Ethical Issues in Career Development Interventions

Chapter 14

Classifying Practitioner Behavior

• Ethical and Legal --------------------------

• Ethical and Illegal

• Unethical and Legal --------------------------

• Unethical and Illegal

Ethical “Rules of Thumb”

• Dual relationships with the potential to exploit client trust and vulnerability are unethical.

• Consult with professional colleagues who understand career interventions when unsure about how to resolve a dilemma.

• Be aware of client’s values and those imbedded in career intervention models.

Ethical Dilemmas vs. Moral Temptations

• Kidder (1995) contends that an ethical dilemma occurs only in instances when there are competing “rights” or there is a struggle to determine the “least bad” course of action.

Using Principles to Resolve Ethical Decisions

• Van Hoose (1986) recommended that counselors use ACA’s five principles to guide their ethical practice:– Autonomy– Nonmaleficence– Beneficence– Justice– Fidelity (Herlify & Corey, 1996, p. 4-5)

Additional Principles

• Beauchamp and Childress (1995) identified additional relevant principles to guide professional-client relationships:– Veracity: Tell the truth and do not lie or deceive

others.– Privacy: Allow individuals to limit access to

information about themselves.– Confidentiality: Allow individuals to control

access to information they have shared.

Relevant Ethical Codes for Career Practitioners

• American Counseling Association (ACA)• National Career Development Association

(NCDA)• American Psychological Association (APA)• International Association of Educational and

Vocational Guidance (IAEVG)• National Board for Certified Counselors

(NBCC)

Strategies for Minimizing Insensitivity to Clients’ Values

• Become informed about variety of values held in society.

• Be aware of your own values.

• Present value options to clients in an unbiased manner.

• Be committed to client’s freedom of choice.

Strategies for Minimizing Insensitivity, continued

• Respect clients with values that differ from your own.

• Consult with others when necessary.

• Consider referring clients to another counselor when substantial moral, religious or political value differences exist.

Special Ethical Challenges

• Are all individual career interventions counseling?

• Should those without traditional training and credentials provide career services?

• How should the Internet be used in career development interventions?

Reasons for Using the Internet in Career Service Delivery (current NCDA

guidelines)• To deliver occupational information

• To provide online searches of occupational databases for the purpose of identifying occupational options

• To deliver interactive career counseling and career planning services

• To provide online job searches

Six Sections of NCDA Ethical Standards

• Section A - General

• Section B - The Counseling Relationship

• Section C - Measurement and Evaluation

• Section D - Research and Publication

• Section E - Consulting

• Section F - Private Practice

Ethical Standards and Ethical Practice for Career Counselors

• Offer only services they are competent to offer.

• Respect and value individual differences among clients and potential clients.

• Treat information received from and about clients as owned by the client and held in trust by the counselor.

Ethical Standards, continued

• Do not engage in any professional relationship in which the counselor’s objectivity and ability to work for client’s welfare might be impaired.

• Assume professional responsibility for clients and, if unable to assist, help the client obtain alternative services.

Ethical Standards, continued

• Recognize they have obligations to other members of the profession and to society to act in responsible ways and to consider the effects of their behavior on others.