Christian Counseling Ethics Code - Essay Example

s of Ethics: AACC and ACA s of Ethics: AACC and ACA Competence, Informed Consent and Confidentiality Differences and Similarities Abstract Every organization has the legal obligation to develop the ethical code outlining the institution's working principles. There is no single format for ethical code and the organizations have freedom to stress the points they believe are of higher value for their clients. American Counseling Association and American Association of Christian Counselors have also drafted their own codes of ethics covering important areas of dealing with clients. These codes are very similar because both institutions are providing the service of counseling; while at the same time the codes are different in some areas. Competences, confidentiality and informed consent are the three sections of the codes that are examined for differences and similarities. Codes of Ethics: AACC and ACA Competence AACC Code of Ethics This code has nine points under the heading competence which include honoring the call to competent Christian counseling, duties to consult and refer, consultation practice, referral practice, seeking Christian help, avoiding counsel against professional treatment, duties to study and maintain expertise, maintaining integrity to work, reports and relations, and protective action when personal problems interfere. The AACC Code of Ethics stresses that Christian counselors make only realistic statements about their identity, education, experience and the counseling goals (AACC 2004, ES1-200). Moreover, the professional counseling (such as medical or psychiatric treatment) is not avoided or advised against even if the providers may not be a Christian. ACA Code of Ethics ACA Code of Ethics has eight key points which include: boundaries of competence, new specialty areas of practice, qualified for employment, monitor effectiveness, consultation on ethical obligations, continuing education, impairment, and counselor incapacitation or termination of practice. The emphasis is made on the high competence of counselors who gain knowledge and skills pertinent to working with the diverse client population (ACA 2005, Section C). Counselors are able to practice in specialty areas which is new to them only after the appropriate education is gained and the experience monitored. Consulting with other specialists is highly encouraged however within the ethical boundaries. Differences and Similarities Despite the fact that both Codes are talking about competence issues, it appears that the issue is being discussed from completely different standpoints. AACC Code of Ethics is based on the statement that all of the information about the counselors' competence corresponds to the real facts, while ACA Code of Ethics is based on the statement that every counselor occupies the position he is eligible for, in other words according to the education and experience. One of the similarities is that both codes talk about the boundaries of competence and assistance from other specialists - such counseling is encouraged and supported by both codes for the higher benefit of the client. One of the differences is that AACC Code of Ethics makes a point that the professional help of non-Christian professionals is not avoided and advised whenever the client seems to need it. ACA Code of Ethics does not have such a point under "Competence" section. The reason for this difference is obvious: AACC supports the counseling based on the Christian moral values and similar institutions often avoid advising outside help from non-Christian institutions. There is no need to make any statement about this in ACA Code of Ethics because it is not based on Christian principles. In addition, both Codes are talking about the monitoring of effectiveness and cases of counselor's impairment. These points need to be addressed in both codes because these processes are impacting the quality of service provided to the clients. Informed Consent AACC Code of Ethics "Christian counselors secure client consent for all counseling and related services" (AACC 2004, ES1-300). This is the introductory sentence of the "Informed Consent in Christian Counseling" section which reveals the attitude of the institution. AACC Code of Ethics stresses that the counselors take care that the clients have the capacity to give the consent, the counseling has been discussed with the client and the client reasonably understands the nature and the process of counseling, and that the client freely gives his consent to counseling without outside influence. It is important to note that despite of the Christian beliefs being incorporated into counseling process, the counselors do not presume that all clients want or will be receptive to explicit spiritual interventions in counseling. ACA Code of Ethics ACA Code of Ethics covers such points under "Informed Consent" section: types of information needed, importance of informed consent, cultural sensitivity, and inability of clients to give the informed consent. Clients have the freedom to choose whether to enter into or remain in a counseling relationship and need adequate information about the counseling process and the counselor. Counselors have an obligation to review in writing and verbally with clients the rights and responsibilities of both the counselor and the client. (ACA 2005, A. 2.a.). The Code stresses the importance of explicit explanation to clients about the nature of all services provided, the potential risks and limitations, and the benefits of the provided service. In addition, counselors have to take steps to ensure that everything is understood by the client who has the right to obtain the clear information about the recording, participate in the counseling planning as well as refuse any service or change. Differences and Similarities It appears that AACC Code of Ethics and ACA Code of Ethics have provided completely different outlooks on the issue of informed consent. ACA Code of Ethics is more devoted to minor concerns with informed consent. For example, communicating information in the ways that are both developmentally and culturally appropriate. In addition, the process of getting the consent from the clients who are unable to give the consent is outlined. AACC Code of Ethics does not outline these issues at all and no attention is being paid to the potential misunderstanding of information caused by cultural and developmental differences. On the other hand, AACC Code of Ethics discusses the issue of informed consent to the greater extend compared to the ACA Code of Ethics. AACC Code of Ethics talks about the need to get the consent to video/audio taping of the sessions, use of supervisory help, application of certain procedures and communication of the client's data to other professionals. AACC Code of Ethics has shifted the emphasis from getting informed consent to need to make sure that client has necessary skills to understand all of the information he receives from the counselor. There is no obvious reason why Codes have approached the issue of informed consent from such different perspectives, however, the AACC Code of Ethics seems to be have clearer explanation of the issue. Confidentiality AACC Code of Ethics AACC Code of Ethics ensures the fullest extent of client's confidentiality allowed by law and organizational rules. The clients have the right to be informed about counselor's commitment to confidentiality and its limits before engaging in counseling. In addition, Christian counselors are able to disclose information only when they have the written permission from the client to disclose it or when the legal mandates require the disclosure. AACC Code of Ethics also covers the area when there is the threat of violence to the client or the definite person. In such cases, the code maintains the right to disclose the confidential information and take appropriate action in order to protect the life either of the client or of the third person. ACA Code of Ethics ACA Code of Ethics emphasizes the need to protect the confidential information as well as the need to get the permission from the clients or appropriate third parties to release the information acquire in the course of counseling. In addition, the special attention is being paid to potential differences in cultural meanings of confidentiality and privacy. Privacy and confidentiality are used inter-changeably in the text of the Code. Counselors solicit private information from clients only when it is beneficial for the counseling process. In addition, in the process of counseling, counselors inform the clients about the limitations of the confidentiality and identify the possible situations when the confidentially must be breached. Differences and Similarities Both Codes devote a lot of space to explaining the concept, usage and limitation of the confidentiality in counseling process. ACA and AACC Codes of Ethics stress the importance of confidentiality and clearly state that the only limitation to confidentiality includes the legal requirement to disclosure the acquired information. In particular, when there is the threat to someone's life, either to client's or to the third party's. However, there are some differences as well. For example, AACC Code is more focused on explaining which types of information are considered to be confidential - client's communication, written records, electronic databases, and protection against intrusive powers. While, ACA Code points out that confidentiality and privacy are the rights of clients and not a single sentence can be made available to the third parties. Both Codes note that the information can be released if the client gives the written permission to do so, while in the other cases the privacy is maintained. However, ACA Code states that throughout the counseling process the clients should be informed that the presented information is confidential however, they should be reminded about the limitations, while the AACC Code states that the clients should be informed about this in the beginning of the counseling process and no reminder is necessary. This difference might exist because the authors of the Codes had different perceptions about the confidentiality and privacy. They both admit the need to maintain confidentiality while one of them believes that clients should be reminded about the confidentiality protection whenever the presented information falls under limitations. In conclusion, both Codes cover important areas of ethics related to counseling process. Despite of many differences, the Codes are aimed to protect the rights of the clients and ensure that the quality of counseling is high, that clients receive the service they expect and that the confidentiality is maintained. The discussed differences are insignificant and caused by the different perception of the importance of some concepts and areas. References American Association of Christian Counselors. (2004). AACC Code of Ethics. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from http://www.aacc.net American Counseling Association. (2005). ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from http://www.counseling.org Read More