3.

4 RIGHTS,
RESPONSIBILITIES,
and ACCOUNTABILITIES
of COUNSELORS
As state registered and licensed
professionals, counselors are protected.
 They are responsible for the practice of
their profession in accordance with their
mandates and professional guidelines and
ethics. They are accountable to their
clients, the professional body, and the
government. It is critical that the
counselor and the client fully understand
the nature of the concerns, which leads to
a contract to take action on mutually
agreed upon problem. (Peterson &
Nisenholz 1987)
3.5 CODE ETHICS OF
COUNSELORS
CODE OF ETHICS FOR
COUNSELOR
Republic Act No.9258
Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004
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.
As in all professional practices in
applied social sciences,
counselors must observe
confidentiality at all times.
The code ethics also states that
counselors live and work in
accordance with the professional
standards of conduct set forth
for the practice of guidance and
counseling.
One of the oldest professional
organizations in guidance and
counseling is the Institute of
Guidance Counselors, established
in 1986.
Its preamble provides that
guidance counselors work with
clients.
Guidance counselors must respect
the dignity, integrity, and welfare
of these clients.
 To protect the clients’ interests, the
body produced a Code of Ethics for its
members’ compliance.
The values include an assertion that
the work of guidance counselor
involves a special relationship of
trust.
Guidance counselors have a sensible
regard for the social context of their
work, which includes the wider
community, the law and professional
colleagues.
 The institute of
Guidance Counselor’s
Code consists of four
overall PRINCIPLES
that subsume a number
of specific ethical
standards:
 Guidance counselors honor and promote
the fundamental rights, moral and cultural
values, dignity, and worth of clients.

PRINCIPLE 1: Respect for the

rights and dignity of the client
 Guidance counselors
maintain and update
their professional skills.

PRINCIPLE 2:
Competence
 Guidance counselors are aware of their
professional responsibility to act in a
trustworthy, reputable, and accountable
manner toward clients, colleagues, and the
community in which they work and live.

PRINCIPLE 3: Responsibilities
Guidance counselors seeks to
promote integrity in their
practice.

PRINCIPLE 4: Integrity
FUNDAMENTAL
PRINCIPLES:
1. Respecting human rights and
dignity.
2. Respect for the client’s right to
be self-governing.
3. A commitment to promoting
the client’s well being
4. Fostering responsible caring
5. Fair treatment of all clients and
the provision of adequate
services.
6. Equal opportunity to clients
availing counseling services.
7. Ensuring the integrity of
practitioner-client relationship.
8. Fostering the practitioner’s self
knowledge and care for self.
9. Enhancing the quality of
professional knowledge and its
application.
10. Responsibility to the society.
The Code of Ethics define
parameters for general
respect, privacy and
confidentiality, informed
consent and freedom of
consent, and recognition
of limits od competence.