An analysis has revealed that there are many ethical issues in the way I work with my customers and supervisor. A key ethical concern in this case concerns the informed consent of clients to participate in therapy sessions. Counselors have a responsibility to ensure that clients consent to therapy sessions and provide only relevant information. Clients who do not sign informed consent forms are not allowed to be forced into therapy sessions. As a counselor, I have to discuss my roles and responsibilities in counseling with clients.
A counselor’s information is also required to determine the client’s risk. This raises ethical concerns. Customers must be provided with all information necessary to avoid questions about its legitimacy. Counselors should inform their clients of the nature of each service they offer, as well as the potential dangers and desired outcomes. (American Counseling Association. (2014)). Counselors need to also describe the implications of the diagnosis, the usage of reports, and how these were obtained during the assessment process. Customers should also have information about costs and billing procedures to be able to make payments in advance.
An additional ethical concern is the protection of customer anonymity. Counselors must ensure that patients’ information is kept secure and unobtainable to anyone other than them. A counselor should seek information only from clients who have completed risk assessments. Interactions between counselors is another ethical concern. My supervisor may have been a romantic partner in the past, but we need to maintain professional connections to avoid disciplinary action by management.