Professional and Ethical Considerations for Counsellors

Professional and Ethical Considerations for Counsellors

Introduction

The paper focuses on an ethical dilemma regarding a hypothetical situation related to disclosure. It originates arguments on the basis of information provided by one of the clients in a couple's counselling session. Consequently, arguments in the paper deal with information and its disclosure to other partner involved in the respective counselling session. Moreover, paper outlines a proper format of discussing an ethical dilemma in counselling profession by identifying values at stake, types of ethical dilemma and various scenarios, which may exist in the selected case of ethical dilemma. Finally, paper discusses a possible resolution to the posed ethical dilemma in the light of 'Code of Ethics and Practice' for counselling in Australia.

Discussion

Ethical Dilemma related to Counselling Practice

Profession of counselling requires counsellors to meet with various people on routine basis, many of whom suffer problems, which might create uncomfortable situation for counsellors. Counsellors have to face ethical dilemmas due to complex nature of counselling profession (Constable, Kreider, Smith & Taylor, 2011). According to Cohen and Cohen, a responsible counsellor utilizes a model of ethical decision making to recognize an ethical resolution to the countered problem. As they are aware of far beyond consequences of their final decision, they understand and accept the inherited uncertainties in the process of moral decision making.

Providence of counselling to couples may raise a situation of conflicting values and ethical reasoning for a counsellor to better perform his/her job. Confidentiality of the shared information from the involved parties can be taken as a specific concern to the situation.



Case of Ethical Dilemma

Ethical dilemmas are sometimes unavoidable when providing council to sex addicts. The situation becomes more complicated if one of the clients involved in couple's counselling, reveal information about an extra-marital affair. In addition, other partner is not aware of the information of this illicit relationship nor are they in grip with the partner's addictive sexual disorder. This dilemma presents ethical issues regarding disclosure of information to the other partner.

Psychologists suggest regarding such circumstances that, the whole idea behind couples counselling would be compromised if the counsellor forms a secret association with one partner and does not make effort to provide truthful information regarding affair to other spouse (Corey et.al, 1998).

Values at Stake

Counselling profession is relatively a sensitive profession as it works close to feelings and emotions of people. Hence, before engaging in a thorough counselling process, a counsellor shall undermine values of client, counsellor (himself), supervisor and the organization, which might be put at stake. Numerous values pertaining to each of these stakeholders might be at stake and get hurt by counsellor's decision, which is taken irrespective of these values.

In present case, when information about extra-marital affair is revealed by one of the spouses, in confidence to the Counsellor, it would be objective to confirm certain specifics about the issue. These questions should include:

Specific sexual activities that have been conducted with the affair-partner;

Number of instances the implicit activity has been carried out;

The time period since such ...