The Codes Of Ethics Of The American Counseling Association

Content Comparison Professional associations establish codes of ethics to ensure that clinicians uphold the standards of their association in order to protect the clients they serve and the profession they are affiliated with. This paper will compare the codes of ethics of the American Counseling Association (ACA), American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and National Association of Social Workers (NASW). ACA Code of Ethics The ACA is an educational, scientific, and professional organization that works to accomplish improved mental health, wellness, awareness, and education. The ACA establishes a code of ethics to provide guidance on ethical practices for professional counselors. The code explains ethical†¦show more content†¦Although there were several issues addressed and updated in the most recent code of ethics, the most significant change was distance counseling, technology, and social media. The current ACA Code of Ethics did not mention specific social media names, like Facebook or Instagram, because they wanted to ensure that the code remains up to date with the newest social media sites. The emphasis on social media and the use of technology focuses on maintaining proper boundaries within the counseling relationship, so that counselors separate their personal and professional lives. The code of ethics also stresses the importance of having informed consent for technology usage, a nd addresses expectations with response time in replying to emails and texts messages. When counselors use these outlets, they must encrypt the communication method to protect confidentiality rights of their clients (Kaplan, 2017). Other important changes to the newest ACA Code of Ethics is not allowing personal values and religious beliefs to interfere with the work counselors do. This includes not making referrals on the basis of the counselor’s religious beliefs. Instead, the counselor needs to educate themselves in order to provide services for a variety of clients before making a referral. These updated codes work to improve client-counselor relationships and uphold the standard for professional counselorsShow MoreRelatedThe American Counseling Association Code Of Ethics787 Words   |  4 PagesFrom a Christian perspective, American culture is full of misleading ideas that undoubtedly derive from contentiously evil principles yet find voluminous supporters who continue to promote such exploits. 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