Values and Ethics in Counseling: Real-Life Ethical Decision Making

Many counselors learn about ethics in graduate school by applying formal, step-by-step ethical decision-making models that require counselors to be aware of their values and refrain from imposing personal values that might harm clients. However, in the real world, counselors often make split-second ethical decisions based upon personal values. Values and Ethics in Counseling illustrates the ways in which ethical decisions are values―but more than that, it guides counselors through the process of examining their own values and analyzing how these values impact ethical decision making. Each chapter presents ethical decision making as what it is: a very personal, values-laden process, one that is most effectively illustrated through the real-life stories of counselors at various stages of professional development―from interns to seasoned clinicians―who made value-based decisions. Each story is followed by commentary from the author as well as analysis from the editors to contextualize the material and encourage reflection.

Dana Heller Levitt, PhD, is associate professor and graduate program coordinator for the counseling program at Montclair State University, USA, and has been a counselor educator for more than a decade. She is a past member of the American Counseling Association’s Ethics Committee and has served in several leadership roles. As part of her work with master’s and doctoral counseling students, Dana is an advocate for critical reflection in the ethical decision-making process and working in the best interests of populations that counselors serve.

Holly J. Hartwig Moorhead, PhD, is a licensed counselor and an assistant professor of counseling at Regent University, USA. She has served as a member of both the American Counseling Association’s Ethics Committee and as the ethics officer for the National Board for Certified Counselors. As an outgrowth of her clinical work with students and supervisees and her experiences within professional counseling organizations, Holly is committed to helping professional counselors understand both the letter and spirit of ethical standards and make decisions that are sensitive and sound.