Code of Ethics and Colleague Relationships - Research Paper Example

? of Ethics s of ethics are like rules and procedures that guide professionals to maintain their proficiency in their work and to also work according to the morally accepted standards. The American Counseling Association and the American Association of Christian Counselors are two organizations that put a lot of emphasis on the code of ethics among their professionals. Both organizations have the goal of providing quality and professional counseling services to the society. Thus, they both have competence, confidentiality and colleague relations among their ethical codes. Despite slight differences in the way that each organization handles each of these three areas, the objectives still end up being achieved. Section One The American Counseling Association (ACA) is an organization that is mainly based on Education, science and professionalism. Members in the association embrace the opportunity to support people’s worth, dignity, and potential in the society (American Counseling Association, 2005). The main goal of these ethics is to help the members of the organization in their cross-cultural approach of the society. The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) on the other hand, is a Christian organization that has mainly developed a code of ethics to assist in the offering of Christian counseling services (American Association of Christian Counselors, 2004). Thus, though the two organizations might have similar goals, they however have outstanding differences. Differences One difference that stands out between the two ethical codes is that; while the AACC ethics obtain their foundation from the Bible and from general Christian values, the ACA ethics have their foundation being the general values, beliefs and principles of the society. Thus, the latter will mainly be guided by prescribed societal code of conduct while the former will be guided by the prescribed Christian and Biblical code of conduct. One other difference that clearly comes out is the variation in the counseling relationships. According to the AACC ethical codes, a counselor cannot provide counseling services to a fellow church member. ACA ethical codes on the other hand however, do not prohibit counseling services when such kind of a relationship exists. Another difference also arises on the basis of competence where the AACC ethical codes provide that; for the Christian counselors to be termed as competent, they should be able to tackle things such as prayer with the clients, Bible reading, use of Biblical and religious imagery, and spiritual meditation. ACA ethical codes on competence on the other hand do not take these spiritual qualifications into account. Similarities One major similarity is that both ethical codes share the goal of ensuring that excellent and professional counseling services are provided. In both cases, the ethical codes also aim at shaping the identity of the counselors and building their work based on the set standards. Under the ethical codes on competence, one other similarity that clearly comes out is that; both ethical codes require a counselor to continue with their education and training even after gaining the basic qualifications. In both cases also, the ethical codes prohibit harming of the client in any way. The AACC ethical codes for instance, provide that no harm, exploitation, undue discrimination or any kind of pain shall be inflicted on the clients (American Association of Christian Counselors, 2004). The ACA ethical codes on the other hand, state that counselors should avoid harming their clients, and to minimize any unavoidable or unanticipated harm (American Counseling Association, 2005). Both ethical codes also prohibit against romantic and sexual relationships between the counselors and the clients. According to both codes also, counselors should not provide services to closely related persons such as family members or spouses. Section Two Competence Under the area of competence, both ethical codes provide that the counselors should be competent enough in terms of education, training and experience. Both ethical codes also stress on the professional credentials of the counselors. ACA for instance provides that; counselors should gain knowledge, personal awareness and skills that are relevant to work with a diverse population of clients (American Counseling Association, 2005). Still on the subject of competence, both codes emphasize that the counselors should check on their level of impairment in terms of physical and mental health, and their own personal predicaments, in order to ensure that they maintain their professionalism. Bothe ethical codes also indicate that; as professionals, the counselors have a duty to maintain their expertise and should therefore continue their studies to ensure professional and personal growth (American Association of Christian Counselors, 2004). One difference however manifests itself on the basis of competence. While AACC ethical codes will require the professional counselors to have religious and spiritual knowledge, ACA ethical codes do not have that as a compulsory qualification. Confidentiality The ethical codes of both organizations provide that the counselors have a duty to keep any information obtained from the clients confidential. This includes any verbal, written, telephonic, audio or video recorded information. Both ethical codes assert that the counselor and the clients should agree and set the limits of confidentiality. The counselors are also not permitted to share clients’ confidential information among themselves unless the client has given his or her consent. Both ethical codes also provide that records of the counseling proceedings should be kept in a secure location where they will not get into the wrong hands. One major contrast in the area of confidence is that; while the ACA ethical codes allow the counselor to immediately disclose client’s information on the issue of a subpoena, AACC ethical codes on the other hand provide that the counselor shall not disclose the information immediately but shall first give the client an opportunity to consult with his or her lawyer. Colleague Relationships The ethical codes of both organizations recognize that workplace relationships immensely affect the quality of services that are provided by the counselors. ACA ethical codes for instance, maintain that employees should maintain a connection of teamwork with employees from other teams in order to be able to diversify on the services provided to the clients (American Counseling Association, 2005). AACC ethical codes on the other hand, hold that Christian counselors should maintain honorable relations with other professionals. They also emphasize that; in maintaining honorable relations the employees should ensure that they uphold paramount honesty, respect and integrity. Both ethical codes therefore, accentuate that all the professional counselors should relate with each other to prevent instances of fraud and self-interest actions. One difference under the area of colleague relationships however is that; while ACA supports teamwork with professionals from other disciplines, AACC does not take into account the merging with other disciplines. Evidently, ethical codes are of key importance to both organizations despite the slight differences in their structure. Regardless, both ethical codes work towards achieving similar goals and thus, both should be upheld with utmost keenness. References American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA code of ethics. Retrieved on 29th from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:aNyoewex7E4J:www.counseling.org/files/fd.ashx?guid%3Dab7c1272-71c4-46cf-848c- American Association of Christian Counselors. (2004). AACC Code of Ethics. Retrieved on 29th from http://www.aacc.net/about-us/code-of-ethics Read More