Counseling ethics is among the most complex jobs from a personal perspective because it explores the innate issues surrounding the constantly changing human behavior and relationships. These complexities span several areas of human existence, ranging from cultural, social, economic, political to environmental aspects. The individuals wishing to succeed in counseling must not ignore the approach. As sensitive and controversial issues continue to challenge professionals across various fields, the modern world counselors embrace, adopt and appreciate ethics as a means of effectively discharging their roles. In general, I find it essential to autobiographically understand and share my value system and emphasizing how they are likely to affect my counseling.
My cultural background is among the leading contributors to my values, hence their high likelihood of affecting my counseling approach. I come from a community that does not support an unbiased approach to the treatment of clients irrespective of their racial or sexual orientations. Based on my background and beliefs, lifestyles such as homosexuality are inherently and culturally discouraged in my culture. Due to this factor, I would find it challenging to offer counseling services to this category of individuals. Furthermore, such perceptions contravene the provisions and standards guidelines that require all counselors to provide their services without bias or prejudice to clients irrespective of their background (ACA, 2021). The above values, therefore, threaten my career as a counselor.
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My values on homosexuality and termination of pregnancy can also impede my chances of effectively discharging my roles as a counselor. From a religious perspective, I believe in the sanctity of male and female forms of relationship. As a result, I have always undignified these individuals. The views will also impede my compliance practices as per the ACA code. The ACA Code of Ethics charges counselors to manage personal values before handling clients from perceived as controversial backgrounds. Among the provisions of the code that I am likely to disregard if I do not resolve my matters regarding homosexuality and pregnancy termination is the proving which states that "The primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients" (ACA, 2021, p.4). I can, therefore, affirm that my personal and religious values concerning homosexuals and the abortion proponents may adversely impact counseling.
My value for humanity and the right to life can equally positively impact counseling. Levenson et al. (2020) support the above claim by affirming that counselors who appreciate clients' lives yield better outcomes because they are more empathetic, developing a solid connection with their clients. In some of my previous counseling sessions, the aspect has played out, especially when dealing with people suffering from psychological, social, or other personal problems. The value mentioned above also helps counselors safeguard against potentially abusing their powers, among the most prohibited practices in the ACA code of conduct. Care and concern for humanity also help counselors develop measures that keep them from imposing personal values on their clients. Section 4b of the ACA ethics code prohibits such behavior by stating that "Counselors are aware of their values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling goals. In addition, counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees, and research participants" (ACA, 2021, p.4). It is, therefore, justifiable to claim that valuing humanity aligns a counseling approach to the ACA code, thus enhancing the outcomes.
My conception of right and wrong behavior stems from my faith, family, and cultural background. I belong to a religion that teaches its followers the value of assessing wrong and right actions and responding as per its guidelines. The same applies to my family and cultural values, where wrong actions are punished while the right ones are rewarded. Due to the punishment versus rewards cultural and family model, I have been able to do more right things than wrong. I have always achieved this goal by assessing the consequences of my actions before making all my decisions. This approach has helped and will still be crucial to the development of my counseling career. Under normal circumstances, counselors go with the flow of events as guided by the response from the clients. However, relying on this strategy can be detrimental since most clients apply emotion to influence the approach taken by counselors during therapy ( Levenson et al.,2020). The move can also interfere with the application of core competencies. The above problem is probable since clients are more likely to take advantage of the conceptions to influence the outcome of the sessions in their favor.
My faith is another primary determinant of my conception of right and wrong. From personal religious beliefs, the boundaries between right are wrong are explicitly outlined in the Holy Book. Reading this book my entire life makes these guidelines crucial to my choices in life and my career. As a result, I have always referred to the policies and provisions of my religious teachings to make various choices in life. Levenson et al. (2020) support this position by holding that religious tenets are among the leading guidelines for determining the difference between right and wrong. Therefore, counselors should establish the religious beliefs of their clients beforehand and determine whether a spiritual approach is applicable. For example, counselors from Christian backgrounds can easily offer therapy to clients who share the same values without encountering resistance. However, dealing with individuals from other faiths may not require a religious approach since it may expose the counselor and the client to unprecedented biases.
Empathy is the most crucial counseling aspect which is compatible with who I am. According to ACA (2021), counselors must be empathetic to their client’s situations during counseling sessions. Avoiding controversial areas of individuals’ lives until they are ready to discuss them is among how a counselor shows empathy. I have a weakness in dealing with emotional issues because of the empathy aspect. Whereas it exposes me to potential misinterpretation by the client, it also offers me an opportunity to gain the interest and trust of my clients, which is among the most crucial determinants of a counseling therapy outcome. Therefore, I take it upon myself to control my emotions by rescinding words or statements that are more likely to arouse emotions when dealing with highly emotional clients to avoid being drawn into the problem.
In conclusion, counseling ethics has proved to be the most complex from a personal perspective because it explores the inherent problems associated with fast-changing human relationships and behavior. My cultural background is among the value systems that are likely to affect counseling. I come from a community that does not support certain aspects of counseling, such as being unbiased to all clients irrespective of their racial or sexual orientations. My values on homosexuality and termination of pregnancy can also impede my chances of effectively discharging my roles as a counselor. I also value humanity and the right to life which can positively impact counseling. My conception of right and wrong behavior stems from my faith, family, and cultural background. My faith is another primary determinant of my concept of right and wrong. Additionally, the aspect of counseling that is more compatible with who I am as a person is empathy. In essence, I consider sharing the value system and compassion among the most crucial aspects of my counseling career.
References
ACA. (2021). Ethical and Professional Standards . American Counseling Association. https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/ethics#
Levenson, J. S., Grady, M. D., & Morin, J. W. (2020). Beyond the “ick factor”: Counseling non-offending persons with pedophilia. Clinical Social Work Journal , 48 (4), 380-388. https://doi:10.1007/s10615-019-00712-4.
