Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.

San Guillermo, Isabela

MODULE 2
PROFESSIONALS AND PRACTITIONERS IN COUNSELING

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. discuss the roles and functions of counselors;
2. identify specific work areas in which counselors work. 1.1
3. value rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities of counselors
4. distinguish between ethical and unethical behaviors among counselors

EXPLORE

Instruction: You recall as many roles and functions of a counselor that you are aware of. Write all your
answers below.

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FIRM UP

Counseling as a Profession: Its Roles, Functions, and Competencies

Roles and Functions of Counselors

“Counseling is a helping profession.” This statement inspires counselors in what they do. This
statement defines their roles and functions as described below:

Roles/Functions Description
Individual Assessment Seeks to identify the characteristics and potential of
every client; promote the client’s self-understanding
and assisting counselors to understand the client
better.

DISICPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

FIRST SEMESTER • SY 2020-2021
Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.
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Individual Counseling Considers as the core activity through which other

activities become meaningful. It is a client-centered
process that demands confidentiality. The relationship
is established between the counselor and the client.
Group Counseling and Guidance Groups are a means of providing organized and
planning assistance to individuals for an array of 1.2
needs.
Career Assistance Counselors are called on to provide career planning
and adjustment assistance to clients.
Placement and Follow-Up A service of school counseling programs with an
emphasis on educational placements in courses and
programs.
Referral It is the practice of helping clients find needed expert
assistance that the referring counselor cannot provide.
Consultation It is the practice of helping through a third party or
helping system improves its service to its clientele.
Research It can provide empirically-based data relevant to the
ultimate goal of implementing effective counseling.
Evaluation and Accountability Evaluation is a means of assessing the effectiveness of
a counselor’s activities. Accountability is an
outgrowth of demand that schools and other tax-
supported institutions be accountable for their actions.
Prevention This includes the promotion of mental health through
primary prevention using a social-psychological
perspective.

Competencies of Counselors

In this section, the discussion will center around seven distinct competence areas of counselors.
There might be other areas but we will focus on the input of McLeod (2003).

1. Interpersonal Skills – Counselors, who display the ability to listen, communicate, empathize, and
be present, aware of nonverbal communication, sensitive to voice quality, responsive to expressions
of emotion, the structure of time, and use of language.

2. Personal Beliefs and Attitudes – counselors can accept others, belief in the potential for change,
awareness of ethical and moral choices, and sensitivity to values held by the client and self.

3. Conceptual Ability – counselors can understand and assess the client’s problems; anticipate future
problems; make sense of immediate process in terms of wider conceptual schemes, to remember
information about the client.

4. Personal Soundness - counselors must have no irrational beliefs that are destructive to counseling
relationships, self-confidence, capacity to tolerate strong or uncomfortable feeling about clients,

DISICPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

FIRST SEMESTER • SY 2020-2021
Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.
San Guillermo, Isabela

secure personal boundaries, and ability to be a client; must carry no social prejudice, ethnocentrism,
and authoritarianism.

5. Mastery of Techniques – counselors must know when and how to carry out specific interventions,
the ability to assess the effectiveness of interventions, understanding of the rationale behind
techniques. 1.3

6. Ability to Understand and work within Social Systems – this would comprise of awareness of
family and work relationships of the client, the impact of agency on the clients, the capacity to use
support networks and supervision; sensitivity to the client from different gender, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, or age group.

7. Openness to Learning and Inquiry – counselor must have the capacity to be curious about the
client’s backgrounds and problems; being open to new knowledge.

Career Opportunities and Areas of Specialization of Counselors

The following concepts describe the counselors’ area of specialization (Nystul, 2003):

1. Marriage and Family Counseling – refers to the efforts to establish an encouraging

relationship with a couple of families and appreciate the complications in the family system. The
focus of counselors is on helping couples and families discover options and opportunities for
effective family living.

2. Child and Adolescent Counseling – is a developing area of expertise in the counseling profession.
Common problems include child abuse and neglect, child/adolescent depression, and antisocial
behavior. The counseling strategies focus on helping children and adolescents acquire coping skills
through the promotion of resiliency, positive attachment relationship, emotional, and intellectual
intelligence, and other qualities that promote optional development.

3. Group Counseling – as a practice can be located in most counseling programs and becomes an
essential part of the counselor’s system. This offers the following; opportunities for members to
learn from observing other group members; can function as helpers; members are encouraged to
offer help to others; opportunities to enhance interpersonal skills.
4. Career Counseling – is an evolving and challenging counseling field. This type of counseling aids
individuals in decisions and planning concerning their careers.

5. School Counseling – refers to the process of reaching out to students with concerns on drugs,
family, and peers, or gang involvement, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and dropping out of school.

6. Mental Health Counseling – is manifested in the challenges posed by clients with a mental disorder
(such as serious depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse). Mental health counselors have to be
inventive and creative to address these problems. The job requires patience, humility, kindness, and
compassion.

DISICPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

FIRST SEMESTER • SY 2020-2021
Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.
San Guillermo, Isabela

Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of Counselors

Undertaking ethical decisions is not easy. Most of the time, we rely on our values. Code of ethics
helps counselors to remind them of their rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities in the counseling
profession. The code of ethics of the counselors is divided into seven sections, namely, 1) counseling
relationship, 2) confidentiality, 3) professional responsibility, 4) relationships with other professionals, 1.4
5) evaluation, assessment, and interpretation, 6) teaching, training and supervision, and 7) research and
publication (Gladding, 2000). We shall only be presented in detail three of the seven areas. The
following three tables below provide a sample of the code of ethics that are incorporated in the code of
ethics of the America Counseling Association.

Counseling Relationships

Areas
1. Client Welfare
2. Respecting Diversity
3. Client Rights
4. Client Served by others
5. Personal Needs and Values
6. Dual Relationships
Description
Counselor’s primary responsibility is to respect the dignity
and to promote the welfare, and to encourage the client’s
growth. Clients and counselors are expected to work
together in crafting individual counseling plans consistent
with the client’s circumstance. Counselors need to enlist the
understanding and involvement of the family as they are
important in the lives of the clients.
Counselors do not engage in discrimination based on age,
color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, sexual
orientation, religion, marital status, and socioeconomic
status. Counselors shall respect differences and understand
the diverse cultural backgrounds of their clients.
Counselors shall disclose the purposes, goals, techniques,
procedures, limitations, potential risks, and benefits of the
services to be informed. Counselors offer clients the freedom
to choose whether to enter into a counseling relationship and
to determine which professional will provide counseling,
except when the client is unable to give consent.
In cases where the client is receiving services from another
mental health professional, with the client’s consent, inform
the professional person already involved to develop an
agreement.
Maintain respect for clients and avoid actions that seek to
meet their personal needs at the expense of the clients. The
counselor shall be aware of their values, attitudes, beliefs,
and behaviors and how these apply in a diverse society and
avoid imposing their values on clients.
Counselors are aware of their influential position over their
clients and avoid exploiting the trust and dependency of the
clients.

DISICPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

FIRST SEMESTER • SY 2020-2021
Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.
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7. Sexual Intimacies with Clients
8. Multiple Clients
9. Group Work
10. Fees
Areas
1. Right to Privacy
2. Group and Families
3. Minor Incompetent Clients
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Counselors should not have any type of sexual intimacies
with clients and do not counsel persons with whom they
have a sexual relationship. Counselors should not also
engage in sexual intimacies with former clients within a
minimum of two years.
In cases where counselors agree to provide counseling 1.5
services to two or more persons who have a relationship,
counselors clarify at the outset which person or persons are
clients and the nature of the relationship they will have with
each involved person.
Counselors take reasonable precautions to protect clients
from physical or psychological trauma.
Before entering the counseling relationships, the counselors
clearly explain the client's financial arrangements related to
professional fees.
Confidentiality
Description
Counselors respect a client’s right to privacy and avoid
illegal and unwarranted disclosures of unwarranted
information.
The right to privacy may be waived by the clients or their
legally recognized representative.
The general requirement that counselors keep the
information confidential does not apply when disclosure is
required to prevent clear and imminent danger to the client
or others or when legal requirements demand that
confidential information be revealed.
Counselors who receive information confirming that a client
has a disease commonly known to be communicable and
fatal is justified in disclosing information to an identifiable
third party, who by his/her relationship with the client is at
high risk of contracting the disease.
When court orders counselors to release confidential
information without a client’s permit, counselors request to
the court that the disclosure should not be required due to
potential harm to the client.
In family counseling, information about one family cannot
be disclosed to another member without permission.
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.
Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.
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4. Records
5. Research and Training
6. Consultation
Areas
1. Standards Knowledge
2. Professional Competence
DISICPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
FIRST SEMESTER • SY 2020-2021
Counselors maintain records necessary for rendering
professional services to their clients and as required by laws,
regulations, and agency or institution procedures.
Counselors are responsible for securing the safety and
confidentiality of any counseling record they create,
maintain, transfer, or destroy whether the records are 1.6
written, taped, computerized, or stored in any other medium.
Counselors recognize that the counseling records are kept
for the benefit of the clients, therefore, provide access to
record and copies of record when requested by competent
clients unless it contains information that they may be
misleading or detrimental to the clients.
Counselors obtain written permission from clients to
disclose or transfer records to legitimate third parties unless
an exception to confidentiality exists.
Used of data retrieved 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. The identification of the client
involved is permissible only when the client has reviewed
the material and has agreed to its presentation or publication.
Information obtained in a counseling relationship is
discussed for professional purposes only with persons
concerned with the case. Before sharing information, the
counselor makes efforts to ensure that there are defined
policies that effectively protect the confidentiality of
information with other agencies serving the counselor’s
client.
Professional Responsibility
Description
Counselors have a responsibility to read, understand, and
follow the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their
competence based on their education, training, supervised
experience, state and national professional credentials, and
appropriate professional experience. Counselors will
demonstrate a commitment to gain knowledge, personal
awareness, sensitivity, and skills.
Counselors practice in specialty areas new to them only
after appropriate education, training, and supervised
experience. While developing skills in a new specialty area,
counselors take a step to ensure the competence of their
work and to protect others from possible harm.
Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.
San Guillermo, Isabela

Counselors continually monitor their effectiveness as

professionals and take steps to improve their skills and
knowledge.
Counselors refrain from offering or accepting
professional services when their physical, mental, or
emotional problems are likely to harm clients or others. 1.7

DEEPEN

Activity 1: Count Me In, Count Me Out: Will I Give Up My Job or Not?

In the area of counseling relationships of the Code of Conduct, it states that “Counselors should not have
any type of sexual intimacies with clients and do not counsel persons with whom they have sexual
relations. Counselors should not also engage in sexual intimacies with former clients within a minimum
of two years.” What if you are a counselor and you have fallen in love with your client and your client
has also fallen in love with you? Since it is unethical to pursue a relationship, you will have to quit your
job. Your job is also important to you. Now, what will be your decision? Explain your answer.
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Activity 2: Will I Report My Client or Not?

In the area of confidentiality of the Code of Ethics, there is a portion of the client’s right to privacy.
What if the counselor, in his/her conversation with the client, found out that the client accidentally killed
a person, will you report the client to the police? Will you take the position of not disclosing the
information to the right authorities or will you take the position of disclosing the information to the right
authorities? What is your position? Why?
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DISICPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

FIRST SEMESTER • SY 2020-2021
Southern Isabela Academy, Inc.
San Guillermo, Isabela

TRANSFER!

Let us evaluate the learning you gained from the topics discussed by answering the following
questions. Write your answer on the space provided. 1.8

1. If you will be given a chance to be a counselor today, what career opportunities would you like
to get and be hired? Give your reasons (at least two to three reasons).
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2. What is the significance of the Code of Ethics in the counseling profession?

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3. If given a chance to work as a counselor, do you think it will be easy for you to follow and
distinguish between the ethical and unethical behaviors of a counselor?
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4. How do you see the importance of the roles and functions of the counselor? Do you think that
counselors have unique roles and functions than other professionals? Why do you say so?
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5.How do you think a school counselor may help you resolve some of your issues and concerns?
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REFERENCES

Dela Cruz, A.R., Fernandez, C., Melegrito, M. L., & Valdez, V., (2016). Disciplines and Ideas in the
Applied Social Sciences. Phoenix Publishing House, 45-56

Gladding, S. (2000).Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession. (Fourth Edition). NJ and Ohio: Merril

and Prentice Hall

McLeod, J. (2003). An Introduction to Counseling. (Third Edition). Buckingham and Philadelphia:

Open University Press

Nystul, M. (2003). Introduction to Counseling: An Art and Science Perspective. (Second Edition).

END OF MODULE 2

DISICPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

FIRST SEMESTER • SY 2020-2021