ETHICS IN CAREER
COUNSELING
Nakita C. Wanza, MA
Define Ethics
Etymology of “ethics”
Historic word meanings:
In early Greek: “Ethos” = Customs
In early Roman Latin: Mores = Customs
In German: Sitten (Gebräuche) = Customs
DEFINE ETHICS CONT.
WEBSTER :RELATING TO
MORALS, CONTAINING TO
PERCEPTS OF MORALITY
DEFINE ETHICS CONT.
Encyclopedia Britannica:The
discipline of philosophy concerned
with what is morally good and bad
,right and wrong;also system or
theory of moral values or principles
HISTORY OF ETHICS
 Historic changes have occurred in the
meaning and coverage area of “ethics” and,
more so, in the height or strictness of moral
standards. In early cultures, ethics actually
meant customs only, or customary behavior,
as in communal life, dress code, cults, or
war.
HISTORY OF ETHICS
 The discussion of virtues in Aristotelian
Athens referred not only to our sphere of
“good” and “bad”, but also to courage,
justice, temperance, and other qualifications
of character. Later, during the Middle Ages,
much of ethics was covered by religious or
church-issued commandments and rules.
HISTORY OF ETHICS
 “Moral” matters were no longer “customs” or
aspects of character; instead, they became matters
of “right” or “wrong”. Beginning with the
Scholastic thinkers, “ethics” emerged as an
intellectual pursuit, a discipline of philosophy. In a
parallel part of society, the knights and nobility
retained or revived rules of “honor”. The
importance of these rules continued through World
War II, especially for the nobility and the military
HISTORY OF ETHICS
 Their ethical “values” reflected upon the value of
a person in society. With the rise of the middle
class and, more so, with increasing industry and
commerce, “ethics in business” arose as a concern,
with the emphasis on trust and fairness.
(Interestingly, the Ten Commandments do not
address predatory business behavior). Since the
late 18th century, in a combination of
enlightenment and romanticism, “humanistic”
values became important and, to a certain extent,
they continue to dominate ethical thinking today
HISTORY OF ETHICS
 Western democracy promotes “freedom,
brotherhood, and equality” - the ideals of the
French Revolution, the American Bill of Rights,
and the Civil Rights movement - in all their forms.
Democracy also brought questions of “ethics in
government”, placing the emphasis on integrity.
Modern intellectualism (rationality, scientific
thinking, and liberal thought) brought new
movement to the interpretation and limits of
acceptable ethical behavior. Much of what was
unacceptable in the past is considered acceptable
DEFINE CAREER
COUNSELING
CAREER COUNSELING
Career counseling is counseling that
focuses on a certain realm of the
client’s life-the world of work
HISTORY OF CAREER
COUNSELING
 Career counseling began in 1879 during the
industrial revolution
 Due to job loss in the agricultural sector,
increasing demands for workers in heavy
industry, the loss of “permanent” jobs on
the family farm to new emerging
technologies and returning veterans from
WWI.
ETHICAL STANDARDS
ETHICAL STANDARDS IN
CAREER COUNSELING
 National Career Development
Association(NCDA) is educational ,
scientific and professional organization
dedicated to the enhancement of the worth,
dignity, potential, and uniqueness of each
individual and , thus to the service of
society. This code of ethics enables to the
NCDA to clarify the nature of ethical
responsibilities for present and future
professional career counselors.
ETHICAL STANDARDS
 Ethical standards primary responsibility of the
counselor is to the client.
 1. Career counselor’s must follow all ethical
guidelines of all organizations including
NCDA,NBCC, ACA and APA.
 2. Code of federal Regulations, title 45, subtle A,
Part 46; Family educational rights, Title 45,
Subtitle A. Part 46; Family educational rights and
privacy act and all current federal regulations and
various state privacy statues.
ETHICAL STANDARDS
 3. Cultural issues might arise between counselor
and client and should be handled with care.
 4. Assessments should only be used on clients
whom the counselor has already established a
relationship.
 5. NCDA members should not bring there own
bias regarding gay and lesbian clients and should
be aware of the impact of discrimination(NCDA,
1991).
PROCEDURES FOR
PROCESSING ETHICAL
COMPLAINTS
For specifics on how to file ethical complaints and
description of the guidelines and procedures for processing
complaints,contact;
ACA Ethics Committee
c/o Executive Director American Counseling Association
5999 Stevenson Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304
Telephone; 1-800-347-6647
CAREER TEST
MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE
INDICATOR
MBTI
The MBTI is based on Swiss psychiatrist Carl
Jung’s theory of psychological type, which was
further developed by the American motherdaughter team, Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs
Myers. Together, Myers and Briggs created the
MBTI in an effort to help people understand
personal differences and appreciate the value of
these differences
CHARACTERISTICS OF
PEOPLE
Extraversion
-talk things over
-Perfer oral
communication
-Take initiative in
social and work setting
Thinking
-Analytical
-Perceived as
reasonable
-Want things to be fair
Introversion
Sensing
Intuition
-Perfer reflection
-Focus on five
-Future oriented
over action
senses
-Patient with
-Perfer written
-Present-oriented
complexity
communication
-Patient with
-Concentrate on
-Will spend time
routine
the big picture
alone to reenergize
Feeling
Judging
Perceiving
-Sympathetic
-Scheduled and
-Spontaneous
-Guided by beliefs
systematic
and casual
-Want things to be -Commit quickly
-Often finish
harmonious
to plans
tasks at the
deadline
VIDEO PRESENTATION
EXPLORING TYPE WITH THE
MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE
INDICATOR
GROUP EXCERCISE
REFERENCES
Cottone,R. & Tarvydas ,V. (2003). Ethical and professional
issues in Counseling, 2nd edition.Merrill; Columbus, Ohio.
Meyers, I & Myers, P.(1995). Gifts differing:Understanding
personality type. Palo Alto, CA;Davies-Black Publishing.
Http://www.etymonline.com