LESSON

3.1
Lesson 3.1
Roles and Functions of Counselors
ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF
COUNSELORS
ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF
COUNSELORS
ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF
COUNSELORS
DISCOVER
 Word to Remember

exhaustion
and lack of
COUNSELING is a process that enables a person to focus on his or her
Burnout motivation
feelings, experiences, or behavior in order to experience positive change. because of
In counseling, the resolution of a client’s problems depends on the skills constant
and personality of the counselor. stress

Counselors are trained professionals who help

people develop self-awareness and coping skills,
establish and maintain healthy relationships, and
become productive members of society. They are
trained to deal with many problems. These include
but are not limited to grief, unhealthy relationships,
and burnout. Aside from their professional training,
they possess characteristics that fit their job. They
are usually kind, patient, caring, and empathic. They
are also good at socializing, helping, and teaching.
LESSON 3.1 X +

GOOGLE
How do counselors help us cope with life’s challenges?

SEARCH
LESSON 3.1 X +

How do counselors help us cope with life’s challenges?

GOOGLE
Counselors as Providers of Help and Counselors as Career Development
Counseling Services Specialists

Counselors as Agents of Diversity and Counselors as Community

Multiculturalism Collaboration Specialists

Counselors as Advocates of People Counselors as Leaders and Advocates

with Special Needs and Those at Risk of Success

Counselors as Developmental Counselors as Advocates of a Safe

Guidance Specialists Environment
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Providers of Help and Counseling

Services

One of the things that counselors do is to provide help through counseling services.
They work in different environments such as schools, communities, and families.
The duties that they perform include counseling, rehabilitation, and support
services that help individuals deal with issues such as mental health concerns,
addiction, disability, employment needs, and school problems.
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Agents of Diversity and Multiculturalism

Counselors work with people from different backgrounds and cultures. This is why they use
different techniques that suit the unique situation of a person seeking counsel. Some of these
techniques are the therapeutic approach, which involves knowing a person’s attitudes and beliefs
about the counseling process; the communication approach, which involves awareness of the
societal figures of speech and phrases that may offend ethnic minorities; the values approach,
wherein counselors consider the values and beliefs of the counselee in the counseling process; the
self-awareness approach, wherein counselors exercise sensitivity to their own cultural identity
when interacting with people from other cultures; and flexibility approach, which involves the
willingness to acknowledge the limitations of one’s cultural competency and expertise
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Advocates of People with Special Needs and Those at

Risk

Counselors help people with special needs and those who experience significant life risks such as
a history of imprisonment or delinquency, chronic illnesses, and poverty. Counselors help
them achieve success despite their disabilities and disadvantaged positions. Most of the people
who have special needs and who are at risk can be found in schools. Some of the help that
counselors provide are individual counseling, talking to school administrators about the programs
and services that they offer, using problem-solving and conflict resolution techniques, scheduling
classes and programs, and offering career preparation.
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Developmental Guidance Specialists

Counselors help people develop and apply skills in order to achieve

growth in their careers, education, personal life, and social life. To do
this, they use guidance competencies in providing responsive services in
the form of a comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling
program.
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Career Development Specialists

As career development specialists, counselors help job seekers find the

right employer. They also aid people in developing job search skills,
answering questions during interviews, and writing resumes. The
duties of a career development specialist include giving advice about
one’s career, helping people choose the right career, and assessing one’s
personality, type, skills, and work ethic to find out what job suits him or
her.
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Community Collaboration Specialists

Counselors also facilitate partnerships between the school and the community.
To do this, they need to have highly relevant leadership, consultation, and
management skills. They should also have the ability to establish linkages with
the community. As leaders, counselors help the community identify its needs
and formulate a plan of action.
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Leaders and Advocates of Success

In places like schools, counselors do not only serve as persons from whom
people seek advice regarding their problems. They also serve as leaders.
Counselors help in building a community filled with diversity, appreciation, and
collaboration. For example, counselors can serve as leaders in establishing
collaboration among schools and families. School counselors, in particular, are
ideal for the job because of their knowledge, awareness, and
skills. Such leadership skills are shown by counselors through increased
collaboration and consultation interventions.
LESSON 3.1 X +

Counselors as Advocates of a Safe Environment

Counselors contribute to making sure that schools and the other places they
work in are safe. They do this by making their presence felt in that place. At
the same time, counselors allow themselves to be the person that people can
turn to in case of trouble. They need to establish a relationship with people in
the community and work with them in order to ensure the safety of the
environment.
QUIZ
3.2
Lesson 3.2
Competencies of Counselors
COMPETENCIES OF COUNSELORS
COMPETENCIES OF COUNSELORS
COMPETENCIES OF COUNSELORS
DISCOVER
 Word to Remember

exhaustion
and lack of
COUNSELING is a process that enables a person to focus on his or her
Burnout motivation
feelings, experiences, or behavior in order to experience positive change. because of
In counseling, the resolution of a client’s problems depends on the skills constant
and personality of the counselor. stress

Counselors are trained professionals who help

people develop self-awareness and coping skills,
establish and maintain healthy relationships, and
become productive members of society. They are
trained to deal with many problems. These include
but are not limited to grief, unhealthy relationships,
and burnout. Aside from their professional training,
they possess characteristics that fit their job. They
are usually kind, patient, caring, and empathic. They
are also good at socializing, helping, and teaching.
 C O M P E T E N C I E S T H AT
EFFECTIVE COUNSELOR POSSES

Establishing Basic Attending

Rapport Skills

Observational Basic
Skills Responding
Skills
 Establishing Rapport

In therapy, rapport refers to an established connection between the client

and the counselor that enables a team approach to addressing the client’s
concerns; it is anchored on a shared understanding of issues. Counselors
have different approaches to establish rapport. For example, they may
discover common interests between them and the client. Another way is to
introduce themselves as people who want to help the client. Strategies to
establish rapport may vary depending on the client, but most successful
interventions require good rapport between the client and the counselor.
 Establishing Rapport

Establishing rapport leads to therapeutic success because it enables the

development of the therapeutic alliance. A therapeutic alliance,
commonly perceived as an outcome of the counseling process, refers to a
state of mutual trust and respect between the client and the therapist.
Through this therapeutic alliance, clients are able to trust the skills of the
counselor. Thus, they can open up about sensitive issues or challenges
with the knowledge that they are being helped and respected in the
process.
 Basic Attending Skills

Numerous studies suggest that nonverbal cues influence individual

perceptions more than verbal cues. The unconscious display of body
language creates a greater impression than speech. In counseling,
nonverbal cues are also important in establishing a good working
relationship with the client. By employing positive nonverbal actions, a
counselor is able to establish himself or herself as a person who is
genuinely interested in attending to the needs of the client. Making the
client feel that the counselor is active and present in the counseling
session builds trust and rapport.
 Basic Attending Skills

The SOLER approach is highly recommended in promoting an attentive

and active stance in counseling:
SITTING — The counselor should sit at an angle that faces the client so that the former
S appears to be directly talking to the latter.

O OPEN POSTURE — The counselor should not cross arms to avoid appearing defensive
or unapproachable.

L LEARNING — This technique invites counselors to lean towards the client in order to
signify active listening.
EYE CONTACT — Establishing eye contact is an expression of a counselor’s genuine
E interest to listen and attend to the needs of the client.
RELAX — This technique informs the client that the counselor is not rushing to end
R the counseling session.
 Observation Skills

In any counseling process, counselors do not only listen to what their

clients are talking about; they also spot clues that reveal the clients’
issues by observing various aspects of their appearance and nonverbal
behaviors. As such, counselors should possess good observational skills
to better understand the needs, triggers, and challenges of their clients.
In some instances, these behavioral observations may also serve as bases
for assessing the client’s progress.
 Observation Skills

Physical Appearance

Clients’ physical appearance is often an indicator of their current mental

state. For example, a client who has been wearing the exact same clothes
for more than one week may indicate that he or she is unable to maintain
personal hygiene. This may signal an underlying cause or condition of
the client’s mental state. Counselors are tasked to note how clients
present themselves in their counseling sessions.
 Observation Skills

Personal Space
Generally, counselors are expected to provide adequate personal space to
the client. This indirectly establishes their respect towards the client.
However, observing how a client utilizes this personal space further
helps them assess the level of comfort in the counseling process (e.g.,
observing how a client sits on a sofa or chair).
 Observation Skills
Voice
The way that clients speak—their volume, tone, and speed—can be
influenced by numerous factors such as their train of thought, the pieces
of information they want to share, and the emotional associations they
have formed with these. In observing the clients’ voice, counselors are
tasked to take note of its different facets (volume, tone, speed) and
understand at which points or cues these start to change. Voice may also
be used to determine transference from the client.
 Observation Skills
Facial Expression
Clients are usually unaware when their facial expressions change. In
theory, these should coincide with their emotions. For example, when a
client feels joyful, then the facial expression should outwardly indicate
the emotion. However, there are clients whose facial expressions do not
match the emotions they say that they are feeling. In cases like this, it is
the counselor’s task to recognize the misalignment, bring the client’s
attention to it, and explore its meaning.
 Observation Skills

Body Language
Similar to counselors, clients also display a variety of unconscious
behaviors through their body language. As such, counselors should be
aware of specific movements that signal discomfort or mistrust in the
therapeutic relationship. The timing must be right in bringing these
observations to the clients’ attention, and they must also be given an
opportunity to adjust to the therapeutic relationship.
 Observation Skills

Behavioral Changes
There will be instances when counselors notice behavioral changes in
their client (e.g., a sudden change in emotion or tone of voice). These can
mean that distressing thoughts, feelings, and experiences may have
surfaced. Counselors are tasked not only to observe and note what
triggers these changes but also to ensure that the client feels safe and
respected while he or she is in this vulnerable state. This may be done by
assuring clients that sensitive topics can be discussed when they are
ready or allowing sufficient time for them to “collect” themselves before
tackling the issue that has caused the behavioral changes.
 Basic Responding Skills

Part of facilitating an effective counseling session is providing ample and

appropriate feedback to the client. However, doing so requires several
strategies, such as the use of minimal encouragers, restatement and
paraphrasing, reflection of feelings, and summarization.
 Basic Responding Skills

Use of Minimal Encouragers

To verbally express that they are actively listening to the client,
counselors may use minimal encouragers such as “yes,” “I understand,”
“uh-huh,” and other short terms or phrases. Using these motivates the
client to share more experiences and feelings with the counselor.
 Basic Responding Skills

Restatement and Paraphrasing

Restatement is a technique in which the counselor captures the essence

of what the client is saying and then attempts to restate it. Meanwhile,
paraphrasing involves the repetition of what the client has just said
using different words or sentences. Both of these techniques encourage
the client to provide feedback to the counselor (e.g., validating or
correcting what the counselor said and providing more information about
the topic at hand)
 Basic Responding Skills

Reflection of Feelings
In some cases, clients are unable to recognize that they are feeling certain
emotions until the counselor brings these to their attention. Using this
technique, the counselor may paraphrase or restate the client’s experience
while developing awareness of possible feelings that are associated with
it. For example, a counselor can say that “you are experiencing issues
because of this event, and you feel worried and scared because this can
impact your family.” In this sentence, the counselor is not only
paraphrasing but is also emphasizing the negative emotions that the
client has been feeling. Bringing these emotions to the surface can
provide clients with better insights about their situation.
 Basic Responding Skills

Summarization
Summarization is a technique that combines or connects two or more
ideas in order to come up with themes about the client’s experience and
behavior. This condenses the client’s ideas into main points, which can
then be used to inform specific counseling goals and interventions.
QUIZ
3.3
Lesson 3.3
Areas of Specialization and Career
Opportunities of
Counselors
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION AND CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES OF
COUNSELORS
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION AND CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES OF
COUNSELORS
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION AND CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES OF
COUNSELORS
DISCOVER
 Word to Remember

a standard of health
The previous lessons introduced you to the discipline of and wellness that
counseling. By now, you already mental encompasses
understand that counseling is a career that helps clients with their health emotional, cognitive,
and social well-being
emotional, cognitive,
behavioral, or social problems. It is a discipline that has many
applications, which makes it a
dynamic, fulfilling, and captivating profession. restoring health
rehabilitation through training
and
therapy
COUNSELING can be applied in various fields and
disciplines. In fact, in recent years, there has been
greater acceptance of the role and value of
counseling as an important tool for helping
individuals, groups, and communities. This increased
awareness about counseling has opened
opportunities for counselors to specialize in specific
fields that are at par with their skills and interests. In
this lesson, we will discover the different areas of
specialization and career opportunities for
counselors.
Career opportunities and specialization
as counselor
 School Counseling
Counselors who work in schools or academic institutions are tasked with being the
“beacon” of academic and mental health counseling. School counselors are not only
responsible for the student’s behavior and conduct in school, but they are also
responsible for providing guidance on career options, conducting personality and
career assessments, helping students with academic and personal difficulties, and
organizing programs for holistic development.
 Clinical Counseling
Clinical counseling is a branch of psychology that deals with individuals who
experience behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or social issues that hinder their
capability to perform social and occupational functions. There are currently debates on
whether or not clinical counseling and clinical psychology differ. Both fields are
practice-based approaches that address psychological issues. However, some
practitioners argue that clinical counseling involves individuals experiencing a mental
health problem while clinical psychology treats mental disorders.
 Rehabilitation Counseling
Rehabilitation counseling is a specialized branch of counseling that focuses on helping
individuals with physical disabilities to cope, adjust, and understand emotions,
thoughts, and behaviors associated with their current condition. Rehabilitation
counseling is beneficial among individuals who suddenly succumb to physical
disability. The task of a rehabilitation counselor is to help individuals view their
disabilities from a fresh and positive perspective, assist clients in finding vocational
opportunities, promote a personal narrative of their experiences, and generate
available growth opportunities.
 Industrial Counseling
Industrial counselors work in an organizational setting, and they are expected to
provide support to various employee issues and challenges. An employee’s
occupational tasks and personal life can affect his or her productivity and performance
at work. To address this, an industrial counselor can offer numerous ways of helping
employees manage their issues.
 Marriage and Family Counseling
Some counselors specialize in helping family members and couples resolve their
issues. In marriage and family counseling, the counselor utilizes a family systems
framework in addressing challenges, concerns, and problems. In this approach, the
family or couple is viewed as a whole system whose function is dependent on the
unique roles that each member plays, the binding cultures and traditions, social
hierarchies, values, and dynamic relationships within the group. The counselor is
tasked with helping members identify and address issues within this complex
relationship.
 Private Counseling
Counselors in private practice are not under the supervision of mental health or
medical institutions, and so their methods and schedules are usually dependent on
their preferences. Counselors who do private practice can take in clients one-on-one,
making counseling more individualized. However, counselors in this area are also
bound by law to accomplish several professional, medical, financial, and operational
requirements before starting their practice.
 Community Counseling
In community counseling, services are made directly accessible at the community
level through the barangay or the community health centers. In this type of
counseling, a counselor attempts to address psychological and social issues within the
community (e.g.,
widespread fear or anxiety after a devastating typhoon). A community counselor can
conduct counseling sessions with individuals or groups, depending on the needs of
community members.
SURPRISE
3.4
Lesson 3.4
Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities
of Counselors
 RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND
ACCOUNTABILITIES OF COUNSELORS
 RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND
ACCOUNTABILITIES OF COUNSELORS
 RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND
ACCOUNTABILITIES OF COUNSELORS
DISCOVER
 Word to Remember
Disciplines and professions that directly work with human well-
being should be practiced with caution since life and health are at
stake. Hence, professional organizations develop codes of ethics and a set of standards,
standards to regulate the conduct of their members. These codes and usually mandated by a
code of certain overseeing
standards, in turn, translate to mandates. And, just like any other ethics body, that
professional, counselors are also bound by these. practitioners must
follow

an agency that is
tasked by law to
Throughout the world, the practice of counseling is regulated by local and international institutions regulatory handle the
that are also responsible for setting the standards of care, practice, and treatment. For instance, the licensing and
board
regulation of the
Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association, Inc. (PGCAI) is the primary institution
practice of a
regulated by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to oversee the ethical practice of profession
counseling in our country. Moreover, beginning counselors are required to pass the board exam
administered by the PRC before they can offer guidance and counseling services. These licensing
requirements imply that more than the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed by
counselors, there are also several ethical guidelines and responsibilities that they must follow. In this
lesson, we will discuss some of these principles, particularly the responsibilities, rights, and
accountabilities of counselors.
 Rights,
Responsibilities,
and
Accountabilities of
Counselors
 There are two essential documents that stipulate the rights,
responsibilities, and accountabilities of Filipino counselors.
These are Republic Act No. 9258 or the Guidance and
Counseling Act of 2004 and the Code or Manual of Technical
Standards for Registered and Licensed Guidance
Counselors.

COUNSELOR’S

RIGHTS RESPONSIBILITIES ACCOUNTABILITIES

 RIGHTS OF COUNSELOR
It is important for any professional organization to cite the specific rights of its members. In
counseling, one common misconception that practitioners encounter is the thought that since they
give service to clients, they do not hold certain rights in their practice. This is definitely not true as
all counselors are entitled to certain rights. These protect them from any untoward legal or ethical
issue that they might encounter in their practice. These also secure their safety, protection, and
well-being and can prevent physical and psychological harm that counselors could potentially
experience because of their profession.

Here are some rights of counselors as mandated by the GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING ACT
OF 2004 and the CODE OR MANUAL OF TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR REGISTERED
AND LICENSED GUIDANCE COUNSELORS
 RIGHT TO PRIVILEGED
COMMUNICATION
The counselor is allowed, under
law, to refuse to release any
statement, conversation, file, or
information that is acquired while
counseling a client.
RIGHT TO PRACTICE IN
THE COUNTRY
He or she can enjoy work-related
privileges that are mandated by
law, such as wages and bonuses,
linkages with professional
organizations, licensure, and
continuing development
opportunities.
RIGHT TO REHABILITATION
SERVICES
Counselors who experience
work-related stress
have the right to seek
rehabilitation and psychological
support from other mental
health professionals.

RIGHT TO CONTINUING
ACTIVITIES FOR
RIGHT TO SAFETY AND
COUNSELOR CARE DIGNITY
The professional organization Much like their clients, counselors
may offer various continuing also have the right to a safe and
activities to its members, such as dignified practice. This is
seminars and training, especially important when seeing
clients who are at risk of harming
Administrative opportunities, and
others or being exposed to cases
research-related activities.
with high security and safety risks.
 RESPONSIBILITIES OF
COUNSELOR
Counselors attend to several important responsibilities. Addressing a client’s needs and providing
feedback are just some of these; hence, they are all-around professionals who are able to integrate
their knowledge and skills in their practice.

The counselors’ CODE OF ETHICS mandates them to foster safe and professional counseling
relationships with their clients. In practice, a counselor’s responsibilities are numerous and can
help address client issues, establish and maintain professional competence, and facilitate equal
opportunities to clients.
 RESPONSIBILITY RESPONSIBILITY RESPONSIBILITY
(A) (B) (C)
must limit their practice to should engage in research-
oriented activities to improve must uphold ethical values
their educational background
their knowledge throughout their professional
and
of their practice. relationships
professional competence.
with clients.

RESPONSIBILITY RESPONSIBILITY
(D) (E)
must recognize and respect their must maintain good and functional
clients’ religion, race, age, professional relationships with
ethnicity, educational their
background, socioeconomic clients and uphold the ethical
status, and other principles of respect,
sociodemographic confidentiality, informed consent,
characteristics. and safety and security.
 ACCOUNTABILITIES OF
COUNSELOR
Counselors are also accountable for specific tasks and responsibilities that go beyond their
counseling sessions with clients. Their CODE OF ETHICS also mandates several important
provisions about specific accountabilities of counselors. Being accountable means being
answerable to their actions. It is important to note that while responsibilities can be shared,
accountability cannot. Once an action is done, a practicing counselor is solely accountable for the
consequences. These apply to them not only as professionals who help clients but also as
administrators and researchers who expand the field of counseling.

Here are some of the accountabilities of counselors

 ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY
(A) (B) (C) (D)

Counselors are
Counselors are required Counselors avoid dual
responsible for
to engage in continuing Counselors maintain or multiple relationships
ensuring that all
professional development and safely keep their with their clients. For
equipment to be used
to clients’ records. They example,
in counseling,
maintain their capacities are also responsible having a friend or a
especially computers
as counselors and for granting clients relative as a client can
and data banks, are
continue practicing their access to these. risk potential issues and
adequately secured to
profession. bias in the
ensure the client’s
outcome of the
privacy and safety.
counseling process.
ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY
(E) (F) (G) (H)
Counselors should
report any prevailing
Counselors are also Counselors are expected ethical and
Counselors are liable to tasked to ensure that to ensure that all professional concerns
any form of unethical all procedures, information to the
practice that goes processes, and promulgated in any official administrative
against their CODE activities aspect of their practice body and
OF ETHICS and other conducted are relevant (e.g., advertising REGULATORY
pertinent laws in the in their field of materials) is true and BOARDS
Philippines. practice. accurate. responsible for
maintaining
ethical and
professional standards
in the field.
QUIZ
3.5
Lesson 3.5
Code of Ethics for Counselors
CODE OF ETHICS FOR COUNSELORS
CODE OF ETHICS FOR COUNSELORS
CODE OF ETHICS FOR COUNSELORS
DISCOVER
In the Philippines, counselors are mandated by the CODE Word to Remember
OR MANUAL OF TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR
REGISTERED AND LICENSED GUIDANCE reaction
COUNSELORS that was developed by the PHILIPPINE aboutaninformation
oraperformance;
GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING ASSOCIATION, feedback
usuallyservesas
INC. (PGCA) and the PROFESSIONAL basisfor
improvement
REGULATION COMMISSION (PRC). While the code
of ethics that Filipino counselors follow is localized in the
country, the components of this code do not veer away the
from global standards of what and how counseling processofpublishing
publication researchintoan
practices should be. academicjournal

The purpose of this code of ethics is to ensure that professional standards

are maintained
in practice and that practitioners are given an opportunity to improve,
direct, and assess
their service quality based on a standardized rubric. In this lesson, we
will discuss various
components of the code of ethics for counselors.
 CODE OF ETHICS FOR
COUNSELORS

Confidentiality, Privilege
The Counseling Professional Responsibility Relationship with Other
Communication, and
Relationship Professionals
Privacy

Evaluation, Assessment, Supervision, Training, and Research and Publication Resolving Ethical Issues
and Interpretation Teaching
 Carl Rogers’ therapeutic triad The Counseling
Relationship
UNCONDITIONAL Contemporary research on counseling has shown that successful
counseling sessions are influenced by the quality of the counseling
POSITIVE relationship, which can be understood as the professional
REGARD (UPR) relationship between the counselor and the client. Contrary to
popular belief,
the therapeutic alliance of the counseling relationship is a by-product
of the counseling process that is anchored on mutual respect,
openness, and trust.

Meanwhile, rapport should be established early on in the counseling

EMPATHY CONGRUENCE relationship in order to open more opportunities for growth. In the
counseling relationship, both the counselor and the client take active
roles in addressing the client’s issue. This is one reason why
humanistic perspectives in counseling are heavily integrated into
many counseling applications. One prominent theory is that of Carl
Rogers’ therapeutic triad of empathy, unconditional positive
regard, and congruence. This will be thoroughly discussed in the
next unit.
 Confidentiality, Privileged Exeptions:

Communication, and Privacy when the client is a minor who has been experiencing
any form of abuse at home,
school, work, or in the community

Confidentiality is a process that protects the client’s privacy

through appropriate safekeeping of records and through ensuring
that such information is only accessible to the client. Meanwhile,
privacy refers to the clients’ right to control information about when clients’ current functioning poses harm to
themselves. Privacy and confidentiality are pillars of privileged themselves or others
communication that imply the client’s right to anonymity, but
specifically under a court of law.

While counselors are generally tasked to maintain the when the client’s case is subjugated by any court of
confidentiality, privacy, and privileged communication of their law, for any legal case that
clients, there are several exceptions that warrant private information requires this information to be released
to be released to relevant third parties.

when clients request for their records to be released

for personal purposes
 Professional Responsibility
The counselor is first and foremost a professional who is tasked to
aid clients in resolving their issues. Counselors need to ensure that
they are conscious of their professional responsibilities before,
during, and after any counseling session. The counselor’s
professional responsibilities range from establishing a good
working relationship with the client, providing regular feedback
and assessment sessions, and conducting debriefings and follow-
ups when necessary.

In some cases, counselors might also need to perform

other professional responsibilities that go beyond client
interaction. These include presenting a client’s case in a court of
law, partaking in continuing development activities, and holding
administrative positions related to the counseling profession.
 Relationship with Other
Professionals
Similar to other professions, counseling professionals are
encouraged to widen their networks through participating in
training, seminars, and workshops. Actively partaking in these
events not only introduces a counselor to various linkages, but it
also provides counselors new skills and knowledge that they could
apply in practice.

The code of ethics encourages counselors to view fellow

practitioners as colleagues in the
field who work towards a unified goal and purpose. Nevertheless,
it is important to note that counselors, in times of work-related
stress, are also encouraged to seek support from the same network
to ensure that the quality of service provided to clients will not be
limited,
biased, or problematic.
 Evaluation, Assessment, and
Evaluation, assessment, and
Interpretation
interpretation can be viewed as the most
objective aspects of the counseling
process. Counselors are expected to
provide accurate and reliable results to
tests, including those that only include
behavioral observations and counselor
feedback. This is because the outcomes
acquired from these processes will
heavily influence the course of the For example, any misinterpretation of a
counseling process, particularly the client’s evaluation and assessment results
counseling goals and the counseling plan. could lead to more maladaptive behaviors for
the client. The counseling activities (which are
heavily reliant on these processes) will fail to
target actual maladaptive behaviors.
 Supervision, Training, and
Teaching
According to the code of ethics, counselors can engage in counseling supervision, training, and teaching.
However, it is important to know that doing so would require professionals to meet specific requirements and
qualifications that go beyond getting a PRC license as a guidance counselor.

For example, the PGCA and PRC recognize and certify supervisors,
trainers, and specialists when counselors meet specific exhaustive criteria that prove their
experience and exposure to the profession. Some of these qualifications include a minimum
number of years in active practice, certifications for specialized programs and counseling
areas, and registration as a licensed practitioner in the Philippines.
 Research and Publication

One of the professional responsibilities of counselors is to conduct research and produce

publications. While this is not required in practice, engaging in these activities would allow
counselors to increase their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points and facilitate
knowledge-building in their field. In the code of ethics, counselors are expected toengage in
research and publication initiatives that value participant safety, privacy, and beneficence. At the
same time, ethical standards of research practice would also require counselors to report
accurate results using reliable and appropriate methodologies.
 Resolving Ethical Issues

At times, counselors may encounter issues that may be too difficult to resolve by
themselves. In these situations, specific and appropriate measures might be mandated by the
PGCA, alongside with experts in the field, on how to address such issues. One way of doing so
is to engage in objective consultation with other counseling professionals and with the
regulating institutions. Legal obligations and standards falling beyond the realm of counseling
must also be considered. According to existing research, one method of resolving these complex
ethical issues would be to conduct an in-depth exploration of potential solutions and choose
which would be the best for the client in terms of potential outcomes and safety considerations.
QUIZ