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Summary of the Ethical Complaint

            In the Virginia State Board of Counseling, one of the complaints, case number 223710, targeted license number 0701001491, whose license ended on June 30, 2023 (Leffler, 2023). The licensure ad was issued on December 27, 1989, in practicing Virginia Commonwealth counseling as the counselor had violated the law. The violation resulted from the counselor engaging in a sexual and dual relationship with client A. In the specification, client A was a female seeking assistance treatment due to the problem of substance abuse. An interview with the Department of Health professionals’ investigator depicted that the client had attended the sessions for counseling twice in one month after the first assessment. Mr. Leffler demonstrated that he regularly called the student via phone to check on her and had a personal meeting once. Alternatively, Mr. Leffler confirmed phone sex with the client 4 to 6 times.

Furthermore, the interview confirmed that he had a sex addiction and had been seeing his therapist for seven to eight years. Mr. Leffler wanted to quit counseling and had no intention of renewing the licensure. The Virginia Board of Counseling order depicted Bard accepting the voluntary surrender of indefinitely suspending Leffler's right to renew a license in practicing counseling in Virginia. The request was, therefore, suspended. If Mr. Leffler wanted the reinstatement of his licensure, an administrative proceeding had to be convened to decide the matter. At that time, Mr. Leffler was to demonstrate his competency and safety while engaging in the practice.

Code of Ethics Violated

            Leffler violated the A.5 Code of Ethics prohibiting non-counseling relationships and roles. ACA Code of Ethics A.5. (a) demonstrates that romantic relationships between counselors and clients are prohibited (American Counselling Association, 2014). It also cuts across the partners of the clients or the family members. The law applies while engaging in electronic interactions or in-person interactions. Mr. Leffler and Client A were involved in phone sex, violating the code of ethics. In addition, the Code of Ethics H. 4. (b) indicates that counselors should maintain professional relationships with clients even in distance counseling assisted using mobile phone technology. Mr. Leffler, on the other hand, used the phone to engage the client from time to time to the point of engaging in phone sex. Therefore, it is an ethical issue in counseling (Remley & Herlihy, 2020). The Code of Ethics F.5. (b) emphasizes the importance of the counselors monitoring themselves to determine the possibility of impairment in terms of their own mental, physical, and emotional problems and avoid the provision of counseling services in such conditions as there are high chances of harming the client. In Mr. Loffler's case, he must first suspend all responsibilities until ensuring safety for the resumption of work.

Avoiding the Boundary Violation

As a counselor, avoiding the boundary violation would consist of educating the client on the appropriate participation in tele-counseling to eliminate misunderstandings, such as in the case of Mr. Leffler, who considered the client just as a friend and engaged in phone sex. It includes the responsible use of technology. Additionally, I would have managed the boundaries in facilitating healthy relationships through engagement in professional roles only (American School Counsellor Association, 2022). I would have reminded myself of the primary objective of promoting the client's welfare while treating them respectfully.

 

 

References

 

American Counselling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. As Approved by the ACA Governing Council.

American School Counsellor Association. (2022). Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Washington, Alexandria.

Leffler, J. (2023). BEFORE THE VIRGINIA BOARD OF COUNSELING. Virginia Public Notices.  https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Notices/Counselors/0701001491/0701001491Order10042023.pdf Links to an external site.

Remley, T. P., & Herlihy, B. (2020). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Chapter 9, “Boundary Issues”