Course Syllabus HSV400 – Ethical and Leal Issues in Human Services Course Description: This course will evaluate ethical and legal standards as related to critical professional issues. Students will gain an understanding of the relationship and integration of values for the counselor's role in practice, training, supervision, and consultation. Course Outcomes: After completing HSV 400, the student should be able to: · The student will be able to respond to ethical dilemmas by a decision-making process. · The student will be able to communicate his or her value system, with emphasis on how these values are likely to impact counseling practice. · The student will be able to identify the different major components of ethical codes for professional counselors. · The student will be able to communicate an understanding of the laws for counselors and therapists in the state in which he/she intends to practice. · The student will be able to communicate how her/his personal values influence her/his ethical posture. · The student will be able to identify the professional organizations for counselors. Course Materials: · Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Callanan, P. (2015). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (9th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Pub Co. · Additional reading, listening, viewing materials available on Blackboard. Course Evaluation: Assignment Weight Towards Final Grade Discussion Boards 40% Introduction & Background Information Assignment 20% Final Written Assignment 30% Self-Assessment Reflection Paper 10% Student Survey* -- TOTAL 100% *To ensure that we continue to meet our academic standards and your learning expectations, we routinely assess our programs, courses, and instructors. Completion of the end-of-course Student Survey is a required component of this course. Official University Grading Scale: The following grades are used on academic records and carry the quality points indicated: Grade Numerical Equivalent A 95-100 A- 90-94 B+ 87-89 B 83-86 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79 C 73-76 C- 70-72 D+ 67-69 D 63-66 D- 60-62 F Below 60 Late Work: Assignments, including discussion board postings, should be submitted on time per assignment rubric guidelines. If there is an emergency situation, a request for an extension on assignments may be requested of the instructor before the assignment deadline. If no extension request has been made, late assignments will be penalized with a 20 point deduction for each day it is submitted late. Furthermore, discussion boards Academic Dishonesty: “Academic dishonesty consists of plagiarism, cheating, unauthorized copying of computer discs, willful introduction of viruses, willful interruption of systems, and may also include unintentional complicity in others’ academic dishonesty. Confirmed dishonesty may result in the assignment of a failing grade of other penalties.” (Post University Student Handbook). All papers .

1. Course Syllabus
HSV400 – Ethical and Leal Issues in Human Services
Course Description:
This course will evaluate ethical and legal standards as related
to critical professional issues. Students will gain an
understanding of the relationship and integration of values for
the counselor's role in practice, training, supervision, and
consultation.
Course Outcomes:
After completing HSV 400, the student should be able to:
· The student will be able to respond to ethical dilemmas by a
decision-making process.
· The student will be able to communicate his or her value
system, with emphasis on how these values are likely to impact
counseling practice.
· The student will be able to identify the different major
components of ethical codes for professional counselors.
· The student will be able to communicate an understanding of
the laws for counselors and therapists in the state in which
he/she intends to practice.
· The student will be able to communicate how her/his personal
values influence her/his ethical posture.
· The student will be able to identify the professional
organizations for counselors.
Course Materials:
· Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Callanan, P. (2015). Issues and
ethics in the helping professions (9th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA:

2. Brooks/Cole Pub Co.
· Additional reading, listening, viewing materials available on
Blackboard.
Course Evaluation:
Assignment
Weight Towards Final Grade
Discussion Boards
40%
Introduction & Background Information Assignment
20%
Final Written Assignment
30%
Self-Assessment Reflection Paper
10%
Student Survey*
--
TOTAL
100%
*To ensure that we continue to meet our academic standards and
your learning expectations, we routinely assess our programs,
courses, and instructors. Completion of the end-of-course
Student Survey is a required component of this course.
Official University Grading Scale:
The following grades are used on academic records and carry
the quality points indicated:
Grade

3. Numerical Equivalent
A
95-100
A-
90-94
B+
87-89
B
83-86
B-
80-82
C+
77-79
C
73-76
C-
70-72
D+
67-69
D
63-66
D-
60-62
F
Below 60
Late Work:
Assignments, including discussion board postings, should be
submitted on time per assignment rubric guidelines. If there is
an emergency situation, a request for an extension on
assignments may be requested of the instructor before the
assignment deadline. If no extension request has been made,
late assignments will be penalized with a 20 point deduction for
each day it is submitted late. Furthermore, discussion boards

4. Academic Dishonesty:
“Academic dishonesty consists of plagiarism, cheating,
unauthorized copying of computer discs, willful introduction of
viruses, willful interruption of systems, and may also include
unintentional complicity in others’ academic dishonesty.
Confirmed dishonesty may result in the assignment of a failing
grade of other penalties.” (Post University Student Handbook).
All papers and assignments submitted, including discussion
board postings, must be your own work. Instructors have the
prerogative of using internet checks for plagiarism. Any quotes
or ideas from an outside source must be cited both within text
and in full APA reference format at the end of an assignment.
In discussion boards, outside ideas/quotes must be author/date-
cited within your posting, though. Include your references at the
end of your post.
Penalties for Academic Dishonesty:
Post University generally employs a three-strike process for
acts of academic dishonesty; however, a flagrant violation of
academic integrity may involve immediate dismissal from the
University.
Strike One: The student will receive a zero for the assignment
in which the act of academic dishonesty occurred.
Strike Two: The student will immediately fail the course in
which the second act of academic dishonesty occurred, even if
the first incident occurred in a different course.
Strike Three: The student will immediately be expelled from the
University and receive an 'F' on the final transcript.
The student may appeal the final grade or disciplinary action as
stated in the Grade Appeal or Dismissal Policy. Confirmed
dishonesty may result in penalties up to and including dismissal
from the University and denial of any financial reimbursements.
APA Formatting and Style:

5. APA (American Psychological Association) 6th edition is the
official style guide of the Post
University graduate programs. Visit the APA website at
www.apastyle.orgfor a tutorial. Purdue’s OWL site
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ ) is the
most comprehensive source on the internet. Bookmark it in
your browser.
It is not necessary for you to memorize the entire APA style
guide. Rather, focus on how to do an APA cover sheet, running
head & page numbering, in-text citations and a standardized
reference list. Remember, the idea is to make it easy for your
reader to track your sources of ideas and research.
Discussion Forums:
Students are expected to actively participate in all discussion
board questions (by answering all parts of each question) with
evidence-backed statements, including sources referenced in
proper APA format. Additionally, reply posts must be made to
2 colleagues. Initial posts should be uploaded by 11:59 pm on
Wednesdays except when otherwise indicated, to allow for
discussion throughout the week. Students who do not meet the
Wednesday deadline for initial postings will be penalized with a
15 point deduction. Postings are expected to be professional and
in standard written English, with correct spelling and
punctuation, and properly cited with a references list. It is
expected that students will demonstrate critical thinking and
engagement with and reference to the course readings and
activities as well as extending information. See the Discussion
Board Rubric in the Course Information section of Blackboard
for specific criteria.
General comments and questions not germane to a specific
discussion thread should be posted at the ‘Water Cooler.’ If

6. you have a question very specific to your own situation, please
e-mail the instructor directly
Post University Credit Hour Expectations
Post University takes the integrity of our coursework very
seriously. A credit hour is an academic unit earned for engaged
academic time, including classroom or online instruction and
outside study. This expectation varies based on the type of
class in which you are enrolled:
Main Campus Courses: For a 3-credit semester course, you are
expected to engage in three hours of in-class learning and six
hours of outside study for a total of nine hours of engaged
academic time per week for 15 weeks.
Accelerated Online or Hybrid Site Courses: For an accelerated
8-week, 3-credit hybrid site or online course, you are expected
to engage in 17 hours of engaged academic time per week; for a
hybrid site course, 3 of those hours will be on site.
Blended Courses: Blended courses vary in the balance of
classroom and online instruction. For a 3-credit blended course,
students are expected to complete a total of 135 hours of
engaged academic time, whether it is a semester-long or
accelerated format.
What is ‘engaged academic time’? This is the time you are
engaging in academic learning activities related to a course.
These activities include both in-class, out-of-class, and online
activities such as readings, lectures, group work, videos,
presentations, webinars, research, writing, surveys, discussions,
practice exercises, web development, creating, producing,
studying, and any other learning experiences that contribute to
the achievement of course outcomes.

7. Your responsibility as a student at Post University is to fulfill
these academic expectations in the time you devote to this class.
For the full Academic Credit Hour Policy, please refer to the
Post University Catalog Section 9, the Post University website,
or the Blackboard student services portal.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Post University does not discriminate on the basis of age, race,
gender, sexual orientation, color, national or ethnic origin, or
disability, in the recruitment and admission of students and the
recruitment and employment of faculty and staff. (For more
specific information, please refer to the policy statement
available through the Office of Human Resources.)
Americans with Disabilities Act
Students with documented disabilities who need course
accommodations, have emergency medical information or
require special arrangements should contact the instructor
within the first two weeks of class. Verification of any special
arrangements should go through Caity Masiewicz at
[email protected].
Tutoring Resources/Writing Coaches
Tutor.com is available 24 hours a day for any students that need
tutoring. Writing coaches in the Post University Learning
Center are available to give feedback on your essay by
submitting the essay here:
http://www.post.edu/maincampus/writingcenterform.shtml
Academic Course Engagement:
Post University considers you to be a student once you have
begun a course and engaged in an academic activity within the
first full week of a course. Academic activity is defined as
posting to a discussion board, submitting an assignment, taking
a quiz or a test, or other measurable academic activity. If you

8. have NOT engaged in an academic activity by 11:59PM on the
2nd Monday following the beginning of a module you will be
dropped from the course and will be charged a drop fee. Please
understand your financial aid may also be impacted by not
engaging in each enrolled course. If you happen to be registered
in more than one course in a module, the University will
evaluate if you did begin each course and you will be dropped
only from those courses in which you have not begun.
Unearned F:
Course participation is assessed by faculty when final course
grades are determined. Faculty members will assign an unearned
F grade to you should you choose not to complete any graded
academic activity after the midpoint of a course.
As a result of receiving an unearned F, it is important for you to
understand that you may be administratively withdrawn and the
University may be required to determine how much financial aid
you may owe. Thus, this may result in the return of unearned
financial aid to the U.S. Department of Education or other third
parties and you may be obligated to pay for charges originally
paid by the unearned financial aid and/or return any excess
funds paid to you. Receiving an unearned F may also impair
future course registrations and financial aid availability.
Unearned F grades also count as failing grades in your GPA and
pace of completion.

9. Course Schedule
Units begin at 12:01 a.m. Monday and end at 11:59 p.m.
Sunday.
Unit
Objectives
Activities
Unit 1
· Identify the difference between law and ethics
· Discuss professional monitoring of practices
· Differentiate between aspirational ethics, mandatory ethics,
principle ethics, and virtue ethics
· Describe the role of ethics codes in making ethical decisions
· List six moral principles that can be applied to ethical
dilemmas

10. · Apply the steps to take in working through an ethical dilemma
· Discuss the involvement of the client in the ethical decision
making process
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
Unit 2
· Describe the role of counselor self-awareness in ethical
practice
· Clarify the importance of personal therapy for counselors
· Identify how transference and countertransference can be
ethical concerns
· Discuss the ethical issues involved in the imposition of
therapist values
· Discuss the difference between exposing and imposing of
therapist values
· Explain how to effectively address value conflicts in therapy
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
· Begin thinking about your paper topic
Unit 3
· Describe and recall essential terminology related to
multiculturalism and diversity
· Identify how cultural encapsulation is an ethical issue
· Analyze cultural values and assumption in therapy
· Explain when matching of client and counselor is important
· Evaluate ethical issues pertaining to sexual orientation
· Discuss what is involved in developing multicultural
competence
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
Unit 4
· Describe what is involved in informed consent
· Identify and develop an informed consent document
· Examine a counselor's responsibility in record keeping

11. · Analyze ethical issues related to online counseling
· Distinguish ethical issues in working with minors
· Evaluate involuntary commitment and human rights
· Justify practical strategies for risk management
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
· Submit Introduction and Background Information on your
Topic
Unit 5
· Differentiate between confidentiality, privacy, and privileged
communication
· Describe the purpose and limitations of confidentiality
· Identify privacy issues with telecommunication devices
· Analyze and explain the implications of HIPPA for mental
health providers
· Explain and identify landmark court cases and there
implications for practice
· Recall and illustrate one's duty to protect children, dependent
adults, and the elderly from harm
· Identify confidentiality issues in the area of HIV/AIDS
counseling
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
Unit 6
· Differentiate between various perspectives on multiple
relationships
· Formulate ways to minimize risk and prevent harm
· Differentiate between boundary crossing and boundary
violations
· Evaluate the pros and cons of bartering and receiving gifts
· Identify what ethics codes say about specific gifts
· Appraise the ethical aspects in managing boundaries
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
Unit 7

12. · Discuss how professional competence is an ethical issue
· Identify how and when to make referrals
· Describe the basis of screening candidates for training
programs
· Interpret the purpose of licensing and credentialing
· Explain how continuing education is vital to maintaining
competence
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
· Submit your Written Assignment
Unit 8
· Identify how one's theory pertains to ethical practice
· Illustrate how ethical issues are involved in using techniques
· Evaluate ethical, clinical, and cultural issues in assessment
and diagnosis
· Justify and defend arguments for and against diagnosis
· Recognize the use of tests in counseling
· Describe ethical issues involved in managed care.
· Identify the pros and cons of working within a system.
· Readings and Videos
· Discussion Boards
· Self-Assessment Reflection Paper
HSV 400 Ethical and Legal Issues in Human Services
Introduction and Background Information Assignment
For this assignment, you are expected to submit your
introduction and the background information on the
controversy surrounding the topic you have chosen for your

13. Written Assignment. Please be sure to
address all views on the topic and how it would relate to your
work in the human services field. The
assignment should be at least 3-5 pages in length and include
in-text citations and a full reference list.
This assignment is intended to keep you on track for the Written
Assignment and also provide you an
opportunity for feedback on the assignment before the final
submission is due in Unit 7. The grading
rubric will be included in the Unit 4 assignment information.
Criteria 16-20 points 11-15 points 0-10 points
Introduction
Discussion of the ethical
issue being addressed
20 points
Outline of the ethical topic is
clear; Ideas are appropriate
and clearly highlight the
controversy.
Outline of the ethical issue
is inadequate; Ideas are
inadequate or do not relate
to selected topic.

14. Information about the ethical
issue is not acceptable;
Directions were ignored and
information about the topic was
not addressed.
Background Information
Discussion of the
controversy and different
perspectives of the ethical
issue being addressed
20 points
Outline of the controversy
behind the ethical issue is
clear; Ideas are appropriate
and clearly highlight the
controversy surrounding the
selected topic.

15. Outline of the controversy
does not do an adequate job
of addressing the topic;
Ideas are weakly supported
or unclear.
Information presented is not
acceptable; Directions were
ignored and background
information about the topic was
not addressed.
Mechanics, Grammar and
Proofing
Writing is free from error
and in proper format
20 points
Virtually free from

16. mechanical,
grammatical, punctuation, and
spelling errors; All
of the assignment
requirements were met
Some significant
errors are present, but the
overall meaning is clear;
about half of the
assignment requirements
were met
Errors distract
the reader, to the
extent the meaning is unclear;
the assignment requirements
were not met
Source Selection

17. At least two scholarly
sources were referenced in
proper APA format.
20 points
Sources chosen are highly
relevant to the topic; Sources
add greatly to discussion; few,
if any additional sources
needed
Some sources chosen are
relevant to the topic;
Requires additional sources
to complete the research
Sources are not relevant to
researcher’s topic; Sources
require extensive additional
research

18. Assignment Criteria
Length requirements met,
references included
20 points
Each source has a proper
citation; In-text citations are
included where needed, the
length requirement was met
Some sources have proper
citation; Some in-text
citations are included; The
assignment was just short of
the length expectation
Very few sources
have a proper citation; Very few
in-text citations are complete;
The length requirement was not

19. met
HSV400 Ethical and Legal
Issues in Human Services
Introduction and Background Information Assignment