2. Aim: helping individual to solve their personal
problems
These problems often include ethical issues
The counsellors ethical standards and his professional
techniques are inseparable
3. Ethics are guidelines that are based on the basic
principles of the counsellor in the code of ethics.
A moral philosophy of what is right and wrong and
which bring the greatest benefit for most people
4. Therapeutic boundaries are based upon.
Beneficence: A counselor must accept responsibility for
promoting what is good for the client with the expectation
that the client will benefit from the counseling sessions.
Nonmaleficence: "doing no harm". The counselor must
avoid at all times, (even inadvertently) any activities or
situations with the client that could cause a conflict of
interest.
Autonomy: The counsellor's ethical responsibility to
encourage client independent thinking and decision-
making, and to deter all forms of client dependency.
5. Therapeutic relationships are unbalanced (Who
has more power?)
Therapeutic relationships are complicated
Client’s issues/problems are complicated
The nature of the relationship itself is complicated
Therapists are human, and humans are fallible.
Ethical guidelines provide guidance and
accountability
6. Ethical codes are guidelines for what therapists
can and cannot do that have been developed by each
therapeutic discipline’s organizational body,
including the ACA & APA
There are two dimensions to ethical decision making:
1. Principle ethics: Overt ethical
obligations that must be addressed
2. Virtue ethics: Above and beyond the
obligatory ethics and are idealistic
9. First and most important – to safeguard welfare of
client and society
Define ethical conduct in a profession – to inform
and educate members
Define Standards of Practice – important in legal
actions
10. Create a means by which members are held accountable
for actions –protecting public
Offer s a way to promote professional growth.
11. Schmidt L.D. and Meara 1984 Ethical Professional
and Legal Issues in Counselling Psychology.
Chapter 2 in Brown S.D. and Lent R.W. Handbook
of Counselling Psychology Wiley.
