Blog 11: Ethics

I have always been concerned about facing some potential ethical dilemmas in my future role as a counselor, so I’ve really enjoyed participating in the class discussions and scenarios, as they have affirmed that many of my initial gut feelings about how to proceed in certain situations actually follow appropriate ethical guidelines. The first situation I considered is the third ethical dilemma in Remley (2002), in which the school counselor is working with a student who may or may not be suicidal. Although I think it is appropriate for the counselor to confer with other counselors at her school, in addition to one of her former professors and the Guidance Director, I may be concerned about following their recommendations if they advised me not to inform the students’ parents, as I still feel as if I have primary responsibility for the students’ safety. The ASCA standard relevant to this case is “A.7: Danger to Self or Others,” in which professional school counselors must “inform parents/guardians and/or appropriate authorities when a student poses a danger to self or others. This is to be done after careful deliberation and consultation with other counseling professionals” (ASCA, 2010). As I alluded to, I find this case personally challenging because my gut reaction is to contact the parents to ensure the child’s safety, but I would benefit from taking more time for deliberation and consultation with others. The second ethical dilemma I considered is the tenth situation in Remley (2002), in which the counselor places a statement in the parent handbook encouraging parents to contact her. I find this situation challenging because I think it's important for counselors to have open relationships with parents, but I think the counselor pushed the limits of confidentiality in this scenario. The relevant standard in this case is “A2: Confidentiality: Recognize the primary obligation for confidentiality is to the students, but balance that obligation with an understanding of parents’/guardians’ legal and inherent rights to be the guiding voice in their children’s lives, especially in value-laden issues” (ASCA, 2010). In this particular case, I think the counselor needs to be more clear about the importance of confidentiality and when information may or may not be shared with parents. The third ethical dilemma I considered is Dilemma 15, in which the counselor is frustrated with the need to have permission slips before working with students. I found this situation challenging because I think it’s important for counselors to have good working relationships with the principal in their schools and work with them to meet the needs of students effectively. In this case, I think the principal is interfering with the counselors’ ability to perform her job effectively and so I think it’s appropriate for the counselor to request a meeting with the principal and guidance coordinator. The ASCA standard addressed in this case is “D.1 Responsibilities to the School: Inform appropriate officials, in accordance with school policy, of conditions that may be potentially disruptive or damaging to the school’s mission, personnel, and property while honoring the confidentiality between the student and the school counselor” (ASCA, 2010). American School Counselor Association. (2010). Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Remley, T. (2002). An ethics quiz for school counselors-Special Issue: Legal and ethical issues in school counseling.