A Comprehensive Look at Ethics in Counseling: Principles and Dilemmas

This essay provides an overview of ethics in counseling, defining ethics and categorizing it into consequentialist, non-consequentialist, and agent-centered theories. It introduces counseling, its types, and the standards needed for ethical practice, emphasizing professionalism and responsibility. The essay delves into ethical dilemmas such as multiple role relationships and confidentiality, highlighting the importance of ethics in maintaining the integrity of the counseling process and the relationship between counselor and client. It also references key principles of ethics, including autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity, underscoring the counselor's commitment to providing ethical and beneficial service.

ETHICS IN
COUNSELING

What are Ethics?
• The term which defines about any task which is right or which is wrong. It
is moral philosophy that helps any individual to eliminate concerns of life
with the understanding about evil and good (Houser, 2019).
• Ethics is classified in three basic studies which are defined as:
i. Consequentialist Theories
ii. Non-consequentialist Theory
• iii. Agent Centered Theories

1. Consequentialist Theory:
This theory is categorized in three different parts which are as follows:
i. Approach to utilitarian
ii. Approach to egoistic
iii. Approach in common good
2. Non-consequentialist Theory
It is categorized in four approaches which are:
iv. Approach by duty base
v. Approach to right
vi. Approach in Justice
vii. Approach for Divine
3. Age Centered Theory
It is categorized in two approaches
viii. Approach of Virtue
ix. Approach to Feminist (Wilkinson, Smith& Wimberly,2019).

Introduction to counseling
What is counseling?
To Provide guidance to someone who is facing mental or emotional distress by using
psychological methods is known as counseling.
Types of counseling :
 Solo Counseling
 Couples Counseling
 Family Counseling
 Group Counseling

Standard needed for
Ethics
 Maintain professionalism
 Responsibility of Trust to people
 Development on disputes related with ethics code
 Dilemma of Ethics
 Nature and morality
 Ethics code of BPS

Principles of Ethics
 Autonomy-The principle which highlights the significance of independence,
respect and creating self determination of client.
 Non-maleficence- A counselor should keep in mind that none of his/her
client face any harm.
 Beneficence- Counselor should be committed to provide service to clients
with kindness.
 Justice–Every client is facing some issue with his/her personal life in very
different way counselor should remember to help them equally.
 Fidelity-Counselor should not make any false commitment with the clients

Ethical Dilemmas
Introduction of Ethical dilemma
The issue which arises while taking decision between two moral situations is
known as Ethical dilemma.
 Relationships of multiple role.
 Informed agreement.
 Confidentiality
 Wealthy communication
 Legal cases
 Expert Testimony

Importance of Ethics
Ethics is direct to our emotional, mental or spiritual values
therefore it is not an easy topic to study. There is a strict
parameters or framework is decided for every counselor which
they have to follow for their every session or every study.
These parameters are decided from a very long time to protect
the moral values of counseling and to maintain relation
between client and counselor (Brady, 2019).

References:
Houser, R. A. (2019). Counseling and educational research: Evaluation and
application. Sage Publications.
Wilkinson, T., Smith, D., & Wimberly, R. (2019). Trends in Ethical Complaints
Leading to Professional Counseling Licensing Boards Disciplinary Actions.
Journal of Counseling & Development, 97(1), 98-104.
Brady, M. E. (2019). Adam Smith (Virtue Ethics) Against Jeremy Bentham
(Utilitarian Ethics): Two Completely Different, Conflicting Types of Capitalism
Result From Their Distinct Ethical and Economic Positions. Conflicting Types of
Capitalism Result From Their Distinct Ethical and Economic Positions
(February 12, 2019).
Houser, R. A. (2019). Counseling and educational research: Evaluation and
application. Sage Publications.
Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. E. (1995). A practitioner's guide to ethical
decision making. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.