Ethics Code Comparison

Ethics Code Comparison

Name

Institution

Abstract

The American Counseling Association goals have been to set the ethical standards for professional counseling practice. Their focus has always been on the secular side. The American Association of Christian Counselors on the other hand provides leadership for the counselors who want to use the Christian perspective in their practice of professional counseling. There are commonalities in the ACA and AACC code of ethics, in several aspects their view of these same aspects differs considerably. The paper thus addresses these similarities and differences in a broader view.

Overall Evaluation

The American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) code of ethics are both created to aid their members to provide good and impeccable services to their clients. They also have a sole mission of making their members improve on their work as counselors. Their code of ethics although differ in some cases, all serve to protect their client's interests in the long run.

The ultimate mission of the AACC code of ethics is to Hilton the performance of Christian counseling in tribute to Jesus Christ, (American Association of Christian Counselors Code of Ethics, 2004). The ethics then, rely mostly on Christianity and bible teachings. The ethics document is a little bit more complex compared to the ACA this is because; it addresses the moral deliberations for the different types of counseling. They include the Christian counselors the supervisors, educators, researchers, writers and consequently the lay helpers. The AACC also makes a distinction between the morally ethical standards and the procedural policies.

The ACA code of ethics on the other hand, advocates for clarifying the members' ethical responsibilities and also serves as an ethical guide for their members (American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2005). It is simple unlike the AACC it has eight major sections which have information relevant to the law in discussion. It is easy to read and also locate information based on its simply put way.

Sections Analyzed

Colleague Relationship

The colleague relationship is one of the issues addressed in both the ACA and AACC code of ethics. There is a clear outline on the need for one to be respectful to their work mates at work. Despite these professionals having a different opinion or approach to counseling, respect is highly vouched for. The AACC goes a notch higher and advocates for this respect to still be practices even when not in the vicinity of the church. They both recognize the need for good working relationships both within and outside their various fields of counseling.

In the case where one is required by the law to serve in more than part in judicial proceedings, it is wise for one to have their roles clarified and also the limit of confidentiality with their colleagues at work. Both the ACA and AACC have a list of guiding principles on the way one should go about handling conflicts concerning employer relationships

On the other hand, the two also tend to differ in some aspects. The ACA on one hand specifically addresses the issues that could crop up based on the interactions between professionals at work like sexual harassment, multidisciplinary relationship, and also teamwork in consideration of the clients needs. The AACC on the other hand does no such thing alternatively; it specifically addresses the concern of a counselor moving or going into private practice and in so doing, taking with him the company's clients for selfish gains and also for the sole purpose of rivalry. This subject is not addressed in the ACA.

There are also subjects in the AACC in this section, like those of operating within one's credentials scope, that were found in the competence section of the ACA. This is another illustration of the difficulty