Sample Essay On Code Of Ethics And Standards For Practice

In the contemporary world, ethics is the core driver in the organizational workplace. Its principles and policies are integrated to govern transparency, confidentiality and peaceful coexistence with all diverse population. This is because the code of ethics provides necessary boundaries to ensure that professionalism in the workplace is accentuated for its productivity. Therefore, this essay offers an insight into the contrast and comparison of AACA, APA, and ACA. It also provides discussion on how guidelines of each organization can support the needs of its clients.

Similarities between AACC, ACA, and APA

Arguably, the AACC code was enacted to ensure that AACC members, caregivers, and Christian counselors work within the premise to provide better services to its clients while improving the work of Christian counseling across the globe (Free Content Web, 2017). Its core mission encompasses the community of care that brings all it members regardless of their level of training, that is pastors and church members. In doing so, it aspires to equip them with pastoral biblical truth guided by psychosocial insights (Free Content Web, 2017; Philip Monroe, 2014). It assures its client's competence in service delivery, mental stability and spiritual mentality for ministerial professions.

Comparatively, AACC is guided by seven ethical standards. This includes informed consent, ethical practice, do no harm, competence, ethics in advertising, confidentiality, and ethical relations. In that, most of its principles are based on the role of counselors concerning their obligation to its clientele (Philip Monroe, 2014; Free Content Web, 2017). This relates to ACA as its foundation is based on the promotion of quality life in the community setting to certify that professional counselors have respect to its clients based on human dignity and respect of diversity. In essence, the ACA code of ethics includes resolving ethical issues, confidentiality, supervision, counseling relationship, evaluation and good relationship with other professionals (Philip Monroe, 2014). This means it works best to ensure that counselors and client’s needs are prioritized in the organization as its codes are conscious of requirements for both parties involved (Free Content Web, 2017). For APA, its principles are Fidelity and responsibility, beneficence, justice, integrity, and respect for the rights and dignity of people. Primarily, it highlights the obligation of the organization to the psychologists while discharging their services to its clients (APA).

Thus, AACA, APA, and ACA have a lot of common as they explore the rights that are deemed fit for clients, counselors, and psychologists to coordinate protection of their rights. Its codes guide the relational boundaries to preserve the personal relationship (Free Content Web, 2017). In that, the code is critical to the recent issue in the workplace. It endeavors to create a substantive environment based on open communication that builds on the counselor to client relationship on an ethical framework for the desired outcome (Philip Monroe, 2014). As such, they both work to guide autonomy, dual relationships, confidentiality, and peaceful coexistence.

Notably, these codes are set in a timeline of reasonable means to ensure that professional judgment is embedded in any organization. It validates appropriate standards of operation across the field concerning the elimination of injustice and endorsement of professionalism as required by the laws of the land. This is especially true for APA, as its guidelines deal with the needs of a psychologist to limit the scope of the code and procedural considerations that are privy to its sustainability (Free Content Web, 2017). They all work for the sake of its clients and its premises in their organization is geared to protect, ensure confidentiality and foster adequate information to limit poor services in any given context.

The contrast between AACC, ACA, and APA

On the other hand, each code works best based on its organization. For example, while AACC has some different values when it comes to proper termination of counselors. In that, it consists with a framework that insists that all clients must be respected and adequate cases of referral are demonstrated (Philip Monroe, 2014). ACA works towards a specific purpose. In that, its primary responsibility is to the clients to promote their welfare concerns. Hence, ACA has no values that relate to the harm of its clients, but it emphasizes the principles of working relationship accorded to clients at any given time by counselors (ACA). Next, APA codes that is, Fidelity, integrity, beneficence, etc. are based on the assertion that the psychologist is expected to prioritize the needs of its clients while offering professional services (APA). This taps the concerns of AACA as both work for the sake of its clients to ensure that counselors and psychologists promote the needs of its clients by working within limits stipulated (Free Content Web, 2017). However, a look at ACA and APA shows that the context of its codes varies as ACA works for both the clients and the counselors to build confidentiality for professional responsibility (Philip Monroe, 2014). But, APA on the other side works for clients by imposing the set standards of values that psychologists are expected to work within for coordinated purpose.

Discuss the similarities and differences in the policies, in addition to how the guidelines can be applied to working with culturally diverse clients in a behavioral health agency

In conclusion, APA, AACC and ACA policies have a lot in common as they work towards the respect of diversity, culture, national origin, socioeconomic status, elimination of work biases and prejudices. In that, its policies guide the art of professionalism in all areas to coordinate ethical standards that are conscious of human relations for competence. Perhaps, the difference that exists is based on the clients. Otherwise, the regulation put forward by the code of ethics has a shared purpose. It aspires to promote the concerns of clients by advocating for professionalism to foster equality and reasonable judgment for positive behaviors guided by self-determination, privacy, confidentiality, the rights, and welfare of all the communities.

References

ACA. (n.d.). American Counselling Association: Ethical & Professional Standards. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/ethics

APA. (n.d.). American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ethics/code
Free Content Web. (2017). American Counseling Association & American Association of Christian Counselors Code of Ethics Comparison.

Retrieved from http://www.freecontentweb.com/content/american-counseling-association-american-association-christian-counselors-code-ethics-compar

Philip Monroe. (2014, April 12). Comparing ACA and AACC ethics codes: Addressing counselor values impact. Retrieved from https://philipmonroe.com/2014/04/12/comparing-aca-and-aacc-ethics-codes-addressing-counselor-values-impact/