Counselors have a professional obligation to engage in ethical decision-making when encountering challenging ethical dilemmas. The core ethical principles found in the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics (2014) serve as a bedrock for ethical decision-making and sound ethical reasoning.
The principles are as follows:
- Autonomy:Â Autonomy grants clients the freedom to control the direction of their lives without force or coercion. Counselors foster autonomy by clearly explaining informed consent and encouraging clients to align their actions with personal values.
- Nonmaleficence: Counselors adhere to nonmaleficence by pledging “above all” to avoid actions that intentionally cause harm. Counselors also make every effort to avoid the risk of indirectly causing harm to others.
- Justice:Â Justice calls counselors to treat others with fairness and impartiality. An example of justice would be to address disparities in access and utilization of healthcare among marginalized populations.Â
- Fidelity:Â Fidelity involves honoring promises and commitments, engendering trust, and responding with loyalty and faithfulness.Â
- Beneficence:Â Beneficence is the promotion of sound mental health and emotional wellness for both the client and society. One method of expressing beneficence is to provide universal prevention services.
- Veracity: Veracity involves responding truthfully in personal, professional, and social settings.Â
Comment below with any questions or feedback you may have about the Professional Practice and Ethics domain of the exam. Â