More handpicked essays just for you.
Discuss the importance of ethical practices in counseling
Discuss the importance of ethical practices in counseling
Challenges of school counselors
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Rationale for Standard 4
The pupil services professional understands and represents professional ethics and social behaviors appropriate for school and community.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Professional school counselors have a unique role within their schools. They are advocates for student, parents, colleagues, and communities. Professional school counselors are also seen as leaders, collaborators, and consultants within their school and their community. It is the school counselor’s ethical responsibility to know, understand, and implement the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) ethical standards no matter what capacity they are active in.
School counselors also need be able to effectively articulate these ethical and legal standards. Confidentiality,
Ethics and counseling. Counseling & Human Development, 13(1), 1-12. ASGW (2007) Best Practice Guidelines.
For Example if confidentiality is the dilemma The NAADAC Code of Ethics states that” Every effort is made to protect the confidentiality of client information, and in very specific cases or situations to disclose information appropriately and according to federal law”(NAADAC, 2011, para. 5). In as much According to ACA Code of Ethics counselors are required to violate confidentiality only “to protect clients or identified others from serious and foreseeable harm or when legal requirements demand that confidential information must be revealed” (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2005). Therefore, since trust is one of the most important aspects of a counselor client relationship a counselor must be certain if confidentiality is the ethical dilemma being presented, there should be clear-cut reasons for the information to be disclosed. If a counselor is educated with the proper laws and the relevant Code of ethics pertinent to there field of study they can validate their decision to supervisor, clients, and even legal entity’s if
Huey, W. C. (1986). Ethical Concerns in School Counseling. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 64(5), 321.
Whether in school settings or other contexts, dealing with ethical and legal issues can be challenging for counselors. In many instances, the practitioner meets individuals from different backgrounds in terms of age, culture, religion, economy, and education among other factors. Each of these people have problems or needs that may be unique to their origins or not. In order to come up with effective solutions, a counselor needs to interpret the problem using the different world views including those of the clients. The counselor also needs to incorporate the underlying principles, policies or procedures in these interpretations as well as in the generation of the possible courses of actions. In fact, the proposed solutions need to be evaluated
The responsibilities of a professional school counselor are to design and deliver comprehensive programs to promote student achievement. The guidelines
The school setting makes this task quite daunting since “a culture of open communication regarding student information is quite common among educators in school settings” (ARTICLE P337). Even so, it is important to disclose only the most vital information so as to not jeopardize one’s job duties nor compromise one’s ethics. When taking in a situation in its entirety, a school counselor must dissect all of the information given and only release what is absolutely necessary in order to take action – if any action is needed. The relationship of trust between the school counselor and the minor student must be kept intact and remain unaffected at all cost. Releasing too much information would create mistrust and separation between the two, leaving the student with no one else to turn to.
American Counseling Association (2005). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author. - See more at: http://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/ethics#sthash.13ImD8Lb.dpuf
There are a number of resources and sources of information that can help guide professional counselors as they strive to assist clients in an ethical and legal manner Ethical standards created by professional associations Federal and state laws and regulations Policies, guidelines, and procedures created by state boards of education and local school systems (Corey, G., Corey, M.S., Corey, C., & Callanan, P.
Mandatory ethics is the level of functioning where the counselor is abiding by the basic “do’s and don’ts” of professional counseling. These are definitive codes that will protect a counselor from legal action and professional censure. All mental health professionals will be held accountable by the minimum standards set by state licensure boards and courts of law. Issues addressed by the Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA) include, but are not limited to, competence, human relations, confidentiality and fees. (American Psychological Association, 2002)
School counselors must recognize that there are certain ethical codes they cannot depart from. Practicing within the boundaries of their professionalism, education, training, and supervision, will enable counselors to be accurate in their practices. ACA’s ethical code C.2.a., Herlihy & Corey (2015), p. 68, explains how counselors need to keep their boundaries of competence. A clear example of this practice is shown as follows.
Deciding to become a Student Guidance Counselor was not a fly by night decision. I did a great deal of reading and research before making a decision. I knew once I started a graduate program in School Guidance Counseling, it would be both challenging and a commitment until the end. I am somewhat nervous about this new journey that I am about to partake; however, I am ready to accept the challenge and make the commitment. I am a newly licensed teacher and there will be areas and terminology which I am not familiar. But, what I have found out thus far is that a teacher and a student counselor have quite a few things in common. They both work with other teachers, parents, school administrators, and the community in an academic setting. The skills I have acquired as a preschool director and teacher will be integrated into my career as a guidance counselor. I will have the skills to guide and enhance the social, academic, and personal growth of my students by using a variety of strategies which will be my primary goal. I will be able t...
In my opinion the role of a school counselor has changed tremendously over time. According to the ASCA National Model book school counselors were often given administrative duties such as, testing administration, report writing, record keeping, and scheduling. It it stated that the role of the school counselor is one of the few jobs in education that has made such a big evolution. I believe that this evolution is largely due to the role of the school counselor being better clarified and being data driven in terms of demonstrating the effectiveness of school counselors. The development of the ASCA national model and its standards should be credited for this evolution. Also, school counselors in my opinion are doing a great job advocating
The topic of this paper focuses on the battles school counselors face as the law and ethical standards collide. School counselors face a number of legal and ethical issues and recognizing a clear decision isn’t always easy. School counselors have to work with a large number of students, parents, and administrators while conforming to ethical codes, state laws, and school board guidelines. This topic is of great relevance to me as I will be going into the school counseling profession. It is also a meaningful topic to me because life-changing decisions are made every day in reference to legal and ethical issues. Researching this topic has shed some light on the difficulty for school counselors to fulfill both legal and ethical requirements. The main reason for this is that laws and ethical codes may sometimes provide differing and contradictory messages regarding the same subject. This can lead to legal ramifications, even while following ethical norms as we will look at in the example case of Woodlock v. Orange Ulster B.O.C.E.S. (2006/2008).
As a future school counselor residing in Fairfax, Virginia one should be aware of the school district policies as well as the state laws govern minors, parents and the guardians. A school counselor should perform their duties in accordance with the commonwealth of Virginia and federal government. Many times students as well as parents or guardians request school records relating to grades. In order to protect student’s rights, Virginia school systems use the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which states any student 18 or older can obtain their school records as well as their parents and guardians. As a future counselor one will be required to notify parents and students of their right. As the school counselor notification
Motus, G. W. (2009). Introduction to Basic Counselling and Communication Skills: IOM Training Manual For Migrant Community Leaders and Community Workers. Geneva: International Organization for Migration.