Advanced Counseling Ethics

PREREQUISITE: CSL6740

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

• In-depth examination, analysis, and application of ethics, ethical decision-making, codes of ethics, and related legal issues pertaining to the practice of professional counseling and marriage and family therapy.
• Identification of ethical issues and refining the role of the counselor to effectively meet the needs of increasingly diverse individuals and communities served by mental health professionals.
• Deciphering and connecting historical and systemic issues to the client’s presenting concerns, and linking client change as an integral aspect of multiculturalism.
• Examining and determining counselor’s own biases and worldview to develop knowledge, awareness, and skills to form a framework to continue personal and professional lifelong learning.
• Writing and maintaining case notes that meet clinical, ethical, legal and organizational guidelines for effective treatment, risk management, and reimbursement.
• Examining the general issues involved when working with minors including to whom counselors owe the ethical obligation of confidentiality, parental consent and legal rights, informed consent, and competency level of the minor.
• Describing specific confidentiality concerns in working with minors including the client’s relationship with the parent or guardian, whether disclosure is expected to help the situation, and the severity of potential harm or injury that might result from not disclosing information.
• Assessing ethical guidelines for crisis counseling using American Counseling Association guidelines.
• Analyzing malpractice risks related to health services (e.g., managed health care; privacy, consent, hospital record access; quality and review issues; interdisciplinary relationships, and hospital privileges.
• Describing activities, procedures, and responsibilities for clinicians in private practice and in various mental health settings.
• Analyze hierarchical responsibility for medical regimes and medical liaison consultation for clients.
• Describing ethical and legal constraints/responsibilities related to multiple codes of ethics and licenses.
• Identifying and describing the process for professional responses to client complaints filed with the board(s) and timely, effective responses to potential legal actions against the counselor.
• Generating ethical guidelines and counselor, effective court testimony for the mental health practitioner.
• Describing and applying ethical guidelines related to scope of practice and competency issues for counselors in use of counseling assessments and tests including the use of objective personality tests, and cognitive/academic testing.
• Detailing ethical duty to clients pertaining to court appearances and guidelines for effective court testimony for the mental health practitioner.
• Researching, examining and applying federal and state laws that impact counselors in Texas.
• Reviewing future trends and current board actions, promote legislative awareness, and encourage professional involvement and participation in decisions and activities that impact the counseling profession.