Counseling ethics
Our responsibilities are guided by ethical standards that people are required at all time to adhere to. Counseling is one of the professions that require guidance or adherence to ethics because of its nature. I believe that it is vital for counselors to strictly adhere to their ethical principles for them to provide appropriate services to their clients.
One unethical behavior that counselor should not engage in is to expose some of the confidential information provided by the client during the counseling process. This is unethical and goes contrary to the requirements of the profession. Trust must be adhered in dealing with clients (Ponton & Jill, 2009). A counselor must be an individual that seeks to change the attitude of the person and to improve the quality of life rather than worsen the situation. Therefore, being trustworthy is a key principle in this profession. Another unethical behavior is using vulgar and disrespectful language when providing counseling services to the client. The counselor is obliged to engage the client in a polite and a constructive way to motivate the client and even change his/her negative attitudes about certain things. Such behaviors are unethical and do not conform to the requirement of the profession.
When I learn of a colleague who engages in such like behaviors, what I will have to do is to approach the individual and tell him/her to avoid behaving in such a manner because it is not healthy to the clients. If this does not work then I will have to contact American counseling association ethical code body to report the matter for an immediate action to be taken to the individual. I do believe that counselors have to be professional and execute their duties with respect, diligent because, it is important to the lives of the people that seek services from them.
Reference
Ponton, R., & Jill, D. (2009). The ACA Code of Ethics: Articulating Counseling’s Professional Covenant, Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(1): 117-121.