COUC 601
DP 2
Topic: Ethical Issues When Counseling Different Ethnic Populations
Before beginning your thread, read, analyze, and critique the code of ethics found in the
Reading & Study folder. Then, follow these instructions:
Listed below is a situation that may or may not violate codes of ethics when working with
families. Study the scenario carefully and then go to the codes of ethics for AAMFT, IAMFC,
AACC, and ACA to find the ethical answers to the dilemmas presented.
Be sure to record the code location on each ethical code where the violation or permission is
given for the counselor to do what had been done (ex: AAMFT 2.2 or ACA B.7.2).
You have been counseling a family of Korean origin for the past 5 weeks. Specific family
members have been suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, which is connected to
family discord and what you see as blurred boundary issues. In your fifth counseling session,
the teenage daughter tells you that her parents do not understand American culture and
how it affects family rules. Having worked with over a hundred clients struggling with
anxiety, you feel she needs to set clear boundaries with her parents. You instruct her to
exercise more independence from her family and seek to become self-actualized.
As a competent Christian counselor, you also give her Mark 10:6–9 and Luke 14:26–27 and
ask her to study them this week to see how individuals must distance themselves and
become self-differentiated.
In your reply, look for other confirmations in the codes that the therapist either did well or
violated competent practice.
Your thread must be at least 500 words. In addition to the thread, you will prepare a reply of
at least 400 words to 1 classmate’s thread.
Your thread is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module/Week 3, and your reply is due
by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the same module/week.
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
1.8 Client Autonomy in Decision Making. Marriage and family therapists respect the
rights of clients to make decisions
and help them to understand the consequences of these decisions. Therapists clearly advise
clients that clients have the
responsibility to make decisions regarding relationships such as cohabitation, marriage,
divorce, separation, reconciliation,
custody, and visitation.
1.3 Multiple Relationships. Marriage and family therapists are aware of their influential
positions with respect to clients, and
they avoid exploiting the trust and dependency of such persons. Therapists, therefore, make
every effort to avoid conditions
and multiple relationships with clients that could impair professional judgment or increase
the risk of exploitation. Such
relationships include, but are not limited to, business or close personal relationships with a
client or the client’s immediate
family. When the risk of impairment or exploitation exists due to conditions or multiple roles,
therapists document the
appropriate precautions taken.
1-110: No Harm or Exploitation Allowed
Christian counselors proactively avoid every manner of harm, exploitation, and unjust
discrimination in all client-congregant relations, and help ensure the overall safety and
wellbeing
of clients. Christian counselors are also aware of their psychosocial and spiritual influence
and the inherent power imbalance of helping relationships—power dynamics that can harm
others, even without harmful intent.
1-110-a: Avoidance of Client Harm, Intended or Not
Christian counselors strictly avoid all behavior or suggestion of practice that
harms or reasonably could harm clients, client families, client social systems and
representatives, students, trainees, supervisees, employees, colleagues, and
third-party payers and authorizers.
1-520: Cultural Competency
Christian counselors earnestly strive to develop and maintain culturally competent
awareness and practices such as, but not limited to: (1) awareness of one’s personal worldview
and its impact on the counseling process; (2) knowledge of various cultural practices and
worldviews, including those that may conflict with a Judeo-Christian worldview; and (3) cross
cultural
sensitivity and skills that enhance the helping process.
1-530: Working with Persons of Different Faiths, Religions, and Values
Counselors work to understand the client's belief system, always maintain respect for
the client and strive to understand when faith and values issues are important to the client and
AACC Y-2014 Code of Ethics 26
foster values-informed client decision-making in counseling. Counselors share their own faith
orientation only as a function of legitimate self-disclosure and when appropriate to client need,
always maintaining a posture of humility. Christian counselors do not withhold services to
anyone of a different race, ethnic group, faith, religion, denomination, or value system.
1-530-a: Not Imposing Values
While Christian counselors may expose clients and/or the community at large to
their faith orientation, they do not impose their religious beliefs or practices on
clients.
1-540: Cultural Sensitivity
Christian counselors proactively communicate with clients in a culturally sensitive
manner, especially when obtaining consent, defining the scope of care, during assessment and
evaluation procedures (including instruments that are selected), and addressing any
developmental and/or linguistic issues that may be present.
In the case concerning the Korean family suffering anxiety, the first area the counselor
should be familiar with ethically concerns the family cultural values. The ACA Code of Ethics
Preamble (2014, 2) clearly states that competent counselors need to embrace a multicultural
approach within the context of their specific culture and society. In this scenario, the counselor
determines the issues within this family has to do with boundaries and expresses to one of the
members to gain more independence. In the American culture this would be deemed as culturally
relevant, however, the counselor needs to be more culturally sensitive to the family values and
culture as a whole. Furthermore, although the teenager in this family may be striving for more of
an American lifestyle with more independence, the Korean parents may be more traditional in
their cultural values and believe their young daughter is to honor them by being actively
involved within the family structure by contributing financially, fulfilling duties to care for the
siblings and elderly, and respecting the parents (Goldenberg, Stanton, & Goldenberg, 2017).
Ethically, this counselor could be seen as imposing her personal values onto the teenage daughter
which the American Counseling Association (ACA) specifically cautions against (2014, A.4.b).
From a different perspective, the counselor may believe she is following the American
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) code concerning client autonomy in
personal decision making where the counselor is respecting the right of the client to make an
informed decision, however, the counselor must also make the client aware of the consequences
of their decisions (2015, 1.8). In this case, the counselor may believe they are allowing the client
to make a personal decision, however, they only give the client one option to consider and no
consequences of that decision. This may cause more tension and lack of trust within the family
which the AAMFT specifically states to avoid when multiple relations are concerned (2015, 1.3).
As an acting Christian counselor guided by the American Association of Christian
Counselors (AACC), cultural sensitivity should have been addressed during the consent process
which would include the families core values and religious beliefs (2014, 1-540). With the same
ethical codes cultural competency is expected with regard to the family’s values and beliefs
systems including their personal world view (AACC, 2014, 1-530;1-520). This counselor takes
the perspective of the teenage daughter without acknowledging the rest of the family thereby
negating their family belief system. This, in turn, could cause damage to the family system
violating other ethical codes (AACC, 2014,1-110-a). Introducing scripture to the client can be
ethically sound, however, in this situation, the scripture is one-sided favoring only one member
of the family system. Although we are not aware of the family religious beliefs based on the
provided information, it is unethical to present only one-sided scripture or biased information to
one member of the family (AACC, 2014, 1-630-a).
Overall, this counselor has created an unethical situation in which the family is not being
treated as a family unit which may ultimately damage the family unit. The competent counselor
should consider each member of the family, allow each member to express their thoughts and
ideas, and then allow them to work though their concerns in a safe place where no one member
feels more valued or heard than another.
References
American Association of Christian Counselors (2015). 2015 AACC Code of Ethics.
Retrieved from http://www.aacc.org
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics.
Retrieved fromhttp://www.counseling.org
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2015). 2015 AAMFT Code of Ethics
Retrieved from http://www.aamft.org
Goldenberg, I., Stanton, M., & Goldenberg, H. (2017). Family therapy: An overview (9th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Couple and family counselors promote client autonomy and facilitate problem solving skills to
prevent future problems. They do not make decisions for families or family members when the
decision-making rightfully belongs to the family and/or family members. When it is beneficial,
couple and family counselors share clinical impressions and recommendations for the purpose of
better informing families.
Section A: The Counseling Relationship and Client Welfare
Ethical Code of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC)
One of the biggest issues I find in this scenario has to do with the counselor making
decisions for the teenage daughter. According to the Ethical Code of the International
Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC) Section A, decision-making happens
within the family system and solely belongs to the family members. Counselors can offer
recommendations and offer their impression; however, they should not instruct one member to
do something specific especially if it is not beneficial to the whole family. The fact that this
counselor advises the teenage girl to act on her own accord without including the family on her
decision is unethical.
Competent Christian counselors are allowed to share relevant scripture, however, the
specific scripture in this situation is taken out of context for one and biased toward what the
teenage daughter wanted. This can unintentionally cause harm to the family system which is a
violation of the American Association of Christian Counselors Code of Ethics (2015, ES1-100-
a). According to the AACC, Christian counselors should avoid any practice that could harm a
family social system as well as, attempt to resolve conflict in the client’s best interest, in this
case, the family system. Suggesting to the teenage daughter to read a scripture that, out of
context, states to hate your family, could cause dissention and greater conflict within the family.
Luke 14:26 (NIV) “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”
This scripture has nothing to do with the issue this particular family is currently trying to work
through, which is generalized anxiety disorder. Asking one member to disassociate with the rest
of the family could potentially cause greater anxiety among the other members, which is not in
the best interest of any member.
We are not aware of the family’s personal religious beliefs; however, we are aware of the
Korean culture, therefore, this counselor must caution not to impose their personal values
(American Counseling Association, 2014, A.4). Competent counselors are advised to respect
diversity, including culture differences, and avoid imposing personal values “especially when the
counselor’s values are inconsistent with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature” (ACA,
2014, A.4.b.). From the information provided, we are not told what the family goal is, however,
we are aware of the cultural background which, as you stated, should be researched and
respected during the counseling relationship. If the counselor is unsure of specific beliefs,
questions should be addressed during the assessment.
References
American Association of Christian Counselors (2015). AACC Code of Ethics.
Retrieved from http://www.aacc.org
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics.
Retrieved fromhttp://www.counseling.org
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. (2017). IAMFC Code of Ethics.
Alexandria, VA. Author Retrieved from
http://www.iamfconline.org/public/department3.cfm
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