applicable to all NBCC applicants and National Certified Counselors (NCCs) regardless of their area of practice or their choice of professional association membership (NBCC, 2023b). According to the organization, the NBCC’s Code represents the standards for ethical behaviors and seeks to provide an assurance of ethical behavior among counselors that provide professional practice as an NCC. The code’s standards provide directives for ethical behavior and practice, and all NCC are expected to follow the code in their service to clients. The code serves as a resource for the
professional counselor and provides recourse for clients who suspect an ethical violation has been committed by an NCC. Applicants and credentialed NCC holders under this code will be sanctioned by the NBCC if the association determines that any directive or standard in the NBCC Code of Ethics has not been followed, which constitutes an ethical violation. The NBCC is available to assist in ethical decisions and can be contacted by phone at 336-547-0607 or by email at nbcc.nbcc.org. ● Counselors strive to enhance the social and mental well-being of their clients while supporting the overall physical health of each client. Counselors must engage in self-care and self- reflection. ● Access and equity are essential to the profession of counseling and fundamentally important for the success of any society. Counseling services should be provided to achieve the best mental health outcomes. Counselors provide services to all of those in need, utilizing available resources, and advocating for the expansion of resources in underserved communities. ● Certified counselors and candidates demonstrate their commitment to ethical behaviors by demonstrating, and representing to their clients, sensitivity to multicultural issues, avoiding discrimination, oppression, and/or any form of social injustice. 10. Counselors, who have reasonable cause to believe that another mental health professional has engaged in unethical behavior, must report the matter to NBCC except when State regulations require immediate reporting. 11. Counselors shall discuss service termination with clients when there is a reasonable belief that the clients are no longer benefiting from, or are unlikely to benefit from, future services, and provide appropriate referrals. 12. Counselors shall comply with all NBCC policies, procedures, and agreements, including all disclosure requirements and related instructions. 13. Counselors shall adhere to legal standards and requirements, including State licensure regulations. 14. Counselors shall not engage in unlawful discrimination. 15. Counselors, who make public statements inconsistent with this code or other professional counseling standards, shall state that their opinions represent their personal views. 16. Counselors providing professional counseling presentations shall ensure that the content is consistent with this code of ethics. Counseling Relationships 1. Counselors shall take proactive measures to avoid harming their clients, avoid imposing personal values on those who receive their professional services, seek to minimize unavoidable or unanticipated harm, and address unintentional harm. 2. Counselors shall respect each client’s privacy and shall solicit only information that contributes to the identified counseling goals or facilitates the counseling process and is also consistent with counseling protocols. 3. Counselors shall not share client information that is obtained through the counseling process without specific written consent by the client or legal guardian except when necessary to prevent serious and foreseeable harm to the client or others, or when otherwise mandated by federal or state law or regulation.
Core Values in the NBCC Code of Ethics (NBCC,2023) The following information is from the most recent revision of the of the code. It may be further viewed in its entirety on the NBCC website (nbcc.org). ● Counselors will be civil in their actions and words, avoiding arrogance, assumptions, and hubris.
Counselors seek to listen to others with intention and respond with respect. When engaged in challenging dialogues, counselors do so to seek answers not confrontations or harm. Counselors strive to be sensitive to differences in attitudes and culture. Counselors always seek to minimize undue harm and take particular care of those who are vulnerable or in anguish. With respect to all clients and work, counselors seek to be mindful of their humanity as they fulfill their counseling duties. NBCC Ethics Standards (NBCC, 2023) The following standards are from the 2023 revision and are summarized. You can review them in their entirety at https:// www.nbcc.org/assets/ethics/nbcccodeofethics.pdf. Professional Responsibilities 1. Counselors shall perform only those professional services for which they are qualified by training, education, and supervised experience. 2. Counselors shall accurately represent their current professional qualifications and credentials in counseling or closely related disciplines. 3. Counselors shall identify only earned educational degrees in counseling or another mental health discipline with regard to all counseling work, including publications. 4. Counselors shall seek professional assistance or withdraw from the practice of counseling if their mental or physical condition makes it so that they are unable to provide appropriate services. 5. Counselors shall obtain supervision or consultation with other qualified professionals when unsure about client treatment and/or professional practice responsibilities. 6. Counselors shall clearly distinguish honorary educational degrees from earned degrees. 7. Counselors shall demonstrate multicultural counseling competence in practice. Counselors will not use counseling techniques or engage in any professional activities that discriminate against or show hostility toward individuals or groups based on gender, ethnicity, race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or any other legally prohibited basis. 8. Counselors shall not misuse their professional influence or meet their own needs at the expense of a client’s welfare, including, but not limited to, the promotion of services or products. 9. Counselors shall not solicit testimonials from current clients or their families and friends. Recognizing the possibility of future requests for services, counselors shall not solicit testimonials from former clients within (5) years from the date of service termination.
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Book Code: PCUS1525
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