ABSTRACT
Ethics is an important area in the field of professional counseling. Effective counselors possess sound ethical and legal knowledge and because of this they have the ability to integrate their work with diverse clients in various settings. Counselors rely on their professional identity as a frame of reference as they engage in ethical decision making, with awareness to their limitations and personal experiences. The process of self-exploration is an ethical obligation within the field. Integrating personal self-exploration with the ethical standards helps to examine oneself through a different lens. Considering ways to avoid ethical dilemmas and be prepared for them is also an important skill for counselors. The counseling process is about clients and their own journey, without the impact of their counselor. Importantly the therapeutic relationship is an essential component of the counseling process, and research would argue the most important part of the counseling relationship.
