Professionalism, Ethics, and Value‐Based Conflicts in Counseling: An Introduction to the Special Section

The primary purpose of a code of ethics, for any profession, is to establish norms and expectations for practitioners in order to collectively minimize the risk of harm to clients and the general public (Welfel, 2010). In a broader sense, a code of ethics is also a reflection of the profession's collective values and moral principles. Indeed, the establishment of a code of ethics, which communicates a normative orientation to the service of others and a commitment to protect the welfare of clients, is considered the "hallmark of professionalism" (Gorman & Sandefur, 2011, p. 279). Promulgation of a code of ethics places the needs and interests of clients over and above the personal needs or values of any individual member of the profession (DeMitchell, Hebert, & Phan, 2013; Gorman & Sandefur, 2011). A code of ethics helps to ensure the primacy of client welfare by articulating a profession's collective set of values and communicating standards of practice for all members of that profession. Because laws set the minimum standards of acceptable behavior, ethical standards often exceed the legal requirements articulated in federal and state laws (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2011). Entry into and continued association with a profession requires all of its practitioners to make a commitment that they will abide by the profession's code of ethics and the profession's collective values as reflected in that code. By all measures, counseling is a profession (Gorman & Sandefur, 2011). Counseling is a vocation that requires individuals to obtain specific, university-based training to acquire expertise in a specialized set of knowledge and skills; confers status and power upon its members; has an established national association through which it establishes a collective identity, communicates professional values, disseminates scholarly research, and advocates for its members; and regulates itself through licensure and a code of ethics. Although counselors vary with regard to specializations and/or the settings in which they practice, they are united as a single profession through the American Counseling Association (ACA). Through this umbrella association, counselors of varied specializations come together for the purposes of promoting a shared professional identity, protecting clients, and promulgating the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2005) to which all members must adhere. In addition, many counselors join divisions within ACA, which are focused on more specialized areas of practice (e.g., college or school counseling) or shared goals or ideals (e.g., social justice). When these divisions have established their own code of ethics, those codes are designed to supplement, not supplant, the ACA Code of Ethics. As such, their members are responsible for adhering to those specialized ethical standards and the ACA Code of Ethics. Values and Expectations Communicated by the ACA Code of Ethics The collective values of the counseling profession are communicated in the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2005). Included within these values and most relevant to this special section are the recognition of each client's inherent worth and dignity; a respect for each client's uniqueness, autonomy, and right to self-determination; an honoring of human growth and development; and a respect for diversity within our clientele and a valuing of cultural competence in counselors. Related to the communication of these values, ACA (2005) also communicated expectations for professional behavior, stating "the primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and promote the welfare of clients" (Standard A.1.a.). Toward this goal, professional counselors are expected to conduct themselves in ways that demonstrate a genuine valuing of each client as a unique individual, that honor each client's right to make choices in accordance with his or her own personal beliefs and standards, and that facilitate each client's growth within a myriad of developmental domains (ACA, 2005, preamble). …