Promoting Effectiveness and Resiliency Through Counseling Ethics

David Kaplan ACA Chief Professional Officer

Thesis Focusing on counseling ethics makes you more effective and your clients more resilient

Theory-Based Rationale Person-Centered Therapy

In my early professionals years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth? -Carl Rogers

Research-Based Rationale Michael Lambert – The counseling relationship accounts for 30% of the variance of positive client outcomes

The Convergence of Theory and Research TRUST

Ethical Principles for Establishing Trust Autonomy Nonmaleficence Beneficence Justice Fidelity 9

Autonomy Clients have the right to make their own decisions 10

Nonmaleficence Do no harm 11

Beneficence Do good 12

Justice Be fair 13

Fidelity Be faithful 14

Implementing the Ethical Principles I.1.b. Ethical Decision Making When counselors are faced with an ethical dilemma, they use and document, as appropriate, an ethical decision making model…. 15

I have been counseling an adult woman with a presenting problem of difficulty in coping with the death of her mother. Her mother and grandmother (who is also deceased) suffered from progressive Alzheimer’s disease. My client revealed to me that she administered a lethal dose of sleeping pills to her grandmother during the final stages of the Alzheimer’s, and that she also caused the death of her mother by withholding cardiac medication. It was then revealed that it is likely she will have to take care of a third relative with Alzheimer’s disease, an elderly Aunt. It is important to understand that my client is not a bad person and did what she did while under tremendous stress and pressure and with feelings of compassion for the deteriorating condition of her mother and grandmother. My question is in two parts: First, what are my ethical obligations upon hearing the manner in which my client’s mother and grandmother died? Second, am I responsible to do anything about the upcoming situation with the Aunt?

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THE ACA KNOWLEDGE CENTER ACA 2014 Ethics Resources 18

The ACA Code of Ethics Ethics podcast Ethics webinar series Ethics interview series Books on counseling ethics * See handout 19

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David Kaplan ACA Chief Professional Officer