ABSTRACT
American Counseling Association notes that “professional values are an important way of living out an ethical commitment”, which is an important part of professional identity. Researchers examined moral development and personal values and found they were the most significant predictor of professional ethical identity formation, meaning that a counselor’s professional values served as a guiding light in ethical dilemmas. The importance of understanding one’s own values, has been demonstrated as necessary to engage in professional counseling with clients. There is evidence that one’s personal beliefs regarding forgiveness in their personal lives actually had a positive impact on their wellness, which is then imparted to work with clients. It has also been seen that the role of advocacy as a value in counselor’s work was important for successful counselors and is needed to incorporate into their personal and professional values as there is a positive impact for the clients and a commitment from the counseling profession.
