CODE OF ETHICS

Code of Ethics

Code of Ethics

Introduction

Society accords professionals a distinct form of respect and power that necessitates a high level of moral responsibility to avoid exploiting those who are served. Just as basic morality is necessary for the healthy functioning of the human community, ethical conduct is necessary for safe, effective professional counseling (www.ethics.org). Certain moral principles have been identified by those working in the area of bioethics that have been adopted as principles relevant to most helping professions, including counseling.

Guidelines

The primary reason for counselors to follow an ethical code is to protect clients' welfare, and the following six basic moral principles are priority guidelines designed to help them make most appropriate decisions. Autonomy refers to counselors allowing clients to make their own decisions, with the therapist respecting any choices made (Frankel, 1989). Nonmaleficence means doing no harm, and counselors should strive at all times to avoid hurting clients, even when intentions are worthy. Beneficence means counselors doing what is good for clients. Justice means counselors providing equal treatment to all individuals, regardless of their background, age, gender, religion, ethnicity, etc (Johannesen, 2002).

Code of Ethics for National Institute of Child Health (NICH)

The NICH code of ethics consists of seven sections: Section A: the counseling relationship; Section B: confidentiality, privileged communication, and privacy; Section C: professional responsibility; Section D: relationships with other professionals; Section E: evaluation, assessment, and interpretation; Section F: supervision, training, and teaching; Section G: research and publication; and Section H: resolving ethical issues.

Section A

A mental health counselor's primary responsibility is to ensure his or her clients' dignity and welfare; counselors may achieve this goal by following the guidelines in this section.

Counselors have the responsibility to review informed consent both verbally and in writing with the client concerning his or her responsibilities and rights (Johannesen, 2002). Counselors respect their clients and are aware of their own personal values while avoiding the temptation to inculcate them into their clients.

Section B

Section B addresses ethical issues regarding confidentiality, privileged communication, and privacy. The first issue concerns counselors respecting the rights of their clients. When working with clients whose ethnic or cultural background is different from theirs, counselors are aware of and sensitive to their clients' culture, recognizing that it might have impact on confidentiality and privacy issues (Kruckeberg, 1989). Counselors respect clients' privacy and seek personal information from the client only when the relationship can gain from acquiring it.

Section C

This section is about counselors' professional responsibility. The first issue concerns knowledge of standards. It is a counselor's responsibility to read and comprehend the ethical codes and standards of the profession. The second issue involves professional competence. Counselors should practice counseling based only on their education, training, and professional credentials as well as professional experience. They should continually monitor and improve their professional skills (Leeper, 1996). When counselors have questions regarding their ethical obligations, they should seek consultation from other counselors. In addition, counselors need to take steps, such as receiving continuing education, to maintain their competence ...