Definition of Counseling

Counseling is a noble and altruistic profession. It  The word “counselor” has been misused over
emphasizes growth as well as remediation over the the years by connecting it with descriptive
course of a life span in various areas of life: childhood, adjectives to promote products. • carpet
adolescence, adulthood, and older adulthood. counselors, color coordination counselors, pest
Counselors specialize in helping individuals, couples, control counselors, financial counselors, camp
groups, families, and social systems that are counselors •
experiencing situational, developmental, and long- or  Counseling as a profession grew out of the
short-term problems. Counseling’s focus on progressive guidance movement of the early
development, prevention, wellness, and treatment 1900s. Its emphasis was on prevention and
makes it attractive to those seeking healthy life-stage purposefulness—on helping individuals of all
transitions and productive lives. ages and stages avoid making bad choices in
life while finding meaning, direction, and
fulfillment in what they did

 The focus of counseling is on wellness,  To understand what counseling is now, it is

development, mindfulness, meaningfulness, important first to understand how counseling is
mattering, and growth, as well as the similar to and different from concepts such as
remediation of mental disorders, for individuals, guidance and psychotherapy.
groups, couples, and families across the life
span.

 Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish
mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.
 ACA identified professional counseling specialty, requiring advanced knowledge in the field
 .
 Becoming a specialist is founded on the premise that “all professional counselors must first meet the requirements
for the general practice of professional counseling”.

Individuals aspire to become counselors for many reasons. For the most part, “it attracts caring, warm, friendly and
sensitive people” (Myrick, 1997, p. 4)

The effectiveness of a counselor and of counseling depends on numerous variables, including • the personality and
background of the counselor;

• the formal education of the counselor; and

• the ability of the counselor to engage in professional counseling-related activities, such as continuing education,
supervision, advocacy, and the building of a portfolio.

• Counselors and the counseling process have a dynamic effect on others. If counseling is not beneficial, it is most likely
harmful (Carkhuff, 1969; Ellis, 1984; Mays & Franks, 1980). Thus, personal and professional factors that influence the
counseling profession must be examined.

THE PERSONALITY BACKGROUND OF A COUNSELOR

A counselor’s personality is at times a crucial ingredient in counseling. Counselors should possess personal qualities of
maturity, empathy, and warmth. They should be humane in spirit and not easily upset or frustrated. Unfortunately, such is
not always the case, and some people aspire to be in the profession of counseling for the wrong reasons.

Negative Motivators for becoming a Counselor

A number of students “attracted to professional counseling ... appear to have serious personality and adjustment
problems” such as narcissism or unresolved developmental issues (Witmer & Young, 1996, p. 142).

Dysfunctional motivators for becoming a counselor Guy (1987):

 Emotional distress—individuals who have unresolved personal traumas

 Vicarious coping—persons who live their lives through others rather than have meaningful lives of their own
 Loneliness and isolation—individuals who do not have friends and seek them through counseling experiences
 A desire for power—people who feel frightened and impotent in their lives and seek to control others
 A need for love—individuals who are narcissistic and grandiose and believe that all problems are resolved
through the expression of love and tenderness
 Vicarious rebellion—persons who have unresolved anger and act out their thoughts and feelings through their
clients’ defiant behaviors

•Counselors and counselors-in-training should always assess themselves in regard to who they are and what they are
doing.

•Such questions may include those that examine their development histories, their best and worst qualities, and
personal/professional goals and objectives (Faiver, Eisengart, & Colonna, 2004).

Personal Qualities of an Effective Counselor

•Among the functional and positive factors that motivate individuals to pursue careers in counseling and make them well
suited for the profession are the following qualities as delineated by Foster (1996) and Guy (1987)

Personal Qualities of an Effective Counselor

“Individuals who have been hurt and have been able to transcend their pain and gain insight into themselves and the
world can be helpful to others who struggle to overcome emotional problems – a paradoxical phenomenon” (Miller,
Wagner, Britton, & Gridley, 1998).

“Counselors who have experienced painful life events and have adjusted positively can usually connect and be authentic
with clients in distress” (Foster, 1996, p. 21).

Effective counselors are also people who have successfully integrated scientific knowledge and skills into their lives, they
have achieved a balance of interpersonal and technical competence (Cormier, Nurius, & Osborn, 2017)

Qualities of Effective Counselor Over Time Personal Qualities of an Effective Counselor

Maintaining Effectiveness as a Counselor

Carl Jung’s idea of synchronicity, “which he [Jung] defined as two simultaneous events that occur coincidentally [and
that] result in a meaningful connection,” is perhaps the most productive way for counselors to perceive and deal with
unexpected life experiences (Roehlke, 1988)
\Ways in which counselors can avoid or treat compassion fatigue and burnout

Maintaining Effectiveness as a Counselor

Auvenshine and Noffsinger (1984) concluded, “Effective counselors must be emotionally mature, stable, and objective.
They must have self-awareness and be secure in that awareness, incorporating their own strengths and weaknesses
realistically” (p. 151).

PROFESSIONAL ASPECTS OF COUNSELING

Professional Aspects of Counseling: Levels of Professional Aspects of Counseling: Three Helping

Helping Professions Related to Counseling

CREDENTIALING OF COUNSELORS

RA 9258: Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004

Guidance and Counseling is a profession that involves the use of an integrated approach to the development of well-
functioning individual primarily by helping him/her utilize his/her potentials to the fullest and plan his/her future in
accordance with his/her abilities, interests and needs. It includes functions such as counseling, psychological testing, (as
to personality, career interest, study orientation, mental ability and aptitude), research, placement, group process,
teaching and practicing of guidance and counseling subjects, particularly subjects given in the licensure examinations,
and other human development services.

ATTRIBUTION AND THE SYSTEMATIC FRAMEWORK OF COUNSELING

Four Main Attribution Models of Counselors Systems of Counseling

Engaging in Professional Counseling-Related Activities

Chapter 2 ETHICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF COUNSELING

Definitions: Ethics, Morality and Law

 Counseling is an active profession based on values.

 Values are at the core of the counseling relationship.
 Counselors who are not clear about their values, ethics, and legal responsibilities, as well as those of their clients,
can cause harm despite their best intentions

Unethical behaviors in Counseling (ACA, 2014, Herlihy and Corey, 2015):

CASE EXAMPLE

Carl Considers What to Do with a Client

After working for a mental health agency, Carl decided to go into private practice. His first few months were quite slow. In
fact, he wondered if he would have to quit and go to work for an agency again. One day, however, he received two
referrals for anger management.

Carl was mild-mannered and had not dealt with anger management cases before. Nevertheless, considering his financial
situation, he accepted both and made appointments for the next day. That night he read everything he could on anger
management. Yet as the time drew near for the appointments, he felt uneasy.

If you were Carl, what might you consider besides the stability of your private practice? Would Carl violate his level of
professional competence if he actually saw clients with anger problems? Why or why not?

Professional Codes of Ethics and Standard

To address ethical situations, counselors have developed professional codes of ethics and standards of conduct based on
an agreed-on set of values
Three other reasons for the existence of ethical codes

The Development of Codes of Ethics for Counselors

 The first counseling code of ethics was developed by the American Counseling Association (ACA) based on the
original American Psychological Association code of ethics (Allen, 1986).
 Code of Ethics for Registered and Licensed Guidance Counselors (PRBGC Board Reso. No. 05 s. 2008)
 Nine Main Sections of the ACA Code of Ethics
o Counseling Relationship
o Confidentially and Privacy in Counseling
o Professional Responsibility D. Relationships with Colleagues, Employers, and Employees
o Evaluation, Assessment, and Interpretation.
o Supervision, Training, and Teaching
o Research and Publication H. Distance Counseling, Technology, and Social Media
o Resolving Ethical Issues

Limitations of Ethical Code

• Some issues cannot be resolved by a code of ethics.

• Enforcing ethical codes is difficult.
• There may be conflicts within the standards delineated by the code.
• Some legal and ethical issues are not covered in codes.
• Ethical codes are historical documents. Thus, what may be acceptable practice at one time may be considered
unethical later.
• Sometimes conflicts arise between ethical and legal codes.
• Ethical codes do not address cross-cultural issues.
• Ethical codes do not address every possible situation.
• There is often difficulty in bringing the interests of all parties involved in an ethical dispute
• together systematically.
• Ethical codes are not proactive documents for helping counselors decide what to do in new situation

Conflicts Within and among Ethical Codes

• To act ethically counselors must be aware of ethical codes and be able to differentiate an ethical dilemma from
other types of dilemmas—a differentiation that is not always easy.
• Sometimes different ethical principles in a code offer conflicting guidelines about what to do in a given situation.
• Conflicts may occur when counselors belong to two or more professional organizations whose codes of ethics
differ, such as the codes of the APA and the ACA Three reasons why the presence of standards poses a potential
dilemma for many counselors

Making Ethical Decisions

Six ethical principles relate to the activities and ethical choices of counselors:

• beneficence (doing good and preventing harm)

• nonmaleficence (not inflicting harm),
• autonomy (respecting freedom of choice and self-determination)
• justice (fairness)
• fidelity (faithfulness or honoring commitments and promises)
• veracity (truthfulness)
Other Guidelines for Acting Ethically Criteria for Acting Ethically (Swanson, 1983)

Educating Counselors in Ethical Decision Making

Five-stage developmental continuum of reasoning (Van Hoose and Paradise, 1979)

Ethics in Specific Counseling Situations

Ethical behavior is greatly influenced by the prevalent attitudes in the setting in which one works, by one’s colleagues, and
by the task the counselor is performing.

Counselors should check thoroughly the general policies and principles of an institution before accepting employment
because employment in a specific setting implies that the counselor agrees with its policies, principles, and ethics.

Four Main Ethical Issues in the Area of Research

Multiple Relationships

Working with Counselors who may Act Unethically

Working with Counselors who may Act Unethically Publicity

Criteria for judgement where potential action might lead

The Law and Counseling
• Legal refers to “law or the state of being lawful,” and law refers to “a body of rules recognized by a state
or community as binding on its members” (Shertzer & Stone, 1980, p. 386).
• “law is not cut and dried, definite and certain, or clear and precise” (Van Hoose & Kottler, 1985, p. 44)

Legal Recognition of Counseling in the Philippines

Republic Act 9258: AN ACT PROFESSIONALIZING THE PRACTICE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING
AND CREATING FOR THIS PURPOSE A PROFESSIONAL REGULATORY BOARD OF GUIDANCE AND
COUNSELING, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES The “Guidance and
Counseling Act of 2004”
Legal Recognition of Counseling in the Philippines RA 9258 Article IV – Practice of Guidance and
Counseling
SEC. 27. Prohibition Against the Practice of Guidance and Counseling. — No person shall (a) engage in the
practice of guidance and counseling without a valid Certificate of Registration and a valid Professional
Identification Card or a special permit; (b) make representations to the public or to third persons as a licensed
guidance counselor during the time that the license has been revoked or suspended, and, (c) allow anybody to
use his/her license as guidance counselor to enable such unqualified individual to engage in the practice of
guidance and counseling.
No corporation, partnership, association or entity shall operate a guidance and counseling office or center, or
otherwise engage in the practice of guidance and counseling without securing a permit from the Board, which
shall be issued only after it has satisfied itself that such establishment is properly staffed by duly licensed
guidance counselors.
Any unethical practice of guidance and counseling as may be defined in a Code of Ethics and Code of
Technical Standards to be prepared by the Board in consultation with guidance counselors, is prohibited
SEC. 28. Right to Privileged Communication for Guidance Counselors. — A certified guidance counselor who is allowed
to practice guidance and counseling in accordance with this Act cannot, without the consent of the client, be examined as
to any communication or information which has been acquired while attending to such client. The protection accorded
herein shall also extend to the records and secretary or clerk of a licensed guidance counselor, who may not be examined
concerning any fact, the knowledge of which has been acquired in such capacity.

Any evidence obtained in violation of this provision shall be inadmissible for any purpose in any proceeding