Reply to this post: Juliette has been reviewing some career options for her postsecondary stage with her school counselor. The school counselor has strict religious beliefs that antagonize her against LGBT practices. During the final days of searching for career options, Juliette reports that she is interested in joining the military but is worried about whether she will be accepted as a member of the LGBT community (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022). The school counselor realizes that her religious beliefs may not support the student's LGBT lifestyle and may cloud her judgment. Expressly, she acknowledges that her beliefs will interfere with her ability to be nonjudgmental in her decision-making processes, thus wishing to transfer Juliette to another school counselor (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022).
How I would ethically work with this client/student
To expertly help such a client within appropriate ethical grounds, one must first realize their role in the client's mental and psychological health, their level of exposure to the LGBT community, and their level of advocacy for the LGBT community. All these considerations will inform any advice I give. For instance, acknowledging that such clients see their counselors as positive role model help lend weight to a person's utterances, realizing that they profoundly impact the client's self-efficacy and overall mental health. Still, there is a boundary. The counselor's role cannot involve helping the student choose their identity or sexual orientation. Second, it would be crucial to consider one's level of exposure to the LGBT community, social circles, social pressures, intersections with other political affiliations, and representation in public institutions. It would be inappropriate to offer any advice from a school counselor if one lacks the appropriate multicultural training concerning the LGBT community (National Career Development Association, 2015). This level of exposure will help when suggesting resources such as books, blogs, group meetings, or current policies that seek to promote the inclusion of the LGBT community. More importantly, it would be unprofessional and inefficient counseling if a counselor offers sessions to such a client if they are not well-versed in the different advocacy efforts for the LGBT community. Any advice a counselor will give to the LGBT client will likely involve their prowess and knowledge of the advocacy channels for the LGBT community. Therefore, for Juliett, I would first consider my level of exposure and advocacy within the LGBT community before continuing the counselor-client relationship since all advice and help centers on these considerations.
Relevant NCDA ethical standards
Two specific National Career Development Association (NCDA) standards that apply to the case of Juliett are professional responsibility and professional relationship. On professional responsibility, the NCDA standards clearly state that the counselor should never promote emotional impairment of the client (National Career Development Association, 2015). Under this standard, NCDA advises that counselors always offer nondiscriminatory information to clients backed with multicultural training. In Juliett's case, the counselor conceded that her religious background would affect her ability to be nondiscriminatory, which shows her appreciation of the need to be nonjudgmental when working with such clients (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2022). Although not mentioned, the lack of multicultural training may have been the reason behind being surprised when the client mentioned her gender expression status. The decision to refer her to another counselor was ethical, even according to the NCDA standard of professional relationship. Under professional relationships, NCDA admonishes that counselors should always ensure they do not impose their values onto clients (National Career Development Association, 2015). This standard aptly applies to Juliett's case, given the inclusion of the counselor's religious values as an impediment. If the counselor had decided to continue with the counselor-client relationship, she would have hurt the relationship with the possibility of imposing her religious values onto the client. Other sections of the professional relationship standard also support the counselor's choice to terminate as she was ultimately unable to assist the client, which is a reasonable ground for appropriate termination (National Career Development Association, 2015).