In this case, an ethical dilemma faced by the school counsellor is that he/she might end up requesting for information from the student that is no consistent with the aim of the entire counselling session (Iyer, 2010, p.5). An issue exist when school counsellors do not only have to protect the confidentiality of the student. they even have to abide by the parent’s right to gain information about their children (Brigman, 2005, p.21).

One way for avoiding this dilemma from even occurring is that the counsellor needs to provide different caretakers of a child including the parent, teachers as well as the administration that it is highly important for the counsellor to keep the information gained confidential (Bodenhorn, 2006). Another way through which school counsellors can avoid this issue from occurring is that they can maintain an informed consent policy (Glosoff, 2002). This means that they need to obtain consent from the caretakers of the child that information obtained during counselling sharing may not be shared with the caretakers. This consent should be in written form in order to avoid legal issues such as parents suing a counsellor for not appreciating the parent’s right to know.

At times school counsellors are faced with the issue of primary responsibility. this means that they face difficulties in drawing a line between whether their main clients are the administrators of the school or the students of the school. A school counsellor may be required by the highest authority of the school to follow his/her instructions and perform duties that are being delegated by the school principal and on the other hand, the counsellor may be required to attend a student who is experiencing distress (Froeschle, 2010). In such a scenario, the counsellor may be required to choose who they respond to first are. The ACA Code of Ethics provides direction to the school counsellors that their primary duty is to attain and maintain the wellbeing of their clients (Texas Counseling Association, 2014).