Assignment Instructions:
Counselors have the responsibility of knowing and understanding their profession’s codes of ethics. Codes of ethics are viewed as the minimum standards for a given profession (and professional identity) which are based off best practices. These codes serve as guidelines for practice but do not tell counselors what to do in a given situation; counselors are given the autonomy to make decisions based on the circumstances. Depending on the individual counselor’s professional license, professional memberships, and specialty area(s), this may include one or more codes of ethics. For example, members of the of the American Counseling Association and Licensed Professional Counselors (or state of practice equivalent) follow the ACA (2014) Code of Ethics and members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and This could include one or more codes of ethics, depending on the counselor’s professional license, professional memberships, and specialty area(s). For example, members of the American Counseling Association and Licensed Professional Counselors (or their state’s equivalent) follow the ACA (2014) Code of Ethics, and members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists are expected to follow theLicensed Marriage and Family Therapist are expected to follow the AAMFT (2015) Code of Ethics.
Students will evaluate the license they are pursuing and then proceed accordingly. Students who would like to pursue licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor will evaluate the ACA (2014) Code of Ethics along with their state of practices’ current rules and regulations for Licensed Professional Counselors (for example, in Texas this would be the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors [TSEBPC]).
This assignment includes two parts:
Part 1:
For this assignment and to ensure understanding of best practices in counseling individuals, couples, and families, students are to rewrite their professional code(s) of ethics (section by section) in their own words. Please note, in the ACA (2014) Code of ethics Section A: The Counseling Relationship includes subsections A.1.-A.12, therefore the student will write one to four paragraphs per section. Students must provide an applicable example to further indicate understanding for each section.
Part 2:
The students will clearly identify the specific license they are pursuing and their state of practice.
Additionally, students will evaluate how their current state of practice’s licensing standards and ethical codes (rules and regulations) compare to the national code (ACA, 2014). Student should utilize the national code(s) used in Part 1 of the assignment and explore at least three specific similarities and three specific difference with the current state of practice’s standards and national standards. In discussing the similarities and differences students should make note of how the differences may impact their professional behaviors, interactions, and their license(s).
I am pursuing LPC so this paper should be based on that.
