Attitudes of Counselors Regarding Ethical Situations Encountered by In-Home Counselors

This survey study explored the attitudes of in-home and outpatient counselors in Virginia regarding ethical situations encountered by in-home counselors. Differences in responses were examined across several variables to identify any relationships among those constructs that are salient to in-home counseling and ethics. Of 108 participants, no significant differences were found between the two groups. One variable was found to predict counselors\u27 responses: the percent counselors provide counseling services compared to case management. The item seen as most ethical involved telling a client to apply for needed services, surprising, given its directive nature that runs counter to the counseling profession. The item seen as least ethical involved providing counseling outside of one\u27s level of competence. Considering this along with several open-ended comments expressing concern over unqualified and under-educated in-home counselors provides important implications for counselors, supervisors, and educators and gives direction for future research

From Readiness to Action: Social Justice Training in Practicum

Social justice is an imperative within counseling and is recognized through the American Counseling Association\u27s code of ethics, nationally endorsed competencies, and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. The authors completed a phenomenological study exploring the experience of five master’s-level counseling students in their practicum course relative to their development of a socially just counseling approach. The authors identified themes to provide a textural-structural description of how students experienced the transition towards social action. Moving from readiness to action encompassed previous experiences, the learning community, and change agents including awareness, responsibility, motivation, and comfort. Implications for educators and supervisors of professional counselors are provided