Ethical Issues in Supervising Counseling Practitioners

Abstract

Major ethical issues related to training and supervising counseling practitioners are discussed including transference, dependency, and power in the supervisory relationship, dual relationships, stereotyping, and the imposition of the supervisor's beliefs on the supervisee, Suggestions for lessening the threat of ethical violations are identified, Ethics is defined as the process of making moral decisions about individuals and their interactions in society while still attempting to protect the rights and welfare of those same individuals. The American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD, 1988) has formulated a code of ethics in an effort to provide strong ethical gutdelmes for counselors and counselor educators. As with any rules or policies designed to influence human thinking and behavior. these standardized principles cannot explicitly cover all the moral, ethical, and legal dilemmas that occur in the actual counseling practice. This is especially true for ethical standards regarding the conduct of counselor educators and supervisors in their relationships with student supervisees and their clients.Supervision of helping professionals has been defined by several educators (Bradley. 1989; Brammer & Wassmer, 1977;Hart. 1982;Kurpius. Baker. & Thomas. 1977;Kutzik, 1977; Loganbtll, Hardy. & Delworth, 1982; Walberg. 1987) as a teaching procedure in which an experienced person aids a less experienced person in the acquisition of a body of knowledge and experience that will foster competence and skill in handling therapeutic situations. In this role the DeWayne Kurpius is a professor in

When Is Counseling an Appropriate and Ethical Supervision Function?

“…Personal issues should be addressed in supervision only in terms of the impact of these issues on clients and on professional functioning' ' (p. 273). This is consistent with views expressed by other authors (Burns & Holloway, 1989;Kurpius, Gibson, Lewis, & Corbet, 1991;Stout, 1987;Whiston & Emerson, 1989). Whiston and Emerson (1989) addressed the issue of non-choice.…”

Psychotherapy Supervisor Ethical Practices

“…In contrast to many of the ethical guidelines discussed thus far, the difficulty of dual roles between the supervisor and supervisee is one of the most discussed ethical issues in the supervision literature (Kurpius et al, 1991;Ryder & Hepworth, 1990;Whiston & Emerson, 1989). In contrast to many of the ethical guidelines discussed thus far, the difficulty of dual roles between the supervisor and supervisee is one of the most discussed ethical issues in the supervision literature (Kurpius et al, 1991;Ryder & Hepworth, 1990;Whiston & Emerson, 1989).…”

Classification of Dual Relationships in the Helping Professions

“…Structured multiple professional roles are prevalent in counselor education and supervision. Kurpius, Gibson, Lewis, and Corbet (1991) pointed out that faculty and supervisors can hold multiple roles simultaneously, including those of instructor, advisor, supervisor, administrator, employer, and mentor. These roles are typically perceived as complementary and are not necessarily thought to create conflicts of interest for the professional.…”