COUNSELOR ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITES 1

Katherine Farrell

Counselor Ethics and Responsibilities

Grand Canyon University: CNL- 505

April 15, 2020

Abstract

It is important to abide by the ACA Code of Ethics when practicing. When meeting with

clients, counselors should always have their clients’ best interest in mind. There are five

principles of ethical practice to maintain client rights which are the following: beneficence,

nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, and fidelity. All five principles play a major role in ethical

practice. During intake sessions or before any treatment occurs counselors review the informed

consent with their clients. Counselors have many duties and responsibilities to follow when

working with mental health clients. They should always remain neutral, not cause harm, not

impose values, and should always think about what will be beneficial for the client.
COUNSELOR ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITES 3

Counselor Ethics and Responsibilities

Ethics is essential in the mental health/counseling field. When practicing, there are many

things counselors should consider such as the code of ethics, confidentiality, consent, etc. There

are many responsibilities that counselors have when working with clients. It is important to know

and understand the code of ethics when working with clients in the counseling field.

Section 1: Client Rights

Five Principles of Ethical Practice

There are many standards and principles in which a counselor must abide by when

practicing in the mental health field. There are five principles of ethical practice to maintain

client rights which are the following: beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, and

fidelity. All five principles play a major role in ethical practice.

According to the American Counseling Association (2014), beneficence is “working for

the good of the individual and society by promoting mental health and well-being”. A counselor

should always work in the client best interest and help their clients with their mental health

needs. Counselor should guide their client onto the correct and positive path. Nonmaleficence

can be defined as “avoiding actions that cause harm” (American Counseling Association, 2014).

In the mental health field, counselors are a form of support to their clients. They should not cause

harm but should gear their client to achieve their treatment goals. Counselors should act and

practice in a manner that will not cause harm or prevent the client from having a positive

outcome.

Autonomy is defined as “fostering the right to control the direction of one’s life”

(American Counseling Association, 2014). A counselor should always encourage his/her client

to be in control, independent, have their own views and make decisions on their own. Mental
COUNSELOR ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITES 4

health counselors should not make decisions for his/her client but should give guidance and let

the client decide on what to do depending on the situation. Justice can be described as treating

individuals fairly. Counselors should always treat their clients with fairness and equality.

Counselors should keep the client rights in mind and should be neutral and not impose their

views onto a client. A counselor should also not be biased or discriminate and should treat all

clients equally. According to the American Counseling Association (2014), fidelity is defined as

“honoring commitments and keeping promises, including fulfilling one’s responsibilities of trust

in professional relationships”. Counselors should have a strong relationship with their clients and

a client should be able to confide in their counselor. Mental health counselors should abide by

the code of ethics and should keep the clients’ information and conversations confidential.

“Clients must be able to trust the counselor and have faith in the therapeutic relationship if

growth is to occur. Therefore, the counselor must take care not to threaten the therapeutic

relationship or to leave obligations unfulfilled” (Forester-Miller & Davis, 2016).

Informed Consent Process

During intake sessions or before any treatment occurs counselors review the informed

consent with their clients. According to Dasenbrook & Walsh (2005), “The informed consent

advises the client of the counselor’s policies, state and federal laws, and clients’ rights”. The

informed consent reviews billing and insurance. Clients are informed of charges, methods of

payment and if using insurance, it gives permission for the agency to bill the clients’ insurance.

The client should sign and agree to this portion of the informed consent. Without a signature, the

agency is not authorized to bill the insurance company. The clients’ right to privacy is explained

to the client by therapist regarding their treatment. “Clients have the freedom to choose whether

to enter into or remain in a counseling relationship and need adequate information about the
COUNSELOR ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITES 5

counseling process and the counselor” (American Counseling Association, 2014). It is explained

that the clients’ information is confidential as well as their treatment component. Therapists

advise the client that everything is confidential; however, there are exceptions such as

sexual/physical abuse, suicide, threats to someone, etc. The client must agree and sign this

portion of the consent. The next portion of the informed consent is Health Insurance Portability

and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The counselor explains that all health information is strictly

confidential. HIPAA protects the clients’ right and medical and personal health information.

“HIPAA mandates that each client receives a Notice of Privacy Practices, which includes a

document detailing patients’ rights to access and amend their PHI, restrict uses and disclosures,

and to receive an accounting of disclosures made by the provider to others during the past 6

years” (Fisher & Oransky, 2008). The final portion of the informed consent explains to clients

that the agency abides by the board requirements. Counselors should follow the code of ethics

and the standards of the national board. Clients should agree and sign this final portion of the

informed consent.

Section 2: Responsibility to Warn and Protect

Counselors have many duties and responsibilities to follow when working with mental

health clients. According to Pennsylvania Medical Society (2019), “Pennsylvania case law,

Emerich v. Philadelphia Center for Human Development, Inc., imposes a duty on mental health

professionals to warn of a danger posed by a patient when the patient makes imminent threats of

serious bodily injury against a specifically or readily identifiable third party”. If a client discloses

harm to self or others, this should be reported. This is part of a mental health professional’s

duties to report violent and harmful acts to the appropriate professionals.

Section 3: Client Record-Keeping

Client records should be kept confidential. A client’s treatment plan should not be

released without consent. The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) states, counselors should get consent

from clients if they are recording sessions electronically, and should get consent if another

person will observe a counseling session. A client’s case should not be discussed with others

without consent. According to section B.1.c. Respect for Confidentiality in the ACA Code of

Ethics (2014), “Counselors disclose information only with appropriate consent or with sound

legal or ethical justification”. A client’s record is a form of liability of the counselor.

Documentation of sessions protects the counselor for any legal issues that might arise in the

future. Section B.6.a. of the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) states, “When counselors document they

should document thoroughly to justify the reason for treatment. Counselors create and maintain

records and documentation necessary for rendering professional services”.

Section 4: Self-Care

Self- care is significant in the mental health field. Counselors should have respect for

themselves so that the client can also have respect for the counselor. According to the ACA Code

of Ethics (2014) “counselors engage in self-care activities to maintain and promote their own

emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual well-being to best meet their professional

responsibilities”.

To maintain a healthy balance of personal life and professional life, counselors should not

overwork themselves. It is important for professionals to have time for themselves and for their

families. As a counselor, I plan to take personal days off and vacation days to maintain a healthy

balance. There are many healthy self-care activities that I participated in such as mental health

days, healthy diet, painting, etc. Some self-care activities that I have considered are yoga and
COUNSELOR ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITES 7

journaling. Both activities help with relaxation and are beneficial for mental health. According to

Ross & Thomas (2010), “yoga appears to improve subjective measures of fatigue, pain, and

sleep in healthy and ill populations”.

Some red-flags that suggest personal issues need to be addressed to avoid personal

impairment are the following: experiencing burnout, conflict with management due to personal

issue, or personal issues that reflect on work. Burnout can be caused by many factors such as

working long hours, having too many cases, letting work pile up and not taking vacation.

Burnout and other red-flag issues can be prevented by taking mental health days, reducing

caseloads, and having effective time management. In my opinion, it is a great idea for counselors

to receive counseling services. There are times, where counselors also need the counseling.

Counselors experience emotions and dilemma just like their clients. It is important for the

counselor to also have someone to talk to about their issues just as their clients would. If some

programs require counselors being counseled, I agree with it. I think this is something that is

beneficial and a way for counselors to take a step back and focus on their own mental health

rather than others.

Section 5: Advocacy

There are various ways to advocate for the counselors and the counseling profession at

the government level. According to Take Action (2019), “ACA uses VoterVoice to simplify the

process for members to contact their representatives on federal and state issues”. I can get

involved by visiting the counseling.org website, view the different VoterVoice campaigns and

reach out to the representatives. There are state and federal campaigns that I can get involved in.

I can read about the campaign and send a detailed email to the representative about the issue and

ask them to vote NO. Getting involved and advocating is simple and can be effective.
COUNSELOR ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITES 8

Section 6: Counselor Values

It is important for counselors to remain objective with clients. When a counselor remains

objective they can build a better relationship with their client. Empathy also plays a role in this.

When a counselor shows a client empathy and understanding, the client tends to open up to their

counselor more.

After reading the different scenarios, the two issues that I felt strongest about were the

issues regarding abortion and gay adoption. Regarding the abortion, my view on this issue is

completely split and depends on the individual case. I believe abortion is wrong as it is

technically putting an unborn child to death, but on the other hand, it is the woman’s body and it

should be her choice, especially if she is a victim of rape. If she is not a victim of rape, I would

lean more towards being against abortion; however, every situation is different. If I were to

counsel this 19 year old, I would remain completely objective. I would not share my personal

views. According to section A.4.b in the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), “Counselors are aware of

—and avoid imposing—their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors”. I would remain

neutral and discuss the pros and cons of abortion. The decision is ultimately hers and I would not

go against the ACA Code of Ethics. I would ensure that I remain non-biased so that I abide by

these codes and conduct my therapy sessions effectively.

Regarding the gay adoption, in my opinion, this is acceptable. Love is love and if they

decide to adopt then that is their choice. They should not be judged on their orientation, but

should be recognized for their ability or inability to parent and be a reliable resource for the

adopted child. I would counsel them by remaining neutral, just as I would with the abortion case.

I would discuss their options and provide therapeutic support, while still being neutral. I will

continue to have sessions with them to discuss treatment and their areas of need. As a counselor,
COUNSELOR ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITES 9

I refrain from discussing my personal views with clients as I do not want to cause any harm.

“A.4.a. Avoiding Harm. Counselors act to avoid harming their clients, trainees, and research

participants and to minimize or to remedy unavoidable or unanticipated harm” (American

Counseling Association, 2014).

Conclusion

It is important to abide by the ACA Code of Ethics when practicing. When meeting with

clients, counselors should always have their clients’ best interest in mind. Counselors should

remain objective to prevent ethical dilemmas. It is essential for counselors to abide by the ethical

codes. In the counseling field, it is beneficial to follow the five principles of ethical practice

(beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, and fidelity) to build healthy professional-

client relationships. Counselors have many responsibilities and many codes and rules to abide

by. They should always remain neutral, not cause harm, not impose values, and should always

think about what will be beneficial for the client.

References

American Counseling Association (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Dasenbrook, W., & Walsh, R. (2005). Implementing Informed Consent. American Counseling

Association.

Fisher, C. B., & Oransky, M. (2008). Informed consent to psychotherapy: Protecting the dignity

and respecting the autonomy of patients. Journal of clinical psychology, 64(5), 576-588.

Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. E. (2016). Practitioner’s guide to ethical decision making (Rev.

ed.). Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/ethics/practioner’s-

guide-toethical-decision-making.pdf.

Pennsylvania Medical Society (2019). PAMED Joins in Filing Amicus Brief in Duty to Warn

Case. Retrieved from https://www.pamedsoc.org/detail/article/duty-to-warn-amicus-brief.

Ross, A., & Thomas, S. (2010). The health benefits of yoga and exercise: a review of comparison

studies. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 16(1), 3-12.

Take Action. (2019). American Counseling Association. Retrieved from

https://www.counseling.org/government-affairs/actioncenter.