Posted: March 5th, 2022

PCN-404-O500 Benchmark – Legal and Ethical Principles and Standards for Professional Practice: Final Draft

Legal and Ethical Principles and Standards for Professional Practice in Counseling

Licensure and Certification Requirements in Texas

To practice as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Texas, one must meet the educational, examination, and supervised experience requirements set forth by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. First, a master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or a related field from an accredited institution must be obtained, with specific coursework in human growth and development, abnormal human behavior, appraisal or assessment techniques, counseling theories, counseling methods or techniques, research, lifestyle and career development, social, cultural and family issues, and professional orientation (Texas Administrative Code, 2020).

Next, 3,000 clock-hours of post-graduate supervised experience must be accrued, with at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact. A minimum of one hour of supervision is required for every 40 hours of experience. The supervised experience must be completed within 5 years (Texas Administrative Code, 2020). After fulfilling the educational and experience requirements, the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and Texas Jurisprudence Exam must be passed.

To maintain the LPC license in Texas, 24 clock-hours of continuing education, including 3 hours in ethics and 3 hours in supervision if applicable, must be completed every 2 years. The license must be renewed biennially (Texas Administrative Code, 2020). As someone early in their counseling education, many of these licensure steps have not yet been embarked upon, but an awareness of the path forward is essential for eventual licensure.

Key Legal and Ethical Issues in Substance Use Counseling

Confidentiality and its limits is a critical legal and ethical issue in substance use disorder counseling. While counselors have an ethical duty to protect client confidentiality, there are legal exceptions such as reporting child or elder abuse, or when a client poses a clear and imminent danger to self or others (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014). For example, if a client discloses current child abuse stemming from their drug use, the counselor would need to break confidentiality and report it. Informed consent is another key legal and ethical issue. Clients have a right to know what to expect from counseling, its potential risks and benefits, the boundaries of confidentiality, and the counselor’s qualifications. Ethically, counselors must provide clients with this information and obtain their consent before rendering services (ACA, 2014). As an example, a counselor should review the informed consent document with a new client seeking treatment for alcoholism and have them sign it prior to beginning counseling.

Professionally, counselors must practice within the bounds of their competence, not providing services outside their education, training, and supervised experience (ACA, 2014). An addictions counselor fresh out of graduate school should refer a client with a co-occurring eating disorder to a more qualified professional. Personally, counselors must maintain their own mental and physical wellness to provide competent care (Corey, 2022). A substance abuse counselor in recovery who relapses, for instance, should seek their own treatment and suspend their practice. Counselors have an ethical obligation to identify and address personal issues that may impair their professional judgment and performance.

Developing and Maintaining Ethical Boundaries

Counselors can develop and maintain ethical boundaries in the clinical relationship in several ways. First, they must clearly define and discuss the boundaries of the counseling relationship with clients from the outset, including the purposes, goals, and techniques of counseling, time parameters, financial arrangements, and limits of confidentiality (Remley & Herlihy, 2020). Counselors should be friendly and caring toward clients but avoid dual or multiple relationships that may exploit or impair their objectivity. They must not engage in any romantic or sexual intimacies with current clients, nor accept them as clients if a prior sexual relationship existed (ACA, 2014).

Counselors must respect client autonomy and rights to self-determination within the bounds of the law. Clients should be free to make their own choices about treatment goals, outside of situations involving serious and foreseeable harm to self or others. Counselors can guide and educate clients but must not impose their own values and goals (Corey, 2022). If counselors find themselves experiencing strong negative reactions to a client or losing objectivity, they should consult with a supervisor or colleague and consider transferring the case. Throughout the course of counseling, practitioners should monitor themselves for signs of burnout or impairment and take steps to manage their wellness through self-care activities, a supportive work environment, personal counseling if needed, and a healthy work-life balance (Corey, 2022). By attending to their own emotional and physical health, counselors reduce the risk of boundary violations stemming from unmet personal needs.

In summary, upholding legal and ethical standards is a cornerstone of professional counseling practice. Practitioners must be well-versed in the licensure and certification requirements of their state, as well as the key statutes and codes of ethics pertaining to their area of practice. Counselors should strive to develop and maintain clear boundaries with clients by providing informed consent, avoiding multiple relationships, respecting client autonomy, maintaining their own wellness and objectivity, and consulting with colleagues as needed. Adhering to these principles and standards not only fulfills counselors’ professional obligations but protects client rights and fosters the trust needed for a therapeutic alliance.

References

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-ethics-finaladdress.pdf

Corey, G. (2022). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (11th ed.). Cengage.

Remley, T. P., & Herlihy, B. P. (2020). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling (6th ed.). Pearson.

Texas Administrative Code. Subchapter B – Authorized counseling methods and practices. Texas Secretary of State. https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=22&pt=30&ch=681&rl=41

Texas Administrative Code. Subchapter C – Application and licensing. Texas Secretary of State. https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=22&pt=30&ch=681&sch=C&rl=Y
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PCN-404-O500 Benchmark – Legal and Ethical Principles and Standards for Professional Practice: Final Draft
Legal and Ethical Principles and Standards for Professional Practice: Outline
The state I reside in is Texas
In this course, you will write a paper of 1,250-1,500 words describing the legal and ethical principles and standards of the counseling profession. The creation of this paper will span across multiple topics throughout the course as follows:

Topic 1 – Outline due
Topic 3 – Annotated Help write my assignment – Bibliography due
Topic 5 – Rough Draft of Paper due
Topic 6 – Peer Review due
Topic 8 – Final Draft due
The paper should address the following:

A discussion of the licensure/certification requirements to practice counseling in the state in which you plan to practice, including the following:

The steps you need to take to obtain licensure/certification, including the number of hours required for licensure/certification.
The steps you will need to take to maintain licensure/certification in the state after you initially obtain it.
A description of where you currently are in the certification process.
A discussion of the key legal and ethical issues in addictive and substance use disorder counseling, including the following:

Identify and define at least two key legal and two key ethical issues that could impact the clinical relationship.
Provide examples of each of your four selected issues.
A discussion of the role of the counselor in developing and maintaining ethical boundaries in clinical relationships, including the following:

Describe ways a counselor can develop and maintain ethical boundaries in the clinical relationship.
Describe how a client’s rights in psychotherapy can be impacted by a counselor’s choices and/or behaviors.
Identify three or more ways a counselor can develop and maintain ethical boundaries in a clinical relationship.
Use the feedback received on your rough draft both from the instructor and from the peer review to complete the final revisions to your paper.

Get custom essay samples and course-specific study resources via course hero homework for you service – Include a minimum of five scholarly resources, in addition to the textbook, in your paper.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the Ace homework tutors – APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. I need help writing my essay – research paper review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

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