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Value Objectivity

Catherine L. Brooks

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University

CNL-505 Professional Counseling, Ethical, and Legal Considerations

Dr. Lucas

September 6, 2020
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Value Objectivity

Values are foundational to one’s beliefs and the guiding principles to living everyday life;

ethics are guidelines established by individuals or groups for the ideal standards of right conduct.

Counselors must understand the impact of both in a counselor-client relationship. Ethical

decision making involves one’s personal values. However, a counselor must be mindful of their

own background, values, and cultural beliefs and their clients. A counselor must recognize “any

conflicts between personal and professional values and dealing with them effectively” (Corey, et

al., pg. 20). The American Counseling Association, known as the ACA, Code of Ethics, sets the

framework and boundaries for a counselor to maintain an ethical standard of practice while also

focusing on the client’s values and beliefs (ACA, 2014). This paper will analyze the ethical

implications of a counselor expressing values to their client, identify the actions a counselor may

take when faced with differing values and beliefs on controversial issues, explore clinical mental

health legislative and government policies, as well as examine factors regarding referrals.

The ACA Code of Ethics creates a framework and boundaries for the counselor-client

relationship. The ACA Code of Ethics, Section B, “articulates the shared belief that counselors

recognize that trust is a cornerstone of their covenantal relationship and that they affirm their

responsibility to promote that trust” (Ponton & Duba, 2009, pg. 119). Trust building must take

place for a counselor-client relationship to be successful. The counselor-client relationship

involves a counselor’s ability to handle their personal values in a way that will not impact the

client and counseling relationship. Counselors “are expected to be able to set aside their personal

beliefs and values when working with a wide range of clients” (Corey, et al, 2014, pg. 70).

Clients from all types of backgrounds and cultures will bring worldview experiences that differ

from their counselor. The expectation is to provide a safe, trusted environment where a client
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will not be exposed to any type of discrimination due to differing values. The counseling process

ensures the counselor helps the client discover resources that will encourage the client to deal

with the problem and thus further the client’s goals in treatment. If, at any time during the

counseling process, the counselor imposes their own value or beliefs, it is an ethical issue that

violates a client’s trust (Corey, et al., 2014, pg. 72). Additionally, counselors must understand

their value and belief system when it differs from their clients, especially concerning

controversial issues.

Counselors must understand and plan a course of action regarding controversial issues

where there is a difference in values and beliefs. Value conflicts may come up in counseling

sessions regarding abortion, suicide, or other issues that may conflict with the counselor’s values.

They must be ready to walk alongside their client through it. For instance, if a client begins

discussing an unplanned pregnancy and considering abortion, the counselor must explore the

client’s values around their unplanned pregnancy. Additionally, the counselor must be versed in

the policies and laws regarding abortion in their state. It is critical for the client to understand

their options and for the counselor to guide the client to resources but not impart their values into

the situation (Corey, et al., 2014, pg. 81). The counselor must set aside their beliefs as the client

is already dealing with a highly stressful decision without a counselor negatively impacting the

client because of their own beliefs.

Another example of a value conflict can be physician-assisted suicide. The fact that all

fifty states allow individuals to have choices on whether to withhold and withdraw treatment

regarding their own death means a counselor is likely to face the issue with their client. The

ACA Code of Ethics addresses the quality of care a counselor must offer if a client is terminally

ill and wants to end their life (ACA, 2014). Counselors must provide high-quality care and be
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knowledgeable in end-of-life care decisions. They also must be willing to evaluate their own

values and beliefs surrounding end-of-life options and their "role in the decision-making process

of clients who choose to hasten their dying process" (Corey, et al., 2014, pg. 94). Counselors

dealing with life and death issues must also consider how they will deal with balancing the need

to protect their client as well as honor the client's decision to end their life. A step-in gaining

knowledge in this area is to develop a "specialized skill in tolerating and managing clients'

problems related to dying, death, and bereavement" (Corey, et al., 2014, pg. 94). This

specialized knowledge is known as death competence. A counselor must assist clients through

the process of making an informed decision. Although, at the start of the process, a counselor

may feel the need to refer a client for end-of-life care. However, the counselor should only refer

the client to a mental health professional who has extensive knowledge and skill to handle end-

of-life decisions and not because of the counselor's own values and beliefs on the issue. These

issues can be difficult for counselors who hold spiritual and religious beliefs as they focus on the

right to life. A counselor must commit to ongoing self-evaluation to address their values and

beliefs. They may need to seek counseling to ensure they have worked through any of their own

issues to be the best counselor for their clients. Understanding one's own belief and value system

when it comes to treating their client will allow them to refer clients when needed without

crossing into violating ethical standards of practice.

When a counselor is faced with value conflict issues, many times there are laws, policies

and regulations that will guide how a counselor can address or treat these issues. Abortion and

physician-assisted suicide are both issues where a counselor must investigate the legalities and

then discuss those findings with the client in order to proceed. For example, many states have

laws governing at what stage of pregnancy a woman can receive an abortion. The laws may
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severely impact the client and their perceived plan of action. The same is true for a client who is

wanting assistance with physician-assisted suicide.

The ACA Code of Ethics also addresses referrals. A referral is when a counselor

recommends a client to another provider for treatment. Counselors do not recommend a client

elsewhere because they do not like a client or because their values or beliefs are different. A

referral should only occur when it is in the client’s best interests and needs. Additionally, the

counselor should provide three recommendations of providers and give the client choices. The

counselor should not recommend because they have a relationship with other providers (Day-

Vines et al., 2018, pg. 102). Referrals are strictly based on competency levels and not because of

discrimination. According to the Code of Ethics (2014), a counselor who is considering a referral

must evaluate if it is due to competence or personal values. The steps to proceeding with a

referral include consulting with a colleague, consider asking for assistance from the ACA ethics

helpline staff, and seek additional peer-related or supervisory counseling or help. It behooves a

counselor to take extra precautionary steps to ensure they are not violating their client’s trust or

the ethical standards of practice when considering a referral (Day-Vines et al., 2018, pg. 103).

In conclusion, this paper analyzed the ethical implications of a counselor expressing their

views to their client, identified actions for a counselor facing clients with differing values and

beliefs on controversial issues, explored mental health legislative and government policies, as

well as factors for referrals. All of these components are instrumental in a counselor maintaining

value objectivity as a competent ethical counseling. A counselor must always consider the needs

of their clients and ensure their ethical decision making and counseling treatments do not involve

their personal values or beliefs.

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References

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. ACA Governing Counsel.

https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Corey, G., Corey, M. S., Corey, C., & Callanan, P. (2014). Issues & ethics in the helping

professions (9th ed.). Cengage. Retrieved from https://viewer.gcu.edu/UWUHRK

Day-Vines, N., Beverly, B. A., Steen, S., & Arnold, K. M. (2018). Getting comfortable with

discomfort: Preparing counselor trainees to broach racial, ethnic, and cultural factors with

clients during counseling. International Journal for the Advancement of

Counselling,  40(2), 89-104. doi:http://dx.doi.org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10447-

017-9308-9

Ponton, R. F., & Duba, J. D. (2009). The ACA Code of Ethics: Articulating counseling’s

professional covenant. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(1), 117–12.

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