CODE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR REHABILITATION COUNSELORS PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND DETAILED ANSWERS

Ethical Principles (from the CRCC Code of Ethics) Autonomy: To respect the rights of clients to be self-governing within their social and cultural framework. Beneficence: To do good to others; to promote the well-being of clients. Fidelity: To be faithful; to keep promises and honor the trust placed in rehabilitation counselors. Justice: To be fair in the treatment of all clients; to provide appropriate services to all. Nonmaleficence: To do no harm to others. Veracity: To be honest. These values inform principles. They represent one important way of expressing a general ethical commitment that becomes more precisely defined and action-oriented when expressed as a principle. The fundamental spirit of caring and respect with which the Code is written is based upon six principles of ethical behavior There are some basic concepts that are essential to understanding and practicing multicultural counseling: Many counseling theories were developed on white, middle-class males, so they lack empirical evidence for effective use with individuals from diverse backgrounds; • Multicultural counseling theories look at how cultural and family factors affect an individual's view of the world; • It is important to recognize individual differences in clients; • Stereotyping is an oversimplification, and often offensive, way of viewing an individual or group; • Counselors must examine their own beliefs and stereotypes; • Family therapy is often a preferred multicultural treatment; and • Counselors may need to work with traditional healers to provide best services to client (an example is working with American Indian traditional healers as a component of rehabilitation activity).