ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the ethical and professional practice guidelines for the profession of counselling psychology in order to introduce the standards and competencies required by practitioners, and sign-posts readers to the relevant guidelines for more detail. These standards and competencies are briefly contextualised in terms of the history and current political climate of the helping professions as well as linked to key values and philosophical underpinnings of counselling psychology. The chapter then discusses specific issues such as ethical decision-making, professional boundaries, competence, confidentiality and supervision. Finally, the chapter focuses more specifically on being mindful of diversity and the required considerations and competencies when working with diverse clients.