What would you do if you were providing a psychological test to a counseling client and an issue
arose in which your ethics conflicted with the established state and federal laws and codes of ethics?
Provide an example to support your response.
According to the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, a counselor is aware of their
personal beliefs and strives to avoid holding a client to the standards of those beliefs (American
Counseling Association [ACA], 2014). If it comes up that there is a situation that is against personal
beliefs a counselor needs to review laws and ethical standards. Additionally, a counselor should
strive to understand why the issue conflicts with their ethics and seek supervision of another opinion
from a colleague or supervisor to ensure they are proceeding in the correct way. Suppose a
counselor still finds themselves at odds with ethics or laws. In that case, it may be in the client's best
interest to refer them until a counselor can get their counseling until they can continue work in
accordance with ethical standards and laws (ACA, 2014). The most important part of a counselor's
job is to ensure that their client is not harmed which is why ethical codes and laws exist.
American Counseling Association. (2014)
Aca code of ethics.
https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
