Ethics in Counselling Essay

Introduction
Ethics in professional counseling has received a lot of recognition in recent years making it to become an important and relevant topic. Codes for ethical practices are important and relevant in protecting the counsellors as well as the clients. Counseling and leadership educational programs have also put much emphasis on ethics in the professional curriculum (Richard & Jill, 2009). Situations surrounding counseling setting require process where a resolution should be made and the professionals may be encountered with ethical dilemmas (Richard & Jill, 2009). A code of ethics is important in resolving such dilemmas.
Volunteerism
Ethics in counselling refers to the set of moral principles that pertain to values and judgments in the counselling and psychotherapy profession. A code of ethics refers to the set of principles of conduct that guide the decision-making process in an organization as well as the behavior the members. The American Psychological Association founded in 1892 published its first code of ethics in 1953 (ACA, 2014). Since that initial publication, nine revisions have been done on the code with the most recent being in 2002. The American Counseling Association founded in 1953 published its first code of ethics in 1996 (ACA, 2014).
Counsellors in practice must be aware of the ethical standards to which should uphold and which all clients are entitled. The American Counseling Association (ACA) sets high standards of ethical conduct that practitioners registered with the association should abide with. A breach of the relevant standards of ethics by practitioners may lead to complaints which the ACA is responsible for handling. Standards of ethical practice for counsellors to uphold if you are in a voluntary position of providing free/pro bono work include;
* The practitioners should uphold the fundamental values of counselling such as respecting human rights and dignity and protecting the safety of clients.
* The practitioners should uphold the ethical principles of counselling and psychotherapy that include autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, being trustworthy, self-respect and justice.
* The counselling practitioner should uphold personal moral qualities as a standard of ethical counselling practice. Personal moral qualities include; empathy, sincerity, integrity, resilience, respect, competence, wisdom, fairness and humility.
* Good quality of care-The practitioners should provide good quality of care that meet the client’s needs by being responsible and accountable.
* Confidentiality- Counsellors must respect the privacy and confidentiality of clients. They should treat any personal information about clients with confidence (ACA, 2014).
Self-Disclosure
Privacy and confidentiality are two key issues during the counseling process. The professional counsellor often maintains a relationship with his or her client and has the obligation of keeping confidentiality. It is a significant responsibility of the professional to inform his/her client early in the therapy about the confidentiality rules confidentiality (ACA, 2014). Confidentiality should be modeled in the counseling process whether in individual counselling, family counseling, group coun...