Ethics
Ethics are vital to the professional counselling practice and I consider a good counsellor to be one who is not only ethical in his or her practice, but also transparent in regards to his or her values and approach to counselling. Pettifor (1996), defines the professional code of ethics is a collection of enforceable rules of conduct that allow governing bodies to control unacceptable behaviour and protect vulnerable consumers. The decision making protocol of the CCPA provide guidance in regards to the relevant ethical issues and the ethical principles governing them.
In the Ethics course I learned that counsellors are expected to adhere to an ethical framework that encompasses three ethical domains: values, principles, and personal moral qualities.
The fundamental values of counselling and psychotherapy include a commitment to:
- Respecting human rights and dignity
- Protecting the safety of clients
- Ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client relation ships
- Enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application
- Alleviating personal distress and suffering
- Fostering a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concerned
- Increasing personal effectiveness
- Enhancing the quality of relationships between people
- Appreciating the variety of human experience and culture
- Striving for the fair and adequate provision of counselling and psychotherapy services
The second domain places great emphasis on ethical responsibilities with counsellors being accountable for any and all their decisions. Ethical principles for counsellors include:
- Beneficence - being proactive in promoting the client’s best interests
- Fidelity - honouring commitments to clients and maintaining integrity in counselling relationship
- Nonmaleficence - not wilfully harming clients and refraining from actions that risk harm
- Autonomy - respecting the rights of clients to self- determination
- Justice - respecting the dignity and just treatment of all persons
- Societal Interest - respecting the need to be responsible to society
Working within an ethical framework not only protects the client, but also the counsellor. This also help enhance the interaction between the two by promoting transparency and a strong working alliance. In terms of personal moral qualities, counsellors are encouraged to aspire towards:
- Empathy – being able to understand the clients experience from their frame of reference.
- Sincerity – a personal commitment to consistency between what is done and what is professed.
- Integrity - honest and coherent service provision.
- Resilience – being capable of working with client concerns without being personally diminished.
- Humility – accurate assessment and acknowledge of one’s own strengths and weaknesses.
- Competence – effective deployment of the skills and knowledge needed to be an ethical counsellor.
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Source:http://www.ccpa-accp.ca/_documents/CodeofEthics_en_new.pdf