In each one,

These are excellent example for not mandating counseling as a prerequisite for certification. Another point is that there is not enough empirical data to support the client’s benefit from counselors in-training participating in therapy. Great Britain requires to counselors in-training to participate in therapy as part of their certification process. Self-reporting studies confirms the fact that these counselors in-training see a personal benefit. However, we must begin to look past the perceived personal benefits from the counselors and begin taking a scientific approach to capture how this practice benefits the client because there is not enough studies that indicate that this training transcends to the client. Chaturvedi cites Macaskill

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.