Assignment

After moving from a big city to a rural setting, Janice is suffering from anxiety and depression because of adjustments to the change. She wants to seek counseling services to help her adjust. Janice has always valued her privacy and is finding it difficult to commit to seeing a counselor in a rural setting. The community has only one mental health counselor. Janice fears that if she begins counseling sessions, people will learn that she is undergoing therapy. In addition, Janice is a devoted Catholic and is aware that the counselor is a devout Jehovah’s Witness, as is most of the community. Janice is apprehensive that the counselor might try to encourage her to convert. She is desperate to talk to someone and does not know where to turn.  Identify the ethical standards, specific to Janice’s concerns, which the counselor should follow to provide professional and ethical services.  Identify specific section/s of the ethical code, described in your own words, which may apply to Janice’s situation.  Describe, using the scenario, why ethical standards are important for client progress?

Class References:
The Ethics of Professional Practice  Richard D. Parsons

APA Code of Ethics: American Psychological Association (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

ACA  Code of Ethics: American Counseling Association (1997). Code of  ethics and standards of practice. Alexandria, VA: Author. http://www.counseling.org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/TP/Home/CT2.aspx A Practitioners Guide to Ethical Decision Making:  Forrester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. (1996). A practitioner’s guide to ethical  decision making. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/TP/Home/CT2.aspx

****These references can be used along with any outside sources as well.