CEFS 501
Reaction Paper
Liberty University
CEFS 501: Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling
Summarize
Value conflicts in counseling relationships occur easily and can be very challenging to
acknowledge and address, but they also have the ability to result in extremely serious
consequences. According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), personal values must be
acknowledged and counselors must “avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling
goals” (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014). The decision on whether to refer a
client to another professional or not, solely based on the conflicting values, can be challenging
but should always be addressed by seeking supervision and guidance from other professionals
and literature, as well as understanding how the ACA Code of Ethics is expected to be
interpreted (Kocet & Herlihy, 2014).
According to Kocet and Herlihy (2014), some literature is contradicting in terms of value-
based referrals. In Ward v. Wilbanks, both sides of the argument were able to provide literary
evidence that their views on the matter were justified, which leads us to believe that there are no
clear guidelines for abiding by the ACA Code of Ethics in this area. The main argument within
this discussion appears to be regarding the challenge of distinguishing value-based referrals and
competence-based referrals due to the fact that a counselor with values that conflict with a
client’s values would prevent the counselor from effectively treating the client. However, by
examining and acknowledging our values and seeking supervision when presented with a value-
based conflict, effective counselors would ideally be able to put their values aside to treat a client
in an unbiased, unprejudiced manner (Kocet & Herlihy, 2014).
, Standard A.11.b. of the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014) states that counselors should
use referrals as a last resort because the ultimate goal for counselors is to put the needs of clients
above their own. Referrals should be reserved for instances when the counselor lacks
competence in an area in which the client needs treatment. When a referral is under
consideration, it is important to evaluate what is in the best interest of the client, so the counselor
avoids harming the client in any way, including potential discrimination or abandonment. Value-
based referrals are a clear indicator of discrimination and a lack of ability to put the needs of the
client above the needs of the counselor (Martz & Kaplan, 2014).
The counseling profession, at times, appears to stray from the values instilled in
Christianity, but a true understanding of Christianity helps us to practice in a way that honors
God while also honoring our commitment to the counseling profession. By understanding the
themes addressed by Sells and Hagedorn (2016), we can gain an understanding of God’s overall
desire for us and integrate that into our practice as counselors (Sells & Hagedorn, 2016).
By examining ourselves in terms of exclusion, inclusion, differentiation, and embrace, we
can integrate our faith into our profession by distinguishing ourselves from other belief systems
but also by acknowledging others’ differences and embrace those differences. Only after this
acknowledgment, Christian counselors are able to understand that, despite differences, everyone
is worthy of love and acceptance. Counselors can view their work as right in the eyes of The
Lord without feeling as though they are compromising when value conflicts arise (Sells &
Hagedorn, 2016).
Reflect
For so long, I have believed in the idea that you can either be a religious counselor or a
secular counselor. After reading these articles, I have a better understanding of what it means to
incorporate personal values in a counseling relationship, while avoiding imposing said values on
the client. I have been told “leave your values outside of the counseling office,” which now does
Reaction Paper
Liberty University
CEFS 501: Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling
Summarize
Value conflicts in counseling relationships occur easily and can be very challenging to
acknowledge and address, but they also have the ability to result in extremely serious
consequences. According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), personal values must be
acknowledged and counselors must “avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling
goals” (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014). The decision on whether to refer a
client to another professional or not, solely based on the conflicting values, can be challenging
but should always be addressed by seeking supervision and guidance from other professionals
and literature, as well as understanding how the ACA Code of Ethics is expected to be
interpreted (Kocet & Herlihy, 2014).
According to Kocet and Herlihy (2014), some literature is contradicting in terms of value-
based referrals. In Ward v. Wilbanks, both sides of the argument were able to provide literary
evidence that their views on the matter were justified, which leads us to believe that there are no
clear guidelines for abiding by the ACA Code of Ethics in this area. The main argument within
this discussion appears to be regarding the challenge of distinguishing value-based referrals and
competence-based referrals due to the fact that a counselor with values that conflict with a
client’s values would prevent the counselor from effectively treating the client. However, by
examining and acknowledging our values and seeking supervision when presented with a value-
based conflict, effective counselors would ideally be able to put their values aside to treat a client
in an unbiased, unprejudiced manner (Kocet & Herlihy, 2014).
, Standard A.11.b. of the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2014) states that counselors should
use referrals as a last resort because the ultimate goal for counselors is to put the needs of clients
above their own. Referrals should be reserved for instances when the counselor lacks
competence in an area in which the client needs treatment. When a referral is under
consideration, it is important to evaluate what is in the best interest of the client, so the counselor
avoids harming the client in any way, including potential discrimination or abandonment. Value-
based referrals are a clear indicator of discrimination and a lack of ability to put the needs of the
client above the needs of the counselor (Martz & Kaplan, 2014).
The counseling profession, at times, appears to stray from the values instilled in
Christianity, but a true understanding of Christianity helps us to practice in a way that honors
God while also honoring our commitment to the counseling profession. By understanding the
themes addressed by Sells and Hagedorn (2016), we can gain an understanding of God’s overall
desire for us and integrate that into our practice as counselors (Sells & Hagedorn, 2016).
By examining ourselves in terms of exclusion, inclusion, differentiation, and embrace, we
can integrate our faith into our profession by distinguishing ourselves from other belief systems
but also by acknowledging others’ differences and embrace those differences. Only after this
acknowledgment, Christian counselors are able to understand that, despite differences, everyone
is worthy of love and acceptance. Counselors can view their work as right in the eyes of The
Lord without feeling as though they are compromising when value conflicts arise (Sells &
Hagedorn, 2016).
Reflect
For so long, I have believed in the idea that you can either be a religious counselor or a
secular counselor. After reading these articles, I have a better understanding of what it means to
incorporate personal values in a counseling relationship, while avoiding imposing said values on
the client. I have been told “leave your values outside of the counseling office,” which now does
