Discussion Question: Ethical Codes and Standards

By Week 1, Day 3, respond to the discussion question. Submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Use the same Discussion Area to comment on your classmates’ submissions and continue the discussion until Week 1, Day 7.

After moving from a big city to a rural setting, Janice is suffering from anxiety and depression because of adjustments to the change. She wants to seek counseling services to help her adjust. Janice has always valued her privacy and is finding it difficult to commit to seeing a counselor in a rural setting. The community has only one mental health counselor. Janice fears that if she begins counseling sessions, people will learn that she is undergoing therapy. In addition, Janice is a devoted Catholic and is aware that the counselor is a devout Jehovah’s Witness, as is most of the community. Janice is apprehensive that the counselor might try to encourage her to convert. She is desperate to talk to someone and does not know where to turn.

• Identify the ethical standards of the APA or ACA code specific to Janice’s concerns that the counselor should follow to provide professional and ethical services.
• Identify specific sections of the ethical code, described in your own words, which may apply to Janice’s situation.
• Describe, using the scenario, why ethical standards are important for client progress.