1 PREAMBLE
1.1 Guidance Counsellors work with clients, individually and in groups, to whom they supply professional services concerning educational, vocational and personal/social development.
1.2 Guidance Counsellors respect the dignity, integrity and welfare of their clients. They work in ways which promote clients’ control over their own lives, and they respect clients’ ability to make decisions and engage in personal change in the light of their own beliefs and values.
1.3 The professional services offered by Guidance Counsellors involve a special relationship of trust and confidence. Guidance Counsellors are responsible for maintaining trust by setting and monitoring appropriate boundaries in the relationship, and making this explicit to the client and relevant others.
1.4 It is the duty of Guidance Counsellors:
(a) to comply with the provisions of the Code of Ethics.
(b) not to engage in conduct (whether in pursuit of their profession or otherwise) which is dishonest, or which may otherwise bring to the profession of Guidance and Counselling into disrepute, or which is prejudicial to the administration of justice.
(c) to observe the ethics and etiquette of the profession.
(d) to be competent in all their professional activities.
1.5 The relationship with the client is the foremost concern of the Guidance Counsellor, but it does not exist in a social vacuum. For this reason, Guidance Counsellors have sensible regard for the social context of their work, which includes colleagues, the Law and the wider community.
1.6 Guidance Counsellors are recommended to deal with ethical dilemmas by engaging in the formal decision-making process presented in Appendix A.
1.7 The Institute of Guidance Counsellors strongly recommends supervision as an integral part of the professional practice of members
2.1 Guidance Counsellors maintain and develop their professional competence.
2.2 Guidance Counsellors recognise the limits of their training and experience and take care not to exceed them. Where they do not feel competent, they make appropriate referral to others within or outside the profession.
2.3 Guidance Counsellors ensure that they accurately represent their education, training, experience and affiliation with the Institute.
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3.1 Guidance Counsellors engage in professional activities in such a way as not to damage clients’ interests or undermine public confidence in the profession or the Institute.
3.2 Guidance Counsellors are mindful that their relationships with clients may involve conflicts of interest because of dual roles (e.g. responsibility to client vs. responsibility to school). Where they become aware of such conflicts, they clarify to all concerned the nature of their loyalties.
3.3 Guidance Counsellors do not exploit clients emotionally, sexually, financially or in any other way.
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4.1 A professional relationship involving confidentiality is at the core of guidance counselling. Guidance Counsellors take all reasonable steps to ensure that consultation with clients takes place in an appropriately private environment.
4.2 Guidance Counsellors take all reasonable steps to preserve the confidentiality of information about clients obtained in the course of professional work. They reveal such information only with the client’s consent, but with certain exceptions, which include: where concealment would result in danger to the client or others; when required by the Law or designated guidelines; or for purposes of professional consultation or supervision.
4.3 It is the duty of Guidance Counsellors to inform clients about legal limits on confidentiality.
4.4 Guidance Counsellors discuss information about clients only for professional purposes, and only with those who are clearly entitled to be consulted. Written and oral reports contain only such data as are pertinent to the case, and every effort is made to avoid undue invasion of the clients’ privacy.
4.5 Guidance Counsellors publish oral or written information about clients only with their written consent, or where the identity of individuals or groups is adequately disguised.
4.6 Subject to the law, Guidance Counsellors take all reasonable steps to safeguard the storage, retrieval and disposal of clients’ records, both written and electronic. Where Guidance Counsellors’ control of such records is limited, they exercise discretion over the information recorded.
4.7 With the exception of recording of public behaviour, Guidance Counsellors make audio, video or photographic records of clients only where these persons have given prior written agreement to the making of the record and the conditions of subsequent access.
4.8 Guidance Counsellors take all reasonable steps to ensure that colleagues, principals and others with whom they work understand and respect the need for confidentiality.
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5.1 Guidance Counsellors take all reasonable steps to ensure that clients give valid consent to investigations or interventions involving them
5.2 Guidance Counsellors safeguard the right of clients to withdraw consent after an investigation or intervention has begun.
5.3 Guidance Counsellors obtain clients’ consent to the attendance of trainees and other third parties not directly involved in the provision of professional services.
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6.1 Guidance Counsellors use only those tests which they are competent to administer and interpret.
6.2 In communicating the outcome of tests or assessments to teachers, employers or others, Guidance Counsellors strive to ensure that the results are not misused or misinterpreted.
6.3 Guidance Counsellors respect the rights of clients to receive a full explanation of the nature, purpose and results of tests and assessments.
6.4 Guidance Counsellors take all reasonable steps to protect the integrity of test materials, which depend for their validity on being kept out of the public domain.
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In addition to the above principles concerning competence, conduct, confidentiality and consent:
7.1 At all times, Guidance Counsellors protect the dignity and well being of research participants.
7.2 Guidance Counsellors take all reasonable steps to ensure that any collaborators in the research treat participants in an ethical manner.
7.3 Guidance Counsellors give publication credit to others in proportion to the professional contribution that they have made.
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