Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 30 - Professions and Occupations › Part 2202 - 2014 American Counseling Association Code of Ethics › ACA Code of Ethics Purpose

Current through June 25, 2024
The ACA Code of Ethics serves six main purposes:
1. The Code sets forth the ethical
			 obligations of ACA members and provides guidance intended to inform the ethical
			 practice of professional counselors.
2. The Code identifies ethical considerations
			 relevant to professional counselors and counselors-in-training.
3. The Code enables the association to
			 clarify for current and prospective members, and for those served by members,
			 the nature of the ethical responsibilities held in common by its
			 members.
4. The Code serves as an
			 ethical guide designed to assist members in constructing a course of action
			 that best serves those utilizing counseling services and establishes
			 expectations of conduct with a primary emphasis on the role of the professional
			 counselor.
5. The Code helps to
			 support the mission of ACA.
6. The
			 standards contained in this Code serve as the basis for processing inquiries
			 and ethics complaints concerning ACA members.
The ACA Code of Ethics contains nine main sections that
				address the following areas:
Section A: The Counseling Relationship
Section B: Confidentiality and Privacy
Section C: Professional Responsibility
Section D: Relationships With Other Professionals
Section E: Evaluation, Assessment, and Interpretation
Section F: Supervision, Training, and Teaching
Section G: Research and Publication
Section H: Distance Counseling, Technology, and Social
				Media
Section I: Resolving Ethical Issues
Each section of the ACA Code of Ethics begins with an
				introduction. The introduction to each section describes the ethical behavior
				and responsibility to which counselors aspire. The introductions help set the
				tone for each particular section and provide a starting point that invites
				refection on the ethical standards contained in each part of the ACA Code of
				Ethics. The standards outline professional responsibilities and provide
				direction for fulfilling those ethical responsibilities.
When counselors are faced with ethical dilemmas that are
				difficult to resolve, they are expected to engage in a carefully considered
				ethical decision-making process, consulting available resources as needed.
				Counselors acknowledge that resolving ethical issues is a process; ethical
				reasoning includes consideration of professional values, professional ethical
				principles, and ethical standards.
Counselors' actions should be consistent with the spirit as
				well as the letter of these ethical standards. No specific ethical
				decision-making model is always most effective, so counselors are expected to
				use a credible model of decision making that can bear public scrutiny of its
				application. Through a chosen ethical decision-making process and evaluation of
				the context of the situation, counselors work collaboratively with clients to
				make decisions that promote clients' growth and development. A breach of the
				standards and principles provided herein does not necessarily constitute legal
				liability or violation of the law; such action is established in legal and
				judicial proceedings.
The glossary at the end of the Code provides a concise
				description of some of the terms used in the ACA Code of
				Ethics.