LESSON 3

THE PROFESSIONALS AND PRACTITIONERS IN THE DISCIPLINE OF COUNSELING

Most Essential Learning Competency

1. Value rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities of counselors
2. Distinguish between ethical and unethical behaviors among counselors

Elicit
Who do you think are the professionals and practitioners in the disciplines of counseling? Write your answer in the space provided below.

Engage
Looking at the following areas of specialization where counselors work:

Child development and counseling

Adolescent development and counseling
Gerontology
Marital relationship counseling
Health
Career
Lifestyle counseling
College and university counseling
Drugs counseling
Business and industry counseling

Why do you think there is need for counselors to have specializations? Describe the differences of these areas.

Explore

Rights, Responsibilities and Accountabilities of Counselors

As state registered and licensed professionals, counselors are protected. They are governed by scientific theories, practices and
processes as well as professional standards and ethics. They are responsible for the practice of their profession in accordance with
their mandates and professional guidelines and ethics. They are accountable to their clients, the professional body, and the
government. It is critical that the counselor and the client fully understand the nature of the concerns, which leads to a contract to
take action on a mutually agreed upon problem (Peterson & Nisenholz 1987).

Code of Ethics of Counselors

Code of ethics which are incorporated in the code of ethics of the American Counseling Association.
Confidentiality of Counselors
 Rights to Privacy - Counselors respect a client’s right to privacy and avoid illegal and unwarranted disclosures of unwarranted information.
 Group Add Families - In Group Work, Counselors clearly define confidentiality and parameters for the specific group being entered and discuss
difficulties related to confidentiality involved in group work.
 Minor Incompetent Clients - When counseling Clients who are minors or individuals who are unable to give voluntary, informed consent,
parents or guardians may be included in the counseling process as appropriate.
 Records - Counselors maintain records necessary for rendering professional services to their clients and as required by laws, Regulations and
etc.
 Research and Training - Use of data derived from counseling relationships for purposes of training, research, or publication is confined to
content that is disguised to ensure the anonymity of the individuals involved.
 Consultation - Information obtained in a consulting relationship is discussed for professional purposes only with persons clearly concerned with
the case.

Professional Responsibility

The Institute of Guidance Counselors’ Code consists of four overall ethical principles that subsume a number of specific ethical standards:
Principle 1: Respect for the rights and dignity of the client
Guidance counselors honor and promote the fundamental rights, moral and cultural values, dignity, and worth of clients. They respect clients’
rights to privacy, confidentiality, self-determination and autonomy, consistent with the law. As far as possible, they ensure that the client
understands and consents to whatever professional action they propose.

Principle 2: Competence
Guidance counselors maintain and update their professional skills. They recognize the limits of their expertise, engage in self-care, and seek
support and supervision to maintain the standard of their work. They offer only those services for which they are qualified by education, training,
and experience.

Principle 3: Responsibility
Guidance counselors are aware of their professional responsibility to act in a trustworthy, reputable, and accountable manner toward clients,
colleagues, and the community in which they work and live. They avoid doing harm, take responsibility for their professional actions, and adopt a
systematic approach to resolving ethical dilemmas.

Principle 4: Integrity
Guidance counselors seek to promote integrity in their practice. They represent themselves accurately and treat others with honesty,
straightforwardness, and fairness. They deal actively with conflicts of interest, avoid exploiting others, and are alert to inappropriate behavior on
the part of colleagues.

Many other similar codes exist with the same expectations for ethical conduct. The fundamental principles include the following:
 Respecting human rights and dignity
 Respect for the clients’ right to be self-governing
 A commitment to promoting the clients’ well-being
 Fostering responsible caring
 Fair treatment of all clients and the provision of adequate services
 Equal opportunity to clients availing counseling services
 Ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client relationship
 Fostering the practitioner’s self-knowledge and care for self
 Enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application
 Responsibility to the society
Explain
Think-Pair-Share
What new learning did you develop about the professionals and practitioners in the discipline of counseling?

Ask: What is the significance of Code of Ethics in a profession?

Ask: What are the examples of ethical and unethical behaviour of a professional counselor?
What is the significance of Code of Ethics in counselling profession?

Evaluate
Write T if the statement is TRUE and F if the statement is FALSE
1. Councilors can have any kind of intimacies to his/her client
2. Councilors does not need to be curious about the clients' background
3. Councilors can charge hidden fees to its client
4. Councilors should respect the differences and backgrounds of their clients
5. Counseling is a helping profession
1.F
2.F
3.F
4.T
5.T