NCE Exam: Professional Orientation and Ethics, Top exam questions (Answered), rated A+

NCE Exam: Professional Orientation and Ethics, Top exam questions (Answered), rated A+ Informed Consent should include: - -a verbal and written review with the clt addressing: - the purpose of therapy, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks & benefits of therapy, counselor's qualifications/credentials, relevant experience, approach to counseling, continuation of services upon incapacitation/death of counselor, role of technology, info about billing/fees (incl. nonpayment), and explanation of confidentiality & its limits (abuse/neglect, SI/HI, and group settings) Fidelity - -According to ACA, "honoring commitments and keeping promises, including fulfilling one's responsibilities of trust in professional relationships" Veracity - -According to ACA, "dealing truthfully with individuals with whom counselors come into professional contact" Justice - -According to ACA, "treating individuals equitably & fostering fairness and equality" * means the counselor will treat all members fairly (usually applied in group situations) Beneficence - -According to ACA, "working for the good of the individual & society by promoting mental health & well-being" * the counselor is working for the good of the client/group Libel - -Written information that can be damaging to a client's reputation (example of defamation) Slander - -Verbal remarks which can be damaging to a client's reputation (example of defamation) Defamation - -Describes behavior that can damage one's reputation (libel v. slander) ex) the communication was untrue, the counselor knew/should've known the statement was untrue & the communication caused some injury to the clt (re: clinical notes/verbal consultation -> avoid bias, broad characterizations, avoid impulsive communication) Tarasoff v. the Board of Regents of the University of California - -A professional helper has a "duty to warn" a person of serious and foreseeable harm to him- or herself or to others. * ex) HI/SI w plan ex2) terminally ill clt with plan to end life Exceptions to maintaining confidentiality: - -1. Clt is danger to self or others. 2. Clt requests release of information 3. A court orders a release of information 4. The counselor is engaged in a systematic supervision process. 5. Clerical assistants who process clt info & papers. 6. Legal and clinical consultation situations. 7. Clt raises the issue of the counselor's competence in a malpractice suit. 8. Clt is less than 18 y/o (parent can known upon req) 9. Elderly/child abuse/neglect reported 10. Insurance company/managed care company requests a diagnosis and/or relevant clinical information Nonmaleficence - -According to ACA, "avoiding actions that cause harm" * Means the counselor will do no harm to clt Autonomy - -According to ACA, "fostering the right to control the direction of one's life" (counselors aim to promote this during therapeutic relationship/course) What does it mean when we say privileged communication is "qualified" - -When using this term to describe privileged communication, it means that exceptions may exist: - child abuse/neglect/exploitation - SI/HI - criminal intentions - need of hospitalization - counselor victim of malpractice - minor/mentally incompetent (dd) If your state does not legally support privileged communication and you refuse to testify in court: - -You could be held in contempt of court If you receive a subpoena for your clt's records from a court, should you hand over your documentation? - -NO!!! UNLESS, the subpoena is accompanied by a written order issued by a judge, authorizing the disclosure of the records or issuance of the subpoena. Privileged communication - -anything said to a counselor from the clt will not be divulged outside the counseling setting w/o the client's permission * a legal term different from confidentiality * implied that a therapeutic interaction (verbal/written) will not be available for public inspection THE CLIENT IS THE HOLDER OF THE PRIVILEGE When is privileged communication not applicable? - -- child abuse/neglect/exploitation - SI/HI - criminal intentions (present) - need of hospitalization - counselor becomes victim of malpractice suit - does not apply to minors (legal guardians = holders of privilege) - does not apply to those who are mentally incompetent NCE: Counselors :: __________:Psychologists - -EPPP : Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology Certification - -Given to an individual via an organization which is not part of the state or federal government. * you must be certified to call yourself a certified counselor License - -A counseling license is granted by the state government If NBCC believes you violated professional ethics as a NCC. They can remove your name from the list of NCCs in the U.S., revoke your NCC status, and note in their newsletter that your NCC status has been revoked. What CAN'T they do? - -If you violated professional ethical standards according to the NBCC as a NCC, the NBCC CANNOT revoke your state counseling license. *** BECAUSE, state licensure is not the same as certification. Impaired professional - -a deterioration in the ability to function as a counselor. paraprofessional - -a helper who does not possess the education and experience necessary to secure professional credentials Counselor certification - -recognizes that you have reached a given level of competence and thus are authorized to use that title A woman comes to you for help with an eating disorder. You have no experience or training in this area. Ethically you should: - -refers this client to a colleague who is indeed trained and experienced with this type of client. The APGA (later AACD and now ACA) division that was initially the most instrumental in pushing for licensing was the: - -ACES - American Counselor Education and Supervision sliding fee scales - -allows clients to pay what they can afford in a flexible, individually tailored way. ** popular in not-for-profit agencies, often confused with term "amount waived." ** ethical and legal ** problem: difficult to administer in a fair manner amount waived - -refers to the amount a third party payer DID NOT cover. ex) let's say you charge $80/50min. The payer (insurance/managed care) will only cover $40/session. You would thus charge all payers the full $80 fee & waive the amount they did not pay ($40). * different companies pay different amts for the same service and pay different fees for diff providers Deceased clients - -According to ACA, "counselors protect the confidentiality of deceased clients, consistent with legal requirements and the documented preferences of the client" Release of confidential information of a minor/mentally incompetence clt: - -When counseling minors or adults who lack the capacity to give voluntary consent to release confidential information: --> counselors seek permission from an appropriate 3rd party to disclose information. ***In such instances, the counselors inform clients consistent with their level of understanding and take appropriate measures to safeguard clt confidentiality Permission to Record - -According to ACA, "counselors obtain permission from clts prior to recording sessions through electronic or other means" * You cannot record or observe sessions w/o permission of the clt Permission to Observe - -According to ACA, "counselors obtain permission from clts prior to allowing any person to observe counseling sessions, review session transcripts, or view recording of sessions with supervisors, faculty, peers, or others within the training environment" **** think of informed consent obtained during graduate school from clts to review info/sessions during class w/ peers/supervisor/faculty Client Access to Records - -According to ACA, "Counselors provide reasonable access to records and copies of records when requested by competent clts. Counselors limit access only when there is COMPELLING EVIDENCE that such access would cause harm to clt. Counselors document the request of clts and rationale for withholding some or all of the records from the clt." When can counselors limit clt access to their records? - -When there is compelling evidence that such access would cause harm to clt (thus, promoting Nonmaleficence). * ex) emotionally vulnerable to harm from review of chart Storage and Disposal of Records After Termination - -According to ACA, "Counselors store records following termination of services to ensure reasonable future access, maintain records in accordance with federal/state laws & statutes such as licensure laws and policies governing records, and dispose of clt records and other sensitive materials in a manner that protects clt confidentiality." (be careful w/ material concerning abuse/violence/suicide/harassment) ** According to Dr. R, "we need to keep the client's record for at least 5 years (even if clt is dead)" When counselors request access to their records, counselors should: - -(after determining the information obtained will not be harmful to clt) .... provide assistance and consultation in interpreting counseling records ex. when we review tx plan at the hospital w/ clt Counselors need ________ from clt's in order to disclose/transfer records to legitimate 3rd parties: - -written permission (aka consent, dated, signed) * unless exceptions to confidentiality exist, such as abuse/neglect/hi...etc. Reciprocity - -occurs when one state or organization accepts the licensure or credential of another state or organization You are a licensed professional counselor in one state but will soon locate to another. The new state informed you they will grant you "reciprocity" or so-called "endorsement". This means: - -You are permitted to practice in the new state based on your current credentials without taking another exam. portability - -the ease that something can be transferred **The profession is working hard to enhance PORTABILITY so that one state would accept another's credentials. FERPA is also known as: - -The Buckley Amendment FERPA - -Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (1974) * Gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students." * Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. CRC - -Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. "focused on helping people who have disabilities achieve their personal, career, and independent living goals through a counseling process." master's in rehabilitation counseling, experience in field, passing score on 400-q exam MAC - -Master Addiction Counselor You are a school counselor who wished to refer an orthopedically disabled student to a private practice. In general the best reference would be: a. CRC b. MAC c. licensed clinical psychologist d. licensed social worker - -a. CRC Certified Rehabilitation Counselor ** a person who specializes in helping people with disabilities achieve various goals (personal, career, independent living) through counseling process What is a registry? - -A list of providers (e.g., list of licensed psychologists in IL or list of CRCs in the U.S.) Note: a person whose name is included in a state counseling registry can sometimes use the title RPC or "registered professional counselor" RPC - -Registered professional counselor. A person whose name is included in a state counseling registry (aka, list of providers) Abandonment - -occurs when a counselor stops providing services and does not refer the client to another helper If a relationship of "dual nature" is deemed beneficial, what must the counselor do? - -First off, romantic relationships are not considered beneficial & deemed unethical (for a period of 5 years). If a counselor believes it is beneficial to visit a clt in the hospital/attend graduation, the counselor MUST DOCUMENT prior to the event why such an action would be beneficial (as well as include any potential harm that could occur) Abandonment and Client Neglect - -According to ACA, "counselors do not abandon or neglect clients in counseling. Counselors assist in making appropriate arrangements for the continuation of tx, when necessary, during interruptions such as vacations, illness, and following termination" A dual relationship occurs when: - -a counselor has another significant relationship with the client that hinders objectivity (e.g., family, sig. other, or when a supervisor accepts an administrator/subordinate as a counselor) You find yourself attracted to a client. This is known as: - -countertransference. A typical manifestation of countertransference would be romantic/sexual feelings toward a clt. Countertransference is an indication of unresolved problems on the part of the helper. Countertransference - -an indication of unresolved problems on the part of the helper. (counselor's experience toward a client) CMC - -Computed Managed Counseling. Includes tasks such as bookkeeping, client scheduling, printing billing statements, and compiling referral sources. An office that employs a computer to schedule clients would be an example of: - -CMC (or Computer Managed Counseling) ** When a computer helps your manage your practice, then it is known as CMC. CAC - -Computer Assisted Counseling. Is like having a counseling "assistance" do the counseling for you. A computer software program that attempts to counsel clients is an example of this. CAC is controversial and most experts agree computers can never provide the compassion of a human doing counseling. COMPUTER ASSISTANCE A computer software program that attempts to counsel clients is an example of: - -CAC (or Computer Assisted Counseling) A college student who suffers from panic disorder types his sxs/concerns onto a PC screen and then waits for the computer program to respond/question him further. The student does this for 40min/week. This is an example of: - -CAC (or known as CAT) Computer Assisted Counseling (or Computer Assisted Therapy) Exceptions to dual relationships - -"exceptions are made only in instances where an individual's situation warrants counseling intervention and another alternative is unavailable" You are a supervisor at a sexual abuse treatment agency. Sally is one of your counselors. Sally has been having panic attacks on a daily basis at home for almost a month and her physician feels that counseling rather than medicine is indicated. Now-for the first time- she has a terrible panic attack at work. If you don't see her, the nearest counselor is 150 miles away. What should you do? - -Attempt to counsel her. "Exceptions are made only in instances where an individual's situation warrants counseling intervention and another alternative is unavailable" A counseling journal article should use documentation that is based on __________ style. - -APA (American Psychological Association). APA style conforms from the standards of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. A 14 y/o male threatens to blow up his parents' garage because he has been grounded. You believe his threat is genuine. You should: - -warn the parents that their property is in danger.