Unit 3: Characteristics of Effective Counseling
Neither the client nor the counselor is free of ethical views of life. Effective counseling deals with ethical understanding, legal responsibilities and moral realities. Counseling does not take place in a fantasy world, but in a world of reality where people are required to make ethical choices and decisions. Adherence to professional ethical standards protects both the public and the counselor.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the unit, you should be able to:

1. describe unethical behaviour;
2. discuss ethical codes.

This unit includes unethical behaviour and ethical codes.

First let us consider what would constitute unethical behaviour from a counselor. Consider this list.

1. Incompetence, that is, inadequate knowledge and the absence of skills necessary for professional behaviour.
2. Lack of integrity, moral commitment and sound professional judgment to adhere to acceptable standards of right and wrong action.
3. Violating confidences. Information presented in a counseling relationship is confidential.
4. Exceeding the level of professional competence. Counselors must recognize their strengths and limitations in serving their clients in the most competent manner - or refer them to other experts.
5. Imposing values on clients. It is a responsibility of counselors to be aware of his/her values and of their impact on others.
6. Creating dependence on the part of the clients to meet the counselor's own needs, e.g., sexual relations and social interactions.
7. Improper advertising, especially advertising that presents the counselor as one who has the skills, competence and/or credentials, that he, or she, does not actually possess.
8. Charging fees for private counseling to those who are entitled to free services through the counselor's employing institution, and/or using one's job to recruit clients for a private practice.

Video

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After viewing the video discuss

1. How many poor habits or practices was the counselor guilty of?
2. What could she have done differently?

Ethical Codes

Ethical codes, or standards, are designed to provide guidelines for behaviour.
Ethical codes serve several purposes:

1. They protect members from practices that may result in public condemnation.
2. They provide a measure of self-regulation, thus giving members a certain freedom and autonomy.
3. They provide clients a degree of protection from cheats and the incompetent.
4. They help to protect counselors from the public if they are sued for malpractice.

The following ethical codes of behavior are necessary for you to know them, because they are going to help you to do conduct counseling professionally. Adherence to these codes of conduct is of paramount importance and a foundation of successful practice:

Confidentiality

You are mandated to maintain all matters arising during any counseling of a client confidential. All advice given should not in anyway be disclosed nor discussed with another person.

Tolerance

It is important that you practice tolerance with your client, and unnecessary duress on the client is totally unacceptable. Request for counseling is voluntary and therefore is improper to force the services on a client.

Objectivity

The need to be objective in counseling relationship is important. You need to be impersonal in your dealing with the client, and be objective with your view, offer options that are clear and understood by the client, merits and demerits spelt out very clearly, so that the client is very clear of the kinds of decisions he/she is going to make. Counselor’s views should to be imposed on the client.

Questions for discussion:

1. Were ethical standards devised to restrain, or aid you, in your professional development?
2. Have you accepted the standards because they were always there, or because you decided that they are consonant with your own value system?
3. What would you be willing to do for money? For example, would you continue a client relationship when you are aware you can no longer be of any help? Or what are the rewards and payments you obtain from your work as a counselor?
4. Under what circumstances would you lie to a client?
5. To what extent would you attempt to provide services for which you are not properly trained or experienced?
6. When would you find it necessary to divulge confidential information?
7. How tolerant are you of the unethical practices of your colleagues? Under what circumstances would you take action against an unethical act?
8. How often do you use the counselor/client relationship to satisfy your own needs?
9. How do you evaluate your effectiveness?