Ethics and Principles in Guidance and Counseling ($2)Introduction Ethics are moral principles or rules of behaviour for deciding what is right and wrong. Counselors endeavor to help clients develo ...

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Ethics and Principles in Guidance and Counseling ($2)Introduction
Ethics are moral principles or rules of behaviour for deciding what is right and wrong. Counselors endeavor to help clients develop personal systems of ethics, using counselling skills. The task of counseling is to give the counselee an opportunity to explore, discover and clarify ways of living in more satisfying and resourceful ways. Maintaining good standards of counseling involves continuing self-monitoring and self-development on the part of the counsellor. The counseling relationship by its nature is confidential.
As clients make decisions concerning the professional counsellor from whom they seek services, they should realize that there are standard practices and procedures that they can expect. Many of these practices and procedures are driven by the code of ethics that professional counselors are bound to follow.
The following are examples of practices expected of counselors in most countries".
State their qualifications and areas of expertise.
Treat their counselees with respect and dignity as human beings who are able to make their decisions in the light of their own beliefs and values that pertain to age, colour, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status and socio-economic status.
Inform the client of tire purposes, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks and benefits of the counselling services that they will receive.
Inform and give their clients the opportunity to discuss matters of confidentiality and privacy. It is unethical to disclose a counselee’s personal information, whether obtained directly or indirectly or by inference. Such information includes name, address, biographical details and other descriptions of the counsellee's life and circumstances that might result in identification of the counsellee. The counsellor should also inform tire counsellee of the limitations and the confidentiality.
Inform of all the financial arrangements to service prior to entering the counselling relationships.
Accept a responsibility to encourage and facilitate the self-development of the counsellee within the counsellee's network of relationships.
Be responsible for setting and monitoring the boundaries between a working relationship and friendship, or for making the boundaries as explicit as possible to the counsellee. It is unethical to engage in any form of sexual relationship with a counsellee while also engaged in a therapeutic relationship.
Assist the counselle when necessary in making appropriate alternative service arrangements. Such arrangements may be necessary for follow-up after a termination and for referral.
Principles of guidance
The term 'principle' means a basic general truth that is the foundation of something or a guiding rule for personal behaviour.
Guidance is concerned with the systematic development of the individual. Every human individual is the architect or aut