High Five!
On the Q.T.
The Basics
It's My Job!
What Would You Do?
100
When, if ever, is it okay to accept a gift from a client?
Answer: When determining whether or not to accept a gift from clients, counselors take into account the therapeutic relationship, the monetary value of the gift, a client’s motivation for giving the gift, and the counselor’s motivation for wanting to accept or declining the gift. There is no dollar value indicated by the ACA Code of Ethics (2014).
100
What is required from the client prior to sharing confidential information with another party?
Informed consent signed by the client who understands the counselor’s explanations about confidentiality and the consent to break confidentiality.
100
What are the six professional values providing a conceptual basis for the ethical principles in the Code?
Autonomy, Nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, fidelity, veracity.
100
What is my competence as a counselor based upon?
Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence based on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience.
100
Your 50-year-old client was recently killed in an automobile accident. As an LPC in private practice, you had been seeing her regarding conflicts with her parents and siblings. Her relationship with them was quite contentious, and she had confided very personal information about each family member. Her family approaches you two weeks after the funeral and demands her counseling records. What do you do?
Counselors protect the confidentiality of deceased clients, consistent with legal requirements and the documented preferences of the client.
200
What is informed consent?
Counselors have an obligation to review in writing and verbally with clients the rights and responsibilities of both counselors and the clients as an ongoing part of counseling, with appropriate documentation.
200
There are exceptions to confidentiality…what are they?
When disclosure is required to protect clients or identified others from serious and foreseeable harm or when legal requirements demand that confidential information must be revealed. Every state has mandatory reporting laws that must be followed in those states. Examples include: Danger to Self or Others, Gravely Disabled; Threat to National Security; Child Abuse; Elder Abuse; Threats to Specific Locations, court-ordered, etc. Review your state’s requirements!
200
What do counselors do when a family member or friend wants to do counseling with them?
Counselors are prohibited from engaging in counseling relationships with friends or family members with whom they have an inability to remain objective.
200
How can I gain a new specialty area in my practice?
Counselors practice in specialty areas new to them only after appropriate education, training, and supervised experience.
200
A 15-year-old client tells you about her compulsive shoplifting behavior. She gives you specific dates, times, and places of her previous crimes. Her confession of committing a criminal act creates an ethical dilemma for you, who must decide either to maintain client confidentiality or inform her parents. You are cautious about breaching confidentiality because other clients her age may be hesitant to confide in you, but you are concerned about the client getting caught and arrested. Do you have a duty to report this to the authorities? Her parents?
You need to know your state laws…some states allow privilege for criminal behavior and some strip it from the professionals in that state. You MUST know before it happens!
300
Sexual or romantic interaction between a former client, the client’s romantic partners or family members is prohibited for 5 years after the last client contact per the ACA Code of Ethics. If a counselor were to form a relationship after the 5 year period, what must he or she do PRIOR to engaging in the relationship?
Demonstrate forethought and document (in written form) whether the interactions or relationship can be viewed as exploitive in some way and/or whether there is still potential to harm the former client; in cases of potential exploitation and/or harm, the counselor avoids entering such an interaction or relationship.
300
If a client has a communicable, life threatening disease, can the counselor disclose this to a third party if the third party is at risk of contracting the disease from the client?
When clients disclose that they have a disease commonly known to be both communicable and life threatening, counselors may be justified in disclosing information to identifiable third parties, if they are known to be at serious and foreseeable risk of contracting the disease. Prior to making a disclosure, counselors assess the intent of clients to inform the third parties about their disease or to engage in any behaviors that may be harmful to the identifiable third party.
300
Can I accept a request or friend a client on Facebook?
No. Counselors are prohibited from engaging in a personal virtual relationship with individuals with whom they have a current counseling relationship (e.g., through social and other media).
300
How do I know if my counseling is effective?
Counselors continually monitor their effectiveness as professionals and take stps to improve when necessary. Counselors take reasonable steps to seek peer supervision to evaluate their efficacy as counselors.
300
Louise Groupleader decides to form and lead a group for awkward adolescents. Her best friend, Clara Clumsy, has a teenage son, Cliff, that Louise believes would greatly benefit from participating in her group. She makes a special visit to Clara’s office and invites her to bring Cliff to the initial session next Wednesday night. Clara is overjoyed that Louise is taking such an interest in Cliff’s self-esteem and agrees not only to bring him to the meeting but to invite several of her neighbors children as well. If Louise bothers to examine the ACA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice before Wednesday, what should happen at that first meeting?
Louise would need to refer Cliff to another therapist so as to not to create a dual relationship.
400
When, if ever, is bartering (i.e. exchanging counseling for other goods or services) okay?
Counselors may barter only if the bartering does not result in exploitation or harm, if the client requests it, and if such arrangements are an accepted practice among professionals in the community. Counselors consider the cultural implications of bartering and discuss relevant concerns with clients and document such agreements in a clear written contract.
400
Are two locks required to protect confidential client records per ACA standards?
No, ACA standards state: Counselors ensure that records and documentation kept in any medium are secure and that only authorized persons have access to them.
400
Can I refer a client to my private practice who I work with as a counselor at my place of employment?
This is called Self-Referral. Counselors working in an organization…that provides counseling services do not refer clients to their private practice unless the policies of a particular organization make explicit provisions for self-referrals.
400
What do I do if I am having a rough time personally?
Counselors monitor themselves for signs of impairment from their own physical, mental, or emotional problems and refrain from offering or providing professional services when impaired.
400
Cynthia, a counselor who had been successfully working as an AIDS and substance abuse counselor in a large city for several years, recently moved to a very affluent suburb and decided to open a private practice. She was surprised to find that most of the clients who came to see her were young women who suffered primarily from eating disorders and relationship problems. Cynthia had already invested quite a bit of money into her private practice, and was determined to make it work, regardless of the type of clients she had to treat. Furthermore, she felt that because she was now in private practice, she could treat whoever she chose to, regardless of the specific needs of her clients. However, Cynthia also realized that she didn’t have much training or experience working with clients with eating disorders, so she decided to attend a week-long seminar on the treatment of eating disorders offered by the local community mental health center. She was pleased to find that by attending the seminar, she could earn 20 CEUs that would count towards maintaining her licensure, and also gain the knowledge needed to successfully treat her new clients. Is there a problem?
Counselors practice in specialty areas new to them only after appropriate education, training, and supervised experience. While developing skills in new specialty areas, counselors take steps to ensure the competence of their work and to protect others from possible harm.
500
What does a counselor need to do when they go on vacation or have an illness?
Counselors do not abandon or neglect clients in counseling. Counselors assist in making appropriate arrangements for the continuation of treatment, when necessary, during vacations, illness, and following termination.
500
What do you do with client records after termination?
Store records to ensure reasonable future access, maintain records in accordance with federal and state laws and statutes such as licensure laws and policies governing records…Counselors apply careful discretion before destroying records that may be needed by a court of law, such as notes on child abuse, suicide, sexual harassment, or violence.
500
Can I terminate my work with a client who is not paying their bill?
Yes…Counselors may terminate counseling when in jeopardy of harm by the client or by another person with whom the client has a relationship, or when clients do not pay fees as agreed upon. Counselors provide pre-termination counseling and recommend other service providers when necessary.
500
What do I do if my colleague is having a personal challenges physically, mentally, or emotionally?
Counselors assist colleagues or supervisors in recognizing their own professional impairment and provide consultation and assistance when warranted with colleagues or supervisors showing signs of impairment and intervene as appropriate to prevent imminent harm to clients.
500
You recently got a new client in your private practice and instantly, you felt a connection with him or her. You are attracted to the way he or she talks, moves, even breathes. You feel some tingly sensations in your body, and become light-headed when you know he or she is about to arrive for an appointment, and even when you think about him or her. You sense that you should not be feeling this way, but you can’t help yourself. This client is attractive, and funny, and kind, and sweet, and you are drawn to him or her. However, you are confident that your daydreaming and musings will not interfere with your counseling abilities. Is that okay to just continue as you have been?
This is a time to run…not walk….but run to your supervisor! You are on a slippery slope and need to get some help immediately. Your objectivity is at risk as is your professionalism!
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