ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the basic ethical concepts and legal guidelines that influence one's behavior as a counselor. The individual counselor is responsible for engaging in ethical practices that ensure that clients benefit from counseling. The term professional ethics refers to agreed-upon rules, principles, and standards that govern appropriate conduct and define acceptable practices in various professional fields, including the mental health professions. Identifying as a professional member of group usually signifies that individual agrees to adhere to ethical standards established or endorsed by the group. In the mental health professions, these groups include American Counseling Association (ACA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), to name just a few. In the chapter, the discussion of ethics will be based on the guidelines provided by professional codes of ethics such as the ACA Code of Ethics, the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards.
