Week 3 discussion response to classmates | Psychology homework help

NCDA C.2.a - Professional Competence When reviewing the ethical standards of both the NCDA (2015) and ACA (2014), I realized that practicing within the boundaries of my professional competence is crucial. As a new counselor, especially one with limited counseling experience, working with certain populations may be outside of my professional wheelhouse. According to NCDA Standard C.2.a and the ACA Standard C.2.a, both state counselors must practice within the realms of their professional wheelhouse. For me, this means that working with some populations would require additional training. For example, my counseling specialty focuses on addiction. My client population will be geared towards working with adolescents and young adults; however, I recently learned that I need additional training when working with the LGBTQ community. If my client is part of the LGBT community, then I need to seek supervision regarding the best way to assist this client or if I need to transfer this client to another counselor that specializes working within the LGBTQ community. Following these ethical guidelines not only protects the professional but also protects the wellbeing of the client. ACA B.1.a - Multicultural/Diversity Considerations According to ACA (2014), counseling professionals must maintain awareness of multicultural and diversity differences. Counselors must remain self-aware of any bias that exists personally and professionally. Counselors must be sensitive to the differences and experiences between the professional and the client. For me, this might include clients that have different values than my own. I need to be sensitive to the needs of each client as they are all unique individuals with different experiences from my own. Young adults with different racial backgrounds may feel oppressed in their working environment and as their counselor, I need to be sensitive to their feelings. I also need to consider cultural appropriateness when making suggestions to aid the client (Harris & Engels, 2012). As a counselor, my goal is to empower and encourage my clients. Ethical Challenges One potential challenge I found within the NCDA (2015) Standard A.2.d was sharing information. Since some of my clients will minors, it may be necessary to share information with the client's parents. In many states, informed consent applies to adult clients only. When the client does not have the ability to give consent, I would work to obtain assent from the client and discuss the limitations of confidentiality in detail with both client and parent/guardian to that each has an understanding of what they are. I would work with the minor client to help them be able to share the information with their parent/guardian and give them the option of having me be present or telling them alone. In my opinion, this gives the minor client some power in making their own decisions by choosing how to include their parent/guardian. A second challenge I may face is regarding the ACA (2014) Standard C.2.g - Impairment. The ACA states that counselor must remain vigilant of their own self-care needs as well as the needs of their colleagues. As a new counselor, I am not sure I would understand the signs of my own impairment or be comfortable confronting a colleague that is experiencing impairment. I may disagree if someone confronted me, or feel out of place. To counteract this, I would be mindful of my own needs and feelings regarding the work I am doing. If I thought someone was experiencing an impairment of some sort, I may seek consultation with my supervisor as to how to handle such a situation. Summary of NCDA and ACA After reviewing the NCDA (2015) and ACA (2014) ethical guidelines, I find that both are very similar. In fact, most of the guidelines are written using the same wording. In my opinion, this makes it extremely beneficial when maintaining ethical and legal practices. So long as the guidelines are followed, there is little room for error. I find comfort knowing that I do have resources to turn to if I have questions and can always seek guidance from consulting with a colleague or supervisor.

References

American Counseling Association (ACA). (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=4 Harris, H. L., & Engels, D. W. (2012). Ethical and legal issues in career counseling. In D. Capuzzi & M. D. Stauffer (Eds.), Career Counseling: Foundations, perspectives, and applications (2nd ed., pp. 127-149). Boston, MA: Pearson Education. National Career Development Association (NCDA). (2015). NCDA Code of Ethics. http://associationdatabase.com/aws/NCDA/asset_manager/get_file/3395