This document discusses ethics topics related to counseling work, including responsibilities to colleagues, professional associations, and clients. It covers treating colleagues with respect, avoiding soliciting clients from other counselors, knowing your own competence levels, not exploiting relationships, addressing misconduct, collaborating with other professionals, following the law, and relationships with employers. The document emphasizes that ethics apply to all aspects of professional life and relationships. It contrasts principle ethics, which focus on rules and problem-solving, with virtue ethics, which focus on developing virtuous character traits like compassion, self-awareness, discernment, and understanding community values and expectations. Virtue ethics aim to do what is right for the right reasons and reduce suffering.

1. Ethics Topic One
April 2011
Year Two Practicum Class
By AA MacKenzie

2. Introduction to Agency Work




NZAC 7.1 Responsibility to Colleagues:
(a) Counsellors should treat colleagues with
respect, fairness and honesty
(b) Counsellors shall not solicit clients away from
other counsellors
(c) Counsellor shall avoid establishing a
professional relationship with clients of other
counsellors without appropriate communication
with the counsellor or agency involved

3. NZCCA


3.2 Counsellors recognise the boundaries of
their own competence and provide only services
for which they are qualified by training and/or
experience. They refer matters outside their
areas of experience and training to appropriately
qualified persons.
3.5 Counsellors do not exploit their professional
relationships with employers, supervisors or
other colleagues

4. Responsibility to NZAC





7.2: Counsellors should take action when they
consider another counsellor's behaviour could
be judged as professional misconduct, conduct
unbecoming a member, or conduct prejudicial to
the interests of the Association.
Such action may include:
Bringing concerns to the attention of the
counsellor
Notifying the counsellor's supervisor, teacher or
employer
Using a formal complaints process

5. Other responsibilities






7.3 responsibility to the profession
7.4 Collaboration with Counselling
Colleagues and Other Professions
8.1 Counsellors and the Law
(a) Counsellors shall work within the law.
8.2 Relationship with Employers and Third
Party Funders
What does this mean for you?

6. Ethical Practice



Applies to every part of what we do and
who we are
Not limited to what happens in the
counselling room
Applies to all other professional
relationships

7. Bersoff’s perspective (1996)
From sound character
Grows
Ethical Conduct = knowledge + clear
understandings
Where the counsellor can RESPOND with
Maturity, judgement, discretion, wisdom,
prudence
 GOAL: to develop Virtue Ethics

8. Principle Ethics





Principle Ethics “Is this situation
unethical?”
Based on obligation and methods which
focuses on solving a problem
Focuses on acts and choices “What shall I
do?”
Influenced by laws & ethical codes
Need to begin here & develop into virtue
ethics

9. Virtue ethics:" Am I doing the
best for my client?”


Focussed on character traits of the
counsellor and non obligatory ideals to
which professional aspire
Even without an ethical dilemma are
compelled to work ethically

10. Five characteristics
1.
2.
3.
Motivated to do what is right and for the
right reasons (judge it to be right vs.
rules and law).
Possess vision & discernment –
sensitivity- know what principles to apply
to a situation and how to apply them
Possess compassion, a regard for
welfare of others and sensitivity to
suffering. Able to take action to reduce
suffering.

11. 4.
5.
Possess self-awareness – capacity for selfobservation – know how assumptions
convictions & biases are likely to affect their
interactions with others
Connected with and understand the mores of
their community and the importance of
community on moral decision making. They
understand the ideals and expectations of their
community.

12. So what would virtue ethics look
like?


Talk in your group about responsibilities to
your colleagues, profession, funding
agencies & the wider community
So what would virtue ethics look like?