Erikson

Erikson

14. Ethical Standards
The professional school counselor candidate adheres to the ethical standards of the counseling profession (ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors), as well as state and local district procedures.

School counselors will undoubtedly face issues that cause them to question what would be sound, ethical solutions. In such cases counselors must refer to the guidelines which are outlined in the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors.

My understanding of the competency has matured throughout the school counseling program. After discussing ethical dilemmas in class and completing the ethical dilemma paper in Field Placement, I became familiar with the ethical codes that I must refer to as school counselor. Many of the class scenarios caused me to reflect and consider what to do ethically. I now know that counselors cannot use their own judgment or opinions when confronted with certain situations.

The artifact I selected was my ethical dilemma paper from Field Placement. In this dilemma Student A reported to the counselor that her friend, Student B told her that she was going to commit suicide. The counselor then spoke to Student B who allegedly threatened to commit suicide. Student B denied saying this and told the counselor that Student A was lying on her because they had an argument over the weekend. Although the counselor felt confident that Student B was being honest and not a danger to herself, she was ethically bound to inform her parents of the situation. Although Section B.1.b of the Code of Ethics requires that counselors respect confidentiality, it’s important to note that the very first ethical code sums up the duty of a counselor. The counselor is to respect the dignity and promoter the welfare of clients. The Duty to Warn is also listed as an ethical code. Once the statement has been made known to counselors, we must report it to the student’s parents; regardless of whether or not the statement is...

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