Ethics in Counseling

BENCHMARK CRITICAL INCIDENT PAPER ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
The purpose of this assignment is to identify and apply the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) and/or American School Counselors Association (ASCA) code of ethics to group work. CEFS/COUC students should focus on the ACA code, while COSC students should focus on the ASCA code.
INSTRUCTIONS
To complete this assignment, you will need to access the ACA/ASCA code of ethics. You can access the ACA Code of Ethics under the Benchmark and Critical Incident Paper Resource heading within the assignment on Canvas. Choose one of the scenarios below, and after reviewing the facts, divide your paper into 3 headings, writing one paragraph response for each question:
● Identify: What is the issue?
● Summarize: Briefly summarize the ACA/ASCA code(s) that address this situation. Make sure to include the code numbers. (Example: “ACA code B.2.3 states….”).
● Act: What is the best course of action now and why?
Each section should be one paragraph. Simply answer the questions above in the space provided below. (No title page, abstract, or reference page). Your response should be no longer than 300 words total. DO NOT ADD FLUFF as you will lose points. The paper will make use of current APA formatting.
Scenario 1:
Jack is a new counselor, having just been granted his license two months ago. He decides to start a mixed gender group for anger management and conflict resolution. He carefully screens group members and obtains informed consent before beginning the group. Six weeks into the group, Carol comes to Jack and reports that one of the male group members has been making inappropriate sexual remarks to her before and after the group ends. Carol reports she does not feel comfortable and is thinking of leaving the group. Jack, unsure of what to do, decides to ignore Carol’s complaint. Carol soon drops out of the group.
Scenario 2:
Jane is starting a group for teenage girls who are struggling with self-esteem issues. Jane, wanting to get the group started right away, and worried that she won’t have enough participants, opens the group to all girls ages 13-15. Jane does not worry about screening potential participants though she does obtain written consent from all the girls’ guardians. Alice is a 15-year-old participant in the group who has struggled with depression in her past. This information is not known to Jane, as she did not screen for it. After one particularly difficult group session, Alice goes home and attempts suicide. Alice’s mother calls Jane angry and upset, blaming Jane for her daughter’s suicide attempt.