Matthew Sherman

Reaction Paper 2
Susan Weeks
3/10/11
Ethics

“Counselors recognize that trust is a cornerstone of the counseling relationship. Counselors aspire to earn

the trust of clients by creating an ongoing partnership, establishing and upholding appropriate boundaries,

and maintaining confidentiality. Counselors communicate the parameters of confidentiality in a culturally

competent manner.”

(ACA Code of Ethics 2005)

This quote from the ACA Code of Ethics suggests that we, as counselors, should

earn a counselee’s trust, and in doing so, need to keep confidentiality as the forefront of

our ethical being. As a professional in a school district working on my masters in

professional school counseling, I have seen and had my own ethical dilemmas.

The American School Counselors Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards for

School Counselors states that a counselor “recognizes his/her obligation for

confidentiality to the student but balances that obligation with an understanding of the

legal and inherent rights of parents/guardians to be the guiding voice in their children’s

lives.” This suggests that as a professional school counselor there is no cut and dry

answer to any issues we may face in confidentiality. We, as professional school

counselors, have to balance the obligation of the student’s confidentiality and the

parents/guardians inherent rights to be a guiding voice in their child’s life as well as the

safety of the students and the school environment.

 In the ACA Code of Ethics they state that, “counselors inform parents and legal

guardians about the role of the counselors and the confidential nature of the counseling

relationship. Counselors are sensitive to the cultural diversity of families and respect the

inherent rights and responsibilities of parents/guardians over the welfare of their

children/charges according to law. Counselors work to establish, as appropriate,

collaborative relationships with parents/guardians to best serve clients.” This, in my

mind, suggests that a professional school counselor from an ASCA stand point does

follow close to the same guidelines as ACA. However, in a clinical setting there is more

room for discussion with the parent/guardian on issues that may arise and the client and

the parent/guardian can help determine what issues may be shared or communicated

between parties. In the clinical setting the confidentiality agreement is discussed during

the first sessions with both the client and the parent/ guardian. In a school counseling

setting there may not be the opportunity to meet with the parent/guardian to discuss a

confidentiality agreement and address communication and collaboration.

While working in a school setting I have come across ethical dilemmas. I am an

Academic Intervention Family Facilitator, which gives me the opportunity to spend time

with students on a one-on-one basis to discuss reasons for not coming to school or for

poor academic performance. I had one instance where a fourteen year old female student

disclosed to me that she is dating a twenty-one year old male. This was an ethical

dilemma for me- should I inform the parents or not? I discussed this issue with the school

counselors in the building, the school social worker, and administration. They all

suggested that I inform the parent. My ethical dilemma came into play with the fact that
there was no clear and present danger to the student, no admission of sexual contact, and

direct evidence that what the student was telling me was true.

According to ASCA I have an obligation to the district as well as to the student

and parents/ guardians. “Inform appropriate officials in accordance with school policy of

conditions that may potentially disruptive or damaging to the schools mission person

and property while honoring the confidentiality between student and counselor.” If I

were a school counselor it is suggested that it is my duty to inform the parents and the

authorities for the political idea that if a counselor knows an underage student is

involved with a twenty-one year old and does not inform the parents or authorities, the

district and counselor would get “heat” from the public and the media for an issue seen

as being an ethical dilemma in society. This “heat” in turn would be disruptive or

damaging to the schools mission.

I feel as though the school counseling role and ethical guidelines are just that,

guidelines. There are so many stakeholders involved in the counseling process, especially

in the school setting, that decisions are sometimes very difficult to make. On one hand it

would have been my duty as a counselor to keep this student's confidentiality unless this

relationship was a foreseeable danger to her or others. There was no legal issue regarding

this student dating this twenty-one year old man as there had been no allegations of

sexual contact. On the other hand it was my duty to the district to “cover our butts” and

inform the parents of the relationship. This is a dilemma I still struggle with today. I had

to inform the students parents even though I did not think this would be a wise decision.
 References

American Counseling Association (2005). Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.

Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association

American School Counselor Association. (2005). Ethical standards for

school counselors. Alexandria, VA: Author