I feel that ethics is a tricky subject and in many instances there is a fine line between what is considered ethical or unethical. It appears that most of the situations and experiences that we have discussed throughout our counseling courses are not black and white. There is no clear cut answer regarding ethics. Yes, ASCA has certain ethical standards but that does not mean that every school counselor is going to follow them. To be honest, the topic of ethics is kind of scary to me. According to Dollarhide and Saginak (2012); one of the answers to ethical dilemmas “depends on what’s important to you” (p. 31). Luckily, there are many things that are put in place to help us figure out ethical dilemmas. These include, consulting with other professionals, ASCA’s standards, local and federal laws, and hopefully schools have a plan in place that allows counselors to reach solutions that are ethical in nature.
The first ethical dilemma that I took a closer look at was number one in Remley and Huey’s (2002) ethics quiz. I chose this one because it was a big topic of conversation in class last week; and it seems that everyone has a different opinion of how school counselors should educate their students on the topic of confidentiality. I do not think it was unethical for the counselor to hold an assembly to explain confidentiality. However, I do think it was unethical if that was the only thing the counselor was going to do. Confidentiality is extremely important in any counseling situation and students need to be aware of what it entails and the potential situations where the counselor needs to break confidentiality. Especially since the counselor is new to the school. I can understand that the counselor was apprehensive to post something in a student handbook because it is likely that the students are not going to read it. However, I have been to many assemblies; both as a student and an employee in a school and I can say that students do not really listen during an assembly. So this approach may not be the best. It may be better for the counselor to post something in the handbook as well as explaining to individual students what confidentiality means. This goes along with the ASCA standard A.2 a (Remley & Huey, 2002). This standard explains that counselors need to inform students about the rules of confidentiality during counseling sessions. This was particularly challenging for me because confidentiality is so important; and students need to be aware of this and the conditions where confidentiality will be broken. If this is done correctly; students will feel comfortable talking with their counselors and will not be surprised if a situation arises where it is broken.
The second ethical dilemma that I explored further was number one in Froeschle and Crews’s (2010) ethics quiz. I chose this scenario because there are several stakeholders involved and this can become difficult for counselors to decide what the most important element is in a given situation. I feel that the counselor would be acting unethically if they did not leave the classroom and assist the student who was cutting themselves. In my mind; this is a crisis situation that needs to be addressed immediately. Don’t get me wrong; running classroom lessons are important, but a crisis situation would certainly trump a classroom guidance lesson. This is aligned with the ASCA standard A.1a which states that a school counselor “has a primary obligation to the student, who is to be treated with respect as a unique individual” (Froeschle & Crews, 2010, p. 7). This scenario would be a particular challenge for me because we have discussed numerous times about the importance of the principal-counselor relationship. I find it really hard to believe that a principal would not allow a counselor to attend to this situation. Especially if there was a crisis plan in place at this school; which I’m sure the principal would be a member of the crisis team. I would find this situation difficult because I do not want to go against what my supervisor says; but at the same time I would need to attend to the individual student needs. I felt that Froeschle and Crews (2010) gave great solutions to this dilemma; like pointing out the principal’s strengths and showing them that the student needs to meet with the counselor; “for example, complimenting and asking principals for advice can be followed by a discussion on counselor roles” (p. 8). This can allow principals and counselors to be on the same page instead of against each other.
The third ethical dilemma that I chose was number eight in Froeschle and Crews’s (2010) ethics quiz. I chose this scenario because I thought it was interesting and it never really occurred to me that we could potentially be faced with this as future school counselors. I feel that the counselor would be making an unethical decision if they decided to counsel the student who resides out of state. This particular scenario aligns with the ASCA ethical standard A.12.e which states “counselors ensure that the use of technology does not violate the laws of any local, state, national, or international entity and observe all relevant statutes” (Froeschle & Crews, 2010, p. 16). I found this dilemma challenging because although we have a desire to want to help; we would have to say no to this counselor. It might be difficult if this counselor is our friend. I am wondering; would it be unethical for the counselors to discuss the particular student to see if the out-of-state counselor could offer advice? Although the counselor has to say no; it does not mean that they can not help each other.
Overall, I found the ethical scenarios to be insightful and realistic. It is important that as future school counselors; we are aware of the ethical standards and how we personally feel about different ethical situations. I am grateful that we have the opportunity to discuss ethics throughout our courses. This will ultimately help us in the future to be more prepared and have a toolbox of options to face these situations both professionally and ethically.
Dollarhide, C. T., & Saginak, K. A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs. (2nd ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc.
Froeschle, J. G., & Crews, C. (2010). An ethics challenge for school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 8(1), 2-25.
Remley, J. P., & Huey, W. C. (2002). An ethics quiz for school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 6(1), 3-12.
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