Topic 8: Benchmark – Counselor Ethical Boundaries and Practices Assignment Guidelines

Directions: Follow the directions below to write a paper of 1,500-1,750 words on counselor ethical boundaries and practices.

Provide a thoughtful response to each of the following four sections, including specific, concrete examples to illustrate your ideas. Use the section headings provided below to separate each section of your paper.

Your final deliverable should be one cohesive paper with headings addressing all four sections along with an introduction and conclusion.

Section 1: Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships

1. How would you determine if a boundary-crossing or dual relationship is ethical and appropriate? What criteria would you consider when making your decision?

2. Present examples of how you would apply this criteria to at least four counseling situations in which you believe the dual relationship issues are complex and ambiguous. One of your examples should address the issues of physical attraction between clients and counselors.

Section 2: Professional Collaboration in Counseling: Working with a Multidisciplinary Team

1. How would you work collaboratively within your scope of practice with other mental health professionals to ensure quality client care?

2. Who would you expect to work with as part of a multidisciplinary team and what would the role of each person on the team be, including yourself?  Refer to Section D (Relationships With Other Professionals) of the ACA Code of Ethics and any other relevant sources.

Section 3: Relationships with Supervisors and Colleagues

1. According to the ACA Code of Ethics, what is the role of clinical supervisors and what are their primary responsibilities? Refer to Section F (Supervision, Training, and Teaching) of the ACA Code of Ethics and any other relevant sources.

2. Describe the ethical issues involved in the supervisor-counselor relationship. How is this relationship similar to the counselor-client relationship? How is it different?

3. Occasionally, counselors will observe unethical behavior in their colleagues. Describe an unethical behavior that one might see and identify an ethical decision making model that would address the unethical behavior.

Section 4: Development of Your Thinking about Ethics

1.  Clearly describe what you consider to be the most important developments in your thinking about ethical practice that have occurred during this course. This may include areas in which you have clarified your views and beliefs, modified your thinking on a given issue, gained new insights, or acquired a new perspective. It may include issues whose complexity you now appreciate more fully or difficult issues that you now understand you must grapple with as a counselor. Be sure that you include specific examples to illustrate general statements. This is the only section in which your personal experience has been required. Therefore, you are allowed to use first person in this section only.

Include at least six scholarly resources in addition to the textbook in your paper.