Principles of Ethical Practice
The Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Code of Ethics comes as part of the application package, and agreeing to practice by its standards is a component of the certification process. You should review the Code of Ethics before taking the examination, and to do that visit the CRCC Web Site.
All codes go beyond simply identifying conduct that is unethical, being far more than a list of activities not to do. Ethical codes delineate the standard practice of a profession, substandard practices, and the highest practice of a profession. Standard practice can change over time, but at anytime what is accepted as standard practice is also ethical practice. Nonstandard practices are not necessarily unethical, but they may be.
Important as ethical codes are to professional practice, they nevertheless have limitations. First, they are always documents that come from a profession's past, and standard practices can change as a field changes, before ethical documents are reviewed and revised. Likewise, new issues or problems may develop that existing ethical codes do not address. Ethical codes are also vulnerable to internal contradictions and conflicts as standards for practice may compete with one another. They also cannot cover every situation that might arise, or anticipate all the complexities, nuances, and/or extenuating circumstances that may exist.
Sexual relations with present or former clients (in some American states this is a felony).
Violation of confidentiality.
Negligent or incompetent practice.
Abandoning a client.
Practicing beyond one's area of professional competence.
Imposing one's values upon a client.
Deliberately creating dependency in a client.
Misrepresenting professional credentials, training, experience or expertise.
Entering into a professional relationship when a significant conflict of interest exits.
Charging excessively high fees.
The first step in resolving an ethical question is to look at the applicable professional code to see what it states about the situation. Failing to find that ... what does the code address that is related to the situation? This first step is often sufficient to answer the question at hand.
The second step is to obtain consultation from a colleague. At times this will actually be the first action taken by the counselor, and the most important person to consult with is obviously your supervisor. In many agencies and employment situations (such as on treatment teams) a counselor can also go directly to professional colleagues and ask for their thoughts about a situation. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to present a hypothetical situation that mirrors the one you are struggling with to protect and respect confidentiality.
Never allow an ethical question or concern to separate you from your supervisor or colleagues. Should the behavior of a supervisor or colleague be the source of your problem, you should take and discuss your concerns directly with the person involved. The goal should be to correct the situation and set it right ... not recrimination or punishment. Always remember that your views on any situation are just that ... your views. There are times when there is simply no perfect answer or choice for desirable goals and standards may be in conflict. Should the problem persist, you have the option of bringing it to your supervisor (or to higher attention if not resolved at that level) for further discussion and review.
The highest ethical practice of a profession is not always clear. The third step in dealing with ethical questions is to think about the situation in relation to the ethical principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, and fidelity.
This principle involves looking at and identifying what promotes the greatest independence and freedom for the client.
The highest practice of a profession involves avoiding dual relationships that may create conflicts of interest. Any conflict of interest has as least some potential to compromise professional judgement and practice. Many individuals believe they can enter into dual relationships and keep the realms separate, but this is often a self-deception. Even when the professional can keep the realms separate, the dual relationship may create problems for colleagues.
A dual relationship that is blatantly unethical is dating a client. Dating a coworker is not unethical, but there is some potential for the personal relationship to conflict with the professional relationship. Even when it does not, colleagues may have difficulties in that the two (correctly or incorrectly) may be seen as a "team." A colleague having a serious professional disagreement with one could be concerned that it might affect their relationship with the other.
There are many possible dual relationships, and some are more problematic than others. Dual relationships with clients, whether personal or business, are not ethical, and the same is generally true for dual relationships with supervisees. Dual relationships with colleagues need to be looked at very carefully as they may also interfere with professional practice.
