Learning Objectives
Develop a thorough understanding of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
Explain how personal values, biases, and prejudices can influence ethical decision-making
Evaluate boundaries of competence in counselling/psychotherapy
Clarify the ethical reasoning in counselling and psychotherapy
Purpose
In the assignment, the student’s task is to critically analyze the ethical topics by integrating references to ethical principles, standards of practice, relevant practice guidelines and legislation:
Students who apply for registration with CCPA or other colleges (i.e. CRPO, BCACC) as counsellors, therapists and mental health service providers are required to refer to CCPA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. Members of these colleges (in addition to the CCPA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics) may also analyze the examples in terms of the principles of CRPO Code of Ethics or BCACC Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Clinical Practice.
Instructions
Consider yourself as a future counsellor as you write your paper. Address your thoughts on 5 (five) selected topics.
Each topic should be used as headings with a number of the topic and the title at the centre of your page, which is given in bold print below. A minimum of 2-3 references (need to have been published in the last 5-7 years)for each topic. Each topic is limited to 1 page (double spaced).
Please use the Assignment Template for RC#2.
In developing your ideas, use clear examples to illustrate your point. Tie your examples into the point you are making — but avoid giving too many details or getting lost in the personal example. Draw upon examples, and apply ethical principles to practical work settings.
[Include listed articles from the Code of Ethics/Standards of Practice in your responses].
SELECT 5 (FIVE) TOPICS from the following:
1. The Picnic.
Assume you are Lucia’s counsellor, and she asks you to move her counselling sessions to the park. What are your thoughts? What would you tell her? What would you do, and why? [Alternative: You can also create a similar example pertaining to the counselling setting and address the ethical issues involved in this example].
2. Bartering.
Your client tells you that he or she will have to terminate counselling with you because of losing a job and the inability to pay for therapy. Your client suggests a bartering arrangement with you as a way to continue therapy. Demonstrate how you’d deal with this situation in an ethical and effective manner. What specific issues would you want to address with this client?
3. Gift Giving.
Create a BRIEF case where your client offers you a gift. What are your thoughts about accepting gifts from clients? What issues are you likely to explore with your client?
4. Sexual Attractions.
Assume that one of your clients informs you that he/she finds you sexually attractive. Show how you’d deal with this situation. What issues would you explore? What if you also found this client attractive? And what if you did not find this person attractive? In your answer, address the ethical issues involved in the situation.
5. Counselling Couples and Families.
Identify one specific area where you think you would be most challenged ethically in a therapeutic situation with either couples or a family. Discuss the situation and show how you might deal with the ethical issues involved.
6. Ethics in Group Work.
Think about yourself as a counsellor in an agency setting. You are asked to design and conduct a group. Identify what you consider to be some of your most salient ethical concerns in forming and facilitating a particular kind of group.
7. Ethics in Multicultural Practice.
Demonstrate your understanding of the legal and ethical aspects of counselling cultural and diverse populations by providing a brief original example(s) of how you might encounter 2 or more legal and ethical issues in your work as a mental health professional. Look up the law in your province and discuss how this applies to the example. Also, look up any laws that apply to groups with special protection in the Canadian context.
8. Friendship.
Assume that one of your clients is terminating, and he or she lets you know he or she would like to begin some form of a social relationship. Explain how you’d proceed. What issues would you explore with your client?
9. Malpractice.
Identify some of the ways you will go about decreasing the chances of getting involved in a malpractice suit. Focus on your attitudes and actions that are likely to prevent you from malpractice actions. What guidance do the various codes of ethics provide for you in lessening a malpractice action?
10. Duty to Warn and to Protect.
Assume you are counselling a client that you have serious concerns about either danger to self (suicidal person) or danger to other (violent person). Create a brief scenario and identify the salient legal and ethical issues in relation to the duty to warn and duty to protect. Assuming that you would seek consultation, what would you ask of the consultant? Discuss what you would do (giving your rationale) in the scenario you present.
Structure
Required components: Title page, and Reference page. The title page includes the following elements: Page number, Paper title, Author, Author Affiliation, Course, Instructor, and Due Date. The paper should be double-spaced throughout (without leaving an extra space between paragraphs or references).
Headings – the topic number and the title at the centre of the page.
The requirement in each assignment is to use either CPA or CCPA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice as required material in the course. In addition, in assignment #2, you need to add 2-3 references from peer review journals or professional publications. References have to be published in the last 5-7 years.
Each topic is limited to 1 page.
Format: Please, format your assignment in Word (files with extension .doc or .docx), Times New Roman font-size: 12.
Specific Requirements
No abstract, introduction or conclusion sections are needed for the assignment. There is no need to apply steps of the ethical decision-making model in this assignment. You can write in the first person.
Use the following formula for saving your assignments: First Name Last Name -Course Number-Assignment Number (JohnDoe-PSYC6203-1).
Important: When analyzing cases in the ethical course, do not focus on any specific clinical treatment and intervention options (i.e., evaluate the effectiveness of treatment interventions). You only focus on the ethical justification behind the hypothetical counsellor’s actions/decisions.
Resources
Any sources used to support your written narrative should be cited using the correct APA format. Although Wikipedia can be a useful starting place to gather very general information no Wikipedia references will be accepted as scholarly citations.
Use the Yorkville University Library and the EBSCO tool for academic search. It is important to select credible sources for assignments. This resource will assist students in determining which sources are credible: https://myyu.ca/ask/credible-source-guide/
Submission Notes
Please do not email your submissions to your professor, either before or after the due date; all coursework should be submitted through the online course (Moodle).
The system will not allow you to resubmit after the due date. In the event of an emergency situation preventing, you from submitting within this time frame, special permission must be obtained from your professor prior to the deadline. Documentation substantiating emergency is required. In such a circumstance, if the extension is granted, the professor will reopen the submission function for you on an individual basis.
Please review the instructions for Submitting Turnitin Assignments found in Module 2 of the MACP Student Orientation.
Please review the instructions for Reviewing Feedback in Turnitin found in Module 2 of the MACP Student Orientation.
Evaluation
The following rubric indicates those areas you should be focusing on in preparing your assignment, and how the professor will weigh these components relative to one another.
Criteria % of Assignment Grade
The Structure of the Paper (5%)
Presentation, originality, accuracy
/5
Mastery of Material/Comprehensiveness (75%)
Each of 5 topics is a value of: 15/75
Theoretical/practical relevance
Integration of knowledge.
Incorporation of code of ethics and standards of practice
/75
Writing Quality (20%)
Academic professional writing – 15/20
APA format style – 5/20
/20
TOTAL /100
