500 words
The case example from this prompt involves a family receiving family therapy and the
teen daughter of the family explaining that she has been experiencing anxiety from family rules.
The counselor, or me, appears to be breaking a few ethical codes with her responses and her
approach to encourage the young girl to set clear boundaries with her parents. That being said,
due to not having all the session information some of the following ethical codes may not be a
violation but all noted are important to consider and uphold as a counselor.
Starting with ACA Code of Ethics: A.2.c. Developmental and Cultural Sensitivity addresses
a counselor’s responsibility to “consider cultural implications” and approach informed consent
and the counseling process with that in mind. Although informed consent was not mentioned, it
does not seem like Korean culture was being considered. Next, code A.4.b. Personal Values
emphasizes that counselors should not only be aware of their own values and beliefs, but also
avoid imposing those beliefs on their clients. It appears this code could have been violated
when the client was given Bible verses to go home and study. It was not clearly stated whether
the client wished to integrate religion into the sessions. Lastly, code C.2.a. Boundaries of
Competence addresses a counselor’s responsibility in regard to multicultural counseling
competency. It states that counselors are required to “gain knowledge, personal awareness,
sensitivity, dispositions, and skills pertinent to being a culturally competent counselor in
working with a diverse client population.” Although the scenario stated that I have a good
amount of experience with clients who struggle with anxiety, I should also be aware of the
diverse population that makes up the family seeking counseling (ACA, 2014).
Next, I will take a look at the ethical requirements from AAMFT and IAMFC. One code of
ethics from AAMFT that caught my eye in regard to this scenario was 3.10 Scope of
Competence. This code emphasizes competencies and how counselors should not treat or
advise outside their boundaries. Although setting family boundaries to decrease anxiety seems
like a good technique, considering both cultures and the whole family may be out of the
counselor’s competency boundary (AAMFT, 2001). Next, Section H. Ethical Decision-Making and
Resolution 1. from IAMFC code of ethics states that couple and family counselors are to not only
understand but also implement all the ethical codes. This code appears to have been violated
due to the previous and following examples of other ethical codes not being upheld (IAMFC,
2017).
Lastly, when taking a look at the AACC code of ethics in comparison to this scenario,
there were a couple ethical codes. Starting with 1-630: Working with Couples, Families, and
Groups, this code states that when dealing with families counselors are to “identify a primary
client—the group as a unit or the individual members—and discuss how differing roles,
counseling goals, confidentiality and consent issues are affected by these dynamics.” This code
may have been addressed in another session, but I felt the need to point out its importance.
Finally, code 1-630-a: Safety and Integrity in Family and Group Counseling states that counselors
should remain “unbiased and effective helpers” in family counseling (AACC, 2014). Without
knowing all the session details, it seems like bias toward American culture and the teenage
daughter may be present.
Hi Cameron,
I really enjoyed reading your initial thread and takeaway from the counseling scenario. I
agree with you that this scenario allowed me to be more aware and cautious of our ethical
duties as counselors as I partake in my Internship experience. I think you started off strong by
pointing out codes 1-330 from the AACC Code of Ethics to show the potential violation that
occurred. Without all the session information, it is hard to confirm if the client’s wished to
integrate spiritual aspects into their treatment, but if they did not that is a clear violation. I also
liked how you pointed out that informed consent should always occur, so hopefully that was
handled ethically AACC, 2014).
A few more codes that I did further research on were IAMFC Section B Code 5, parents and
family guardians, ACA code B.5.b, and ACA Code of Ethics A.2.c. Developmental and Cultural
Sensitivity. IAMFC Section B Code 5 addresses the duty to inform parents or guardians of minors’
relationships regarding counseling and confidentiality (IAMFC, 2017). ACA codes B.5.b and A.2.c
both address the ethical responsibility to be sensitive to cultural diversity in family systems and
to inform parents or guardians about the role of counselors. As mentioned above, it is hard to
confidently say these codes were violated without all the information but from what
information was given it appears that they were ACA, 2014).
In response to your question about the Bible verses, I used code A.4.b. Personal Values from the
ACA Code of Ethics to address this. It emphasizes that counselors should not only be aware of
their own values and beliefs but also avoid imposing those beliefs on their clients. It appears
this code could have been violated when the client was given Bible verses to go home and
study. It was not clearly stated whether the client wished to integrate religion into the sessions
(ACA, 2014). There may be more appropriate codes to use for this though. Great job!
References
American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). (2014). AACC code of ethics: The Y-2014
final code.
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics.
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. (2017). IAMFC code of ethics.
ACA
A.2.c. Developmental and Cultural Sensitivity “in collaboration with clients, counselors
consider cultural implications of informed consent procedures and, where possible, counselors
adjust their practices accordingly.”
states that, “Counselors are aware of—and avoid
imposing—their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Counselors respect the diversity
of clients, trainees, and research participants and seek training in areas in which they
are at risk of imposing their values onto clients, especially when the counselor’s values are
inconsistent with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature.” ACA Code of Ethics A.4.b
states that counselors should avoid “imposing own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors”
onto clients
C.2.a. Boundaries of Competence states that,
“Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence, based
on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national
professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience. Whereas
multicultural counseling competency is required across all counseling specialties,
counselors gain knowledge, personal awareness, sensitivity, dispositions, and
skills pertinent to being a culturally competent counselor in working with a diverse client
population.”
AAMFT
3.10 Scope of Competence states that “Marriage and family therapists do not diagnose, treat, or
advise on problems outside the recognized boundaries of their competencies”
IAMFC
Section H. Ethical Decision-Making and Resolution 1. States, “Couple and family counselors are
responsible for understanding and implementing the American Counseling Association Code of
Ethics, the Ethical Code of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, and
other applicable codes of professional associations, certification and licensure boards and
credentialing organizations who provide regulation pertinent to them”
AACC
1-110-b: Managing Client Conflicts states,
“Christian counselors acknowledge that client conflicts are unavoidable and attempt to resolve
all counseling conflicts in the client’s best interest. Counselors tempted to respond in harmful
ways to clients shall seek out consultative and restorative help. If self-control is not
accomplished—and client harm is unavoidable—counselors shall consider making an
appropriate referral in the client’s best interest.”
1-240: Duties to Consult and/or Refer states, “Christian counselors consult with and/or refer to
competent colleagues, supervisors and other resources when their limits of counseling
competence or effectiveness are reached” and I interpreted the first two descriptions to have
been violate. Those state, 1) “when facing issues not dealt with before or not experienced in
handling; (2) when clients need further help outside the scope of one’s training, practice and
expertise.”
1-630: Working with Couples, Families, and Groups states,
“Christian counselors often work with multiple persons in session—marriage couples, families
or parts of families, partners and small groups—and should know when these forms of
counseling are preferred over or used as an adjunct to individual counseling. In these
relationships counselors should identify a primary client—the group as a unit or the individual
members—and discuss how differing roles, counseling goals, confidentiality and consent issues
are affected by these dynamics.”
1-630-a: Safety and Integrity in Family and Group Counseling also states,
“Christian counselors maintain their role as fair, unbiased, and effective helpers in
all marital, family, partner and group work, and should remain accessible to all
persons, avoiding enmeshed alliances and taking sides unjustly.”
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