Ethics and Professional Standards
What to know
Ethics codes (e.g., ACA, APA, NASW) share core principles: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity. Candidates must apply informed consent, confidentiality and its limits, competence boundaries, multiple relationships, boundaries and self-disclosure, conflicts of interest, and referral obligations. Understand the difference between ethical mandates and legal requirements, and the process of ethical decision-making: identify the dilemma, consult the code and literature, consult colleagues, consider cultural and contextual factors, choose and document a course, and review. Know how to handle gifts, bartering, social media contact, and dual roles in small communities.
Traps in questions
- Treating confidentiality as absolute; the limits (danger to self/others, abuse reporting, court order) must be disclosed up front.
- Assuming a dual relationship is always unethical - some are unavoidable; the test is exploitation and impaired objectivity.
- Choosing a rigid rule over a reasoned, documented decision process when the code offers discretion.
- Ignoring consultation and documentation as ethical safeguards.
Rule of thumb
When values conflict, prioritize client welfare and autonomy, consult, and document the reasoning. If a relationship could impair objectivity or exploit the client, avoid or manage it transparently.
Worked example: A client offers a handmade gift of small value at termination. Accepting may be clinically appropriate if refusing would harm the relationship; document the decision and rationale.