Ethical Issues in Counselling

Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling:

Ethical Standards and Laws.

Counselling Ethics
Counselling

ethics refer to rules governing

the provision of counselling services

Such

rules governor every counsellor &

client relationship

We

may also call ethics standards or

regulations etc.

These

rules guide the counselling

profession

Different Ethical Recommendation

The

general professional ethics

Ethics

of appraisal

Relationship

b/w counselor & client

Relationship

b/w counselor & the public

Conduct

in research/publication

Consultancy

& private practice

The General Professional Ethics

The

counselor must abide by the

counselling professional ethics & morals

S/he

must be active members of the

association, as well pay their dues
promptly

S/he

is expected to commit him/herself

fully to the policies, practices & rules that
govern the institutions in which s/he is
employed

The General Professional Ethics

S/he

must not claim any

professional qualification that is
beyond their competence.
S/he must be law abiding citizen
of the country

Ethics on Appraisal/testing
A

counsellor who administer appraisal test must

be competent & accountable for the accuracy of
test

Appraisal

test results must be kept confidential

S/he

must duly inform the client(s) what the

purpose of the test is, and

At

the same time avoid making the client(s)

test-wise.

Ethics on Appraisal/testing
The

counselor must be tactful & ensure that test

results are only released to those who may understand
them.

Test

results should be regarded in terms of probability

not absolute truth, since other things may have
affected the performance.

The

counselor should place more emphasis on the

clients strong points than on the weak points.

The relationship b/w the counselor & the client

The

counselor should show

absolute respect to the client,

Including

his/her
cultural
context
by
expressing
unconditional positive regard.

The relationship b/w the counselor & the client

The

counselor shall not on the ground of

race, color, ethnic or tribal origin
including
health
issues
such
as
HIV/AIDS exclude any client from
seeking counseling.

The

counselor must not counsel students

in school setting
for remunerative
purposes.

The relationship b/w the counselor & the client

The

counselor must keep all information divulged

by the client confidential.

Such

information can only be shared with others

when it is very clear that the client or others
are in imminent danger or if the client has given
permission for such information to be shared
with others.

Even

at this, the release of such information

must be done tactfully.

The relationship b/w the counselor & the client

The

counselor should admit his/her

limitations in dealing with clients.

Therefore,

make appropriate &

immediate referral once s/he realizes
his/her incompetence in assisting the
client to resolve a particular problem.

The relationship b/w the counselor & the client

Likewise

if the counselor feels that

his/her relationship with the client will not
make for an effective counseling
relationship, s/he should refer the client
to another professional.

In

this regard, counselors should not

counsel their family members or friends
etc.

Relationship b/w the counselor & the public

The

counselor should not be engrossed in

politics.

Although

s/he is entailed to political opinion

but that does not call for public expression
of their political alliance otherwise s/he may
endanger his/her professionalism.

The

counselor should not charge gratification

fees for voluntary services to the public

Relationship b/w the counselor & the public

The

counselor should protect the

public from pseudo-counseling
from quacks (unqualified).
The counselor should not exploit
the public by charging high fees
for consultancy services.

Relationship b/w the counselor & the public

The

counselor should not feed the

public on a steady diet of falsehood.

Either

should
s/he
make
radio/television
claims
about
counseling profession that are false,
such claims is a criminal act &
unethical.

Conduct in research/publication
Counselors

must ensure that their research &

publication are in compliance with the professional
ethics of counseling.

Counseling

research deals with human subjects,

therefore, should not cause any kind of harm to the
participants be it psychological, emotional, physical
etc.

Research

findings must be genuine.

Counselors

must acknowledge other peoples work; in

this way avoid plagiarism.

Consultancy & private practice

Counsellors

who render consultancy or private

services must not charge exorbitant fees.

The

counselor practicing in private must

possess the approved training & qualification.

Consultants

are not expected to decide for

the clients rather should provide the
necessary conditions that facilitate decision
making.

Consultancy & private practice

Counselors

who are working in public

institutions are not expected to use
the resources of their affiliate
institution or agency to benefit their
private practice.

Absolute

confidentiality must be
maintained in consultancy service &
private practice.

Importance of ethical consideration

Ethical

rules protect the counsellor

from mishap, especially if sued to
court

Equally,

it protects the client from

abuse etc.

It

helps the counsellor/client to be

aware of the dos and dont of
counselling relationship

Who does ethical consideration favour

Ideally,

ethical consideration favour both

the counsellor & the client.

It

favours the counselor when there is any

mishap, to feel safe, particularly when
sued to court

But

generally, the clients stand to gain

more in the following ways:

Clients Ethical Benefits

Protect

the clients interests- maintains

confidentiality

Respects

the clients human dignity

Ensures

that the client is not harmed in

any way; be it emotionally, psychologically
or physically etc.

Facilitates

the helping relationship that

ought to exist b/w the client & counselor

The role of ethics code

They

educate counselors & the general public

about the responsibilities of the profession.

They

provide a basis for accountability, and

Through

their enforcement, clients are

protected from unethical practices.

Codes

of ethics provide basis for self-reflecting

& improvement.

The right of informed consent as

aspects of ethical requirement

Informed consent is an ethical & legal requirement that is an

integral part of the counselling process.
It provides basis for partnership b/w the client & the counsellor.

Informed consent involves:

i.

the right of clients to be informed about their therapy & to make

autonomous decisions pertaining to it.

ii.

Provide clients with information they need towards making

informed choices & being active in their counseling plan.

iii.

Educate clients about their rights and responsibilities.