BV COunselor Ethics and Responsibilities Assignment Guidelines.docx

Brianna Villa
Grand Canyon University
PCN-505

Introduction
Counselors are professionals who assist clients in need of advice, assistance, or
protection. They are important to society and lives around the world. Clients and counselors
work hand in hand to protect each other and work more efficiently together. The following will
be about the rights and ethics a client has and the standards counselors are held to, to protect
their clients.
Part One
Section 1: Client Rights
According to the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics, autonomy is “fostering
the right to control the direction of one’s life” (ACA, 2014). In other words, encouraging the
client to speak on their own behalf and make their own decision. One way to use this in the
workplace to maintain clients’ rights is to let them speak on their own. One way to do this is to
not complete their sentences when they struggle, not to interrupt their thinking or speaking, and
not giving directions to everything they ask. It would be unethical to direct every part of the
conversations and responses in sessions; therefore, counselors should let the clients exercise their
rights to speak on their own and not disturb their thought processes or taint their opinions.
Nonmaleficence is the act of “avoiding actions that cause harm,” (ACA, 2014). Counseling
sessions are considered safe places, clients go to counseling to feel safe and comfortable enough
to speak things on their mind that they may not be able to do at home or anywhere else.
Situations in which the client may feel harmed can be conflict of interest discussions from the
counselor or by judgement. A client would become uncomfortable and possibly want to refrain
from being in those situations again by not confiding all things they have to say in fear that the
counselor will disagree or judge what they say, or simply by not going back to counseling.

Counseling is a career in which the provider is always working towards the best interest of
the client, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Beneficence, “working for the good of the
individual and society by promoting mental health and well-being” (ACA, 2014). Promoting
wellness and health is one way to use beneficence in the workplace. Encouraging clients to live
happy, healthy lives is one responsibility all counselors carry regardless of their determined
specialty. As counselors, another great way to promote beneficence would be to change treatment
styles when one shows as ineffective. By doing so, the counselor is continually striving to
provide their client with the most necessary and effective counseling methods to suit their needs
rather than the easiest or most convenient way for the counselor.
Another practice, justice, is important to foster into the counseling space. To provide justice
means to provide equality and fairness according to the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014). Ways
to provide justice are to not discriminate clients in session based on sexuality, religion, culture,
disability, or any other statuses, and to accept all people regardless of their status.