Ethical Issues in Career

Development Interventions
Chapter 14

Classifying Practitioner Behavior

Ethical and
Legal
--------------------------

Ethical and
Illegal

Unethical and
Legal
--------------------------

Unethical and
Illegal

Ethical Rules of Thumb

Dual relationships with the potential to
exploit client trust and vulnerability are
unethical.
Consult with professional colleagues who
understand career interventions when
unsure about how to resolve a dilemma.
Be aware of clients values and those
imbedded in career intervention models.

Ethical Dilemmas vs. Moral

Temptations
Kidder (1995) contends that an ethical
dilemma occurs only in instances when
there are competing rights or there is a
struggle to determine the least bad course
of action.

Using Principles to Resolve

Ethical Decisions
Van Hoose (1986) recommended that
counselors use ACAs five principles to
guide their ethical practice:
Autonomy
Nonmaleficence
Beneficence
Justice
Fidelity (Herlify & Corey, 1996, p. 4-5)

Additional Principles
Beauchamp and Childress (1995) identified
additional relevant principles to guide
professional-client relationships:
Veracity: Tell the truth and do not lie or
deceive others.
Privacy: Allow individuals to limit access to
information about themselves.
Confidentiality: Allow individuals to control
access to information they have shared.

Relevant Ethical Codes for

Career Practitioners
American Counseling Association (ACA)
National Career Development Association
(NCDA)
American Psychological Association (APA)
International Association of Educational
and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG)
National Board for Certified Counselors
(NBCC)

Strategies for Minimizing

Insensitivity to Clients Values
Become informed about variety of values
held in society.
Be aware of your own values.
Present value options to clients in an
unbiased manner.
Be committed to clients freedom of choice.

Strategies for Minimizing

Insensitivity, continued
Respect clients with values that differ from
your own.
Consult with others when necessary.
Consider referring clients to another
counselor when substantial moral, religious
or political value differences exist.

Special Ethical Challenges

Are all individual career interventions
counseling?
Should those without traditional training
and credentials provide career services?
How should the Internet be used in career
development interventions?

Reasons for Using the Internet in

Career Service Delivery (current NCDA
guidelines)

To deliver occupational information

To provide online searches of occupational
databases for the purpose of identifying
occupational options
To deliver interactive career counseling and
career planning services
To provide online job searches

Six Sections of NCDA Ethical

Standards

Section A - General
Section B - The Counseling Relationship
Section C - Measurement and Evaluation
Section D - Research and Publication
Section E - Consulting
Section F - Private Practice

Ethical Standards and Ethical

Practice for Career Counselors
Offer only services they are competent to
offer.
Respect and value individual differences
among clients and potential clients.
Treat information received from and about
clients as owned by the client and held in
trust by the counselor.

Ethical Standards, continued

Do not engage in any professional
relationship in which the counselors
objectivity and ability to work for clients
welfare might be impaired.
Assume professional responsibility for
clients and, if unable to assist, help the
client obtain alternative services.

Ethical Standards, continued

Recognize they have obligations to other
members of the profession and to society to
act in responsible ways and to consider the
effects of their behavior on others.

The End