submit a 1500 words paper on the topic Ethical and Legal Issues.
Hi, need to submit a 1500 words paper on the topic Ethical and Legal Issues. The decision-making model is based on five moral principles that guide the professionals in dealing with ethical dilemmas in their practice and include autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity. According to Cottone & Tarvydas (2006), counselors are expected to consider the client’s autonomy and foster the client’s independence and also refrain from causing harm to their clients. Counselors are expected to contribute to the welfare of their clients and treat all individuals equally and with dignity. Furthermore, counselors have an ethical responsibility of ensuring loyalty and honoring all commitments through building therapeutic relationships that are based on shared trust and obligations in order to further the interests and welfare of their clients (Welfel, 2012).
The initial step in counseling Leanne is gathering information in order to understand the psychological situation. As a counselor, the gathered information will enable me to outline the facts of the problem and separate the assumptions and hypotheses regarding the psychological problem. This issue is complex and requires counseling since Leanne is likely to be undergoing psychological trauma due to sexual abuse by her father at an early age. The complex situation requires a counselor to follow the ethical and legal guidelines in counseling such as refraining from disclosing confidential information and showing empathy to Leanne in order to improve the therapeutic relationship (Cottone & Tarvydas, 2006).
The next step in the ethical decision-making model will entail following the American Counseling Association (ACA) code of ethics that will enable counselor to clarify the expected ethical standards that should be followed in their practice. Remley & Herlihy (2014) assert that such a situation requires the application of core professional values of enhancing human development .throughout the life span since Leanne is likely to experience poor social development due to psychological trauma of past sexual abuse. .