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role of ethics in counseling
role of ethics in counseling
role of ethics in counseling
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Summary and Identification of Ethical Problem Sandra, a new client, came to me seeking counseling for “personal growth” and attaining inner peace. She elaborated on what she hoped to get out of therapy. Then she inquired if I was a Christian counselor, because she was a born again Christian and Christ was an important aspect of her everyday life. The ethical dilemmas presented are counseling relationships and professional responsibility. Although I am a spiritual person, I am not religious, and Sandra is seeking a Christian counselor. If I chose to counsel Sandra, I would no longer be practicing in my area of competence. Ethical Principles Involved in the Case Out of the five ethical principles, I have found four to be involved in Sandra’s case. If I were to take Sandra as a client, I would be going against the ethical principle nonmalificence. Without much knowledge about Christianity, I might unintentionally say or do something that is offensive to Sandra. This is why it is important for counselors stay within their field of competence. Beneficence is the second principle that is involved. The only way for me to do good for Sandra is to refer her to a Christian counselor so she can receive care from a competent provider. Taking Sandra as a client would not do her justice because I would be making an exception to the rule of treating everyone fairly. I would not accept a client looking for acceptance commitment therapy without proper training, so it would be wrong to accept a client looking for a Christian counselor without being a Christian. The last ethical principle involved in this case study was fidelity, which would be lost if I chose to counsel Sandra. I believe it would be difficult to form a trusting relati... ... middle of paper ... ... she is happy I told her the truth about not being a Christian counselor and that she accepts that I cannot continue to see her. Despite the immediate consequences, this course of action allows for long-term benefits for both Sandra and me. Sandra will have referrals to a Christian counselor to help her work on personal growth and inner peace in ways that I could not and she would be working with someone who holds values closer to hers. I will have the peace of knowing that I have stuck with my ethical principles, which are in place to benefit the client. In addition, I will feel confident that I did the right thing by referring Sandra to a counselor with more knowledge of her religious background. Ultimately, Sandra will have resources to receive the treatment she wants from the type of provider she wants and I will have maintained my sense of professionalism.
A difficulty that has occurred commonly is that a definition of spirituality cannot be agreed on. In a broad explanation of both religion as well as spirituality, religion constitutes the organization of faith, implementing prayer, ministry and theology. Spirituality could be viewed as a more individualized experience with a higher being, creator or idea (Walker et al., 2004, p. 70). These expressions allow a vision of client diversity that is found in all counseling classifications. While defining religion and spirituality properly seems trivial, when training counselors to properly apply the use of such variables in their therapies, a concrete explanation is imperative.
As mentioned, psychotherapy is not thought to be value-free or value-neutral any more, and therapists are required to be aware of their own values and to hold them back while treating clients. Nevertheless, according to Patterson (1998), some psychologists claim the legitimacy of imparting certain values. Understandably, it is more so among psychologists with religious orientation as in pastoral counseling. However, Patterson (1986) also listed psychologists who instruct certain values without religious affiliat...
In the mental health profession of counseling, therapy, psychology, psychiatric and social services ethical dilemmas are faced primarily on a daily basis. Being that mental health professionals are working with clients who are often fragile and vulnerable, they must develop an intense awareness of ethical issues. On the other hand, mental health professionals would never intentionally harm their clients, students or colleagues and others whom they work with. Unfortunately, good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong doings will not occur and mental health professionals have no choice but to make ethically determined decisions. Depending upon the experience and expertise of the professional determines the outcome of the ethical circumstance. For example, if you were practicing mental health professional and had a friend who’s a licensed psychologist, who is invited to attend the wedding of a patient that she has been seeing in court-ordered therapy for a year; what advice would you give your friend?
So your opinions on the topic may or may not help out the situation and also in some unfortunate cases can send the client into a ‘downward spiral’. By expressing your ethical issues on the topic to your client you may trigger unwanted emotions. These unwanted emotions can drive the client to hurt themselves or even make the client take legal actions towards the counselor. Ways to prevent this from happening is learning your own self-control and what your limits are when its comes to dealing the client. “You want to consider the best action that will protect your client’s needs, but you also want to ask yourself: What is the best action to protect the profession and myself? (Berton, J. D. (2014). Make the Rule to Break the Rule: Setting Your Ethical Standards. Counselor: The Magazine For Addiction Professionals, 15(5), 10-12
Ethics in the counselling and psychotherapy protects the client and the therapist involved in the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process as a whole; with the concepts that act as a guide for the therapists in provision of good practice and care for the client. The framework is built on values of counselling and psychotherapy; principles of trustworthiness, autonomy, fidelity, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence and self-respect, and provides standards of good practice and care for the practitioner (BACP, 2010). Ethical framework contributes to the development of the therapeutic relationship and process by assisting therapist’s decisions, and guides their behaviour and proceedings within their legal rights and duties. The ethical frame is structured on the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship and the therapists should be aware of their categories and be responsible for their forms. Monitoring and being aware of what goes on in and out of the room physically, emotionally and psychologically is primarily the duty of the therapist.
This model identifies five moral principles which are: justice, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and fidelity. These fundamental guidelines are used to clarify issues that involve any given situation. Ethical guidelines may not address all situations, but will allow a counselor to explore ethical dilemmas and conflicting issues. Counselors are responsible to encourage clients to make their own appropriate decisions and to act on their own values. Two important things to consider when counseling client are: autonomous encouragement helps clients understand how their decisions and values that may or may not receive within the context of the society; they live in or may impinge on the rights of others (Kitchener,
Throughout reading Caring for People God Way, Chapter 1, I began to ponder the question why do people chose to come to Christin counseling? If a person thinks about it, just because a person wants to attend Christian counseling does not mean, they are Christian person or they believe in Christ. A person may have to console and induvial who has problem does not go to church. According to Clinton, Hart and Ohlschlager (2005), “they believe that Christ is facilitated by a helper who assist this redemption process, helping another get unstuck and moving forward on the path too spiritual maturity and psycho-social-emotional health” (p.16). Christian counseling allows the person to confront their internal conflict. People attend Christian counseling because they feel
Confidentiality. Confidentiality is just as important in Christian counseling as it is in secular counseling. According to the American Association of Christian Counselors (2014), “confidentiality recognizes that every client has a fundamental, moral and legal right to privacy and to have a wide range of personal thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and behaviors that are protected from public knowledge” (p. 22). It is crucial for counselors to maintain client confidentiality unless what a client discloses brings harm to themselves or other people. Confidentiality should be kept at all
In 2005, the American Counseling Association (ACA) published a document titled the ACA Code of Ethics which was designed to aid counselors in the ethical decision making process and, in response, “expand the capacity of people to grow and develop” (p. 3). The ACA Code of Ethics provides regulatory guidelines for all counselors to follow in ethical decision-making and practice. Of a more specific nature, the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) has also published a document stating the ethical practices and procedures for the Christian counseling field. The two documents contain many similarities, but, due to differing goals and principals, also containing may differences. This paper compares these two documents and more specifically focuses on the similarities and differences in the areas of confidentiality, fees, and records.
The ethical discernment model described by Slosar (2004) and developed for use at Ascension Health will assist us as we analyze this case. It reminds us that discernment engages our spirituality, intellect, imagination, intuition, and beliefs. It is decision-making that reaches into the heart of our beliefs about God, creation, others, and ourselves. It therefore requires structured time for reflection and prayer from the beginning and throughout the process.
Each situation discussed in this paper provides opportunities for a counselor to explore how a dual relationship would impact the therapeutic relationship with clients and the overall well being of clients. Each ethical dilemma should be handled individually and with the support of a counselor’s supervisor while also taking into account laws or guidelines set forth by employers as decisions are made. As a new counselor I look forward to this decision making process and the personal growth I will experience and the clients I will benefit as a result of my ethical actions.
More importantly, if the religious values/belief system are too difficult to over look then the social worker can ask for the transfer of the client to another worker. However, this does not help the social worker improve because by going into a carrier such as social work individuals must view each client without judgement. Hence, once you are in the profession of social work your religious values should not change how you view your clients, as doing so will impede the time allotted for listening to them unbiasedly and the chance to help them solve their
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 happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
In order to be an effective counselor, one must remember to keep the client(s) in mind. The goal is to assist the client(s) in living the best life possible for that particular person or persons. With that being said, one cannot forget that they have their own set of morals, values, ideas, and the like. Social workers have to keep in mind that there will be cases that are complex and a favorable outcome may not be possible. In the instance that I am confronted with an issue that conflicts with my religious beliefs, I plan on assisting the client as much as possible by adhering the National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics, NASW standards for the Practice of Clinical Social Work, and discussing my concerns with my supervisor while
Dr.Lightfoot ethical alternatives for resolving this case are accepting Allison as a client or declining Allison as a client. The best alternative is to decline Allison as a client but refer her to another psychologist because of the possible dual relationship. Utilitarian theory guided me in my decision.