Ethical Standards for a Post-COVID-19 World

2022 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-96
Author(s):  
Anabel Mifsud ◽  
Barbara Herlihy

The cataclysmic events of 2020 created an urgent need for mental health counseling to help individuals, families, and communities deal with grief, loss, and trauma. The sheer magnitude of the challenges has highlighted the necessity for collective interventions, as the need for help far surpasses what can be met through traditional individual or family counseling. Clinical mental health counselors must be prepared to respond to the new challenges in creative, culturally responsive, and ethical ways. The authors discuss the limitations of the prevailing codes of ethics, which are grounded in principle ethics, and propose that virtue ethics and relational ethics perspectives can be incorporated into ethical reasoning to make the process more responsive to collective interventions. A case scenario is presented and analyzed to illustrate this broader and more inclusive approach to ethical decision-making in a situation that calls for a collective intervention.

2020 ◽  
pp. 106648072097853
Author(s):  
Amy E. Williams ◽  
Olivia L. Weinzatl ◽  
B. L. Varga

This study examined couple and family counseling coursework in the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)–accredited clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) programs and scope of practice related to couple and family counseling based on each state’s licensure regulations for mental health counselors (MHCs). Required and offered courses in couple/family-related content areas for 331 CACREP-accredited CMHC programs were analyzed. In addition, state licensure regulations for all 50 states and Washington, DC, were examined to determine whether MHCs can conduct couple and family counseling based upon licensure regulations. The results of this study indicated a mean of 1.1 couple/family-related courses required and a mean of 2.3 of these courses offered within CMHC programs. All but one of the 51 licensure regulations analyzed either permits or does not specify whether couple/family counseling falls within the scope of practice of MHCs; these 50 state/territory regulations also lack concrete guidelines related to required training or supervised experience in couple and family counseling to provide this service competently as an MHC. Limitations and areas for future research and training opportunities are discussed in light of these results.


2022 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-81
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Klein ◽  
Eric T. Beeson

Opportunities for clinical mental health counselors to practice in interprofessional settings are likely to increase as the larger health care system in the United States evolves. While aspects of interprofessionalism are embedded in the codes of ethics of the counseling profession, discussion of identity has primarily been focused on intraprofessional identity. To concurrently assess intraprofessional identity, interprofessionalism, and interprofessional identity, a study was conducted with clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) using the Professional Identity Scale in Counseling–Short Form (PISC-S) and the University of West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE IPQ). Results indicated that CMHCs place importance on both intra- and interprofessional identity, although they have more confidence in their intraprofessional identity. A high degree of correlation was found between the PISC-S and UWE IPQ, indicating the interrelatedness of these aspects of identity. Results can be used to inform interprofessional education and identity development models for the CMHC profession.


2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shonali Raney ◽  
Deniz Canel Çinarba s

Turkey and India are developing countries with unique cultural characteristics. The current state of mental health counseling in Turkey and India necessitates new laws, indigenous approaches, adaptations of culture-sensitive approaches, and research projects to validate such approaches. It is the job of mental health counselors to accomplish such complicated and trying tasks in the absence of social and financial resources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-264
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Smith ◽  
Michael T. Kalkbrenner

Corporal punishment, defined as the application of physical pain (e.g., spanking, slapping, or grabbing) to decrease a child’s undesirable behavior, is associated with negative mental health outcomes. Clients may present to mental health counselors with concerns that stem from their experience of corporal punishment. Mental health counselors work to prevent deleterious consequences of corporal punishment through the provision of psychoeducation on effective parenting strategies. Given that young adults are the largest group of prospective parents in the United States, the present investigators examined attitudes about the utility of corporal punishment as a disciplinary strategy among young adults who do not have children. Results revealed differences in the rates of endorsement of corporal punishment as a disciplinary strategy by gender and ethnicity. Higher rates were found among young adults who identified as male and those who identified as White relative to those who identified as female and those who identified as Latinx, respectively. These findings have a number of implications for challenging stereotypes (e.g., that Latinx clients endorse corporal punishment at higher rates than clients who identify as White) and enhancing mental health counselors’ prevention efforts (e.g., targeting attitudes about corporal punishment among those likely to become parents).


2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Feisthamel ◽  
Robert Schwartz

This study of mental health counselors' diagnoses of African-American and Euro-American clients (N=899) found that African-Americans were diagnosed disproportionately more often with disruptive behavior disorders whereas Euro-Americans were diagnosed more often with less severe adjustment disorders. These findings mirror those of researchers from other mental health professions considering different mental disorders. Implications for mental health counseling practice and future research are discussed, and pathways to account for the phenomenon are proposed.


2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Calley

With increasing emphasis on the use of evidence-based practices and efficient clinical operations, mental health counselors must be competent in comprehensive clinical program development that covers program design, implementation, and sustainability. To address this need, a practice model here presented integrates scientific knowledge and business principles by emphasizing research-based program design and due diligence in program development. The model consists of 12 sequential, interrelated phases to guide the professional in creating comprehensive mental health counseling programs.


Author(s):  
James C. Raines ◽  
Nic T. Dibble

Ethical decision making in school mental health provides mental health professionals with a seven-step approach to managing ethical predicaments. It combines guidance from four major codes of ethics, including the American School Counseling Association, National Association of School Nurses, National Association of School Psychologists, and National Association of Social Workers. Ethical issues are endemic for mental health professionals working with minors in a host setting like schools. New interventions, evolving technologies, and a patchwork of ethical and legal guidelines create a constant stream of new ethical dilemmas. Longstanding and complex questions rarely give way to quick and easy answers. The seven-step model presented here enables readers to apply a practical process that minimizes their liability and protects their students. Beginning with an introduction of the moral, legal, and clinical foundations that undergird ethical practice, the authors present an ethical decision-making model with seven steps: know yourself and your responsibilities, analyze the dilemma, seek consultation, identify courses of action, manage clinical concerns, enact the decision, and reflect on the process. The second edition includes meticulously updated chapters based on recent changes to all of the codes of ethics over the past 10 years. It also has a new chapter on the universal issue of ethical recordkeeping. This handy guide is written for multidisciplinary teams of mental health professionals, including school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, and school counselors. It provides a trusty resource with the following elements: Clearly organized chapters that introduce a process approach to ethical decision-making; Interprofessional and collaborative approach to working with other stakeholders; Case examples and practice exercises illustrate real work application of ethical guidelines; and Glossary, web resources, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions on students’ civil rights.


2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolores Puterbaugh

Sleep problems are epidemic in the United States. Many adults complain of poor sleep yet engage in behaviors that are counterproductive to sleep. This article briefly reviews recent research on the treatment of insomnia and discusses application of mental health counseling strategies for treatment. Case studies illustrate the application of current research within counselor areas of expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral counseling.


2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torey Portrie-Bethke ◽  
Nicole Hill ◽  
Jerid Bethke

The hyperactivity and impulsivity experienced by children who are diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can pose challenges for families, teachers, and mental health counselors (Barkley, 2000). The authors present an integrative model of Adlerian play therapy and adventure-based counseling (ABC) that extends beyond traditional talk therapy, fosters a strength-based perspective, and is action-oriented and dynamic. Specific ABC treatment activities for working with children and families affected by ADHD are presented in the context of the four phases of treatment in Adlerian play therapy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sejal Barden ◽  
Abigail Conley ◽  
Mark Young

Few counselor training programs offer wellness courses or training on how to ethically and competently integrate physical and mental health issues when working with clients. This article highlights the interrelatedness of mental and physical health to build on the counseling profession's own tradition of wellness and to encourage mental health counselors and counselor educators to adapt to changes in integrated healthcare. We propose that the mental health profession adopt competencies for wellness as part of standard counselor preparation and continuing education.


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