The organization includes continuing education resources for members and advocates to extend licensure, legislation, education, and research to advance professional practice. The Texas Counseling Association (TCA), a statewide organization whose members represent all fields of counseling, refers to the ACA Code of Ethics as a framework for ethical practice and states, “The American Counseling Association is the largest organization of counselors, representing over 65,000 members. The ACA Code of Ethics is a comprehensive overview of values, principles, and standards and the code of ethics adhered to by the Texas Counseling Association” (TCA, 2023). The University of Texas at Austin (2023) provides the following definition of values: “ Values are individual beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another. They serve as a guide for human behavior .” Ethical practice begins with an understanding of the professional responsibility of all counselors based on shared values, principles, standards, and rules that govern practice. The NBCC Code of Ethics The NBCC (2016) provides the following directives in their Code of Ethics that NCCs are required to follow and the 95 supporting minimum behaviors required to adhere to the directives should be viewed in their entirety: ● NCCs take appropriate action to prevent harm. ● NCCs only provide services for which they have education and qualified experience. ● NCCs promote the welfare of clients, supervisees, or recipients of professional services provided. Professional values are an important way of living out an ethical commitment. The following are core professional values of the counseling profession: 1. enhancing human development throughout the life span. 2. honoring diversity and embracing a multicultural approach in support of the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of people within their social and cultural contexts. 3. promoting social justice. 4. safeguarding the integrity of the counselor–client relationship; and 5. practicing in a competent and ethical manner. American Counseling Association (ACA) According to the ACA (2014): ACA professional values provide the basis for ethical principles in accordance with state and federal law and are the foundation for ethical practice: The ACA principals are as follows (ACA, 2014): ● autonomy, or fostering the right to control the direction of one’s life ● nonmaleficence or avoiding actions that cause harm ● beneficence, or working for the good of the individual and society by promoting mental health and well-being. ● justice, or treating individuals equitably and fostering fairness and equality ● fidelity, or honoring commitments and keeping promises, including fulfilling one’s responsibilities of trust in professional relationships ● veracity, or dealing truthfully with individuals with whom counselors come into professional contact. According to the ACA (2014), “Counselors’ actions should be consistent with the spirit as well as the letter of these ethical standards.” The ACA standards cover the following nine sections and are described as follows: Each section of the ACA Code of Ethics begins with an introduction. The introduction to each section describes the ethical behavior and responsibility to which
The TCA also references the ACA publication Practitioner’s Guide to Ethical Decision Making (Forester-Miller & Davis, 2016) as a resource for selecting and implementing decision making models.
The American School Counselor Association (2022) publication ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors is noted by the TCA as a reference for counselors that “addresses the sensitive issues of working with minors in school settings” (TCA, 2023). The documents mentioned previously will be reviewed in subsequent sections of this course. ETHICAL PRACTICE: VALUES, PRINCIPLES, AND STANDARDS IN COUNSELING
Even though the codes of ethics are often viewed as aspirational as opposed to state and federal law, which provides rules to regulate the profession, a closer look reveals some commonalities between the law, ethical codes, and counselor responsibilities. The first step in the study of ethics, is to determine the foundations of ethical practice including definitions, values, standards, and principles related to counseling. ● NCCs communicate truthfully. ● NCCs recognize that their behavior reflects on the integrity of the profession, and thus, they avoid actions which can reasonably be expected to damage trust. ● NCCs recognize the importance of and encourage the participation of clients, students, supervisees. ● NCCs are accountable in their actions and adhere to recognized professional standards and practices. counselors aspire. The introductions help set the tone for each section and provide a starting point that invites refection on the ethical standards contained in each part of the ACA Code of Ethics. The standards outline professional responsibilities and provide direction for fulfilling those ethical responsibilities. Section A: The Counseling Relationship Section B: Confidentiality and Privacy Section C: Professional Responsibility Section D: Relationships with Other Professionals Evaluation Section E: Assessment, and Interpretation Section. F: Supervision, Training, and Teaching Section G: Research and Publication Section H: Distance Counseling, Technology, and Social Media Section I: Resolving Ethical Issues The codes of ethics, laws, and regulations stated throughout the course emphasize components of ethical practice that must be followed to achieve the highest the highest level of quality counseling for clients. The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) Section C outlines this responsibility to clients and the community as follows: ● Counselors aspire to open, honest, and accurate communication in dealing with the public and other professionals. ● Counselors facilitate access to counseling services, and they practice in a nondiscriminatory manner within the boundaries of professional and personal competence; they also have a responsibility to abide by the ACA Code of Ethics. ● Counselors actively participate in local, state, and national associations that foster the development and improvement of counseling.
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Book Code: PCTX1324
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