DUE: Wednesday June 21, 2023

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS

Week 8 – Discussion: Course Reflection and Takeaways

Course information: School Counselor Professionalism, Ethics, and Legal Mandates

Prepare a substantive response to the following:

• What is one thing that stood out to you in the content presented in this course? Why?
• How can you apply what you learned this week to your career?
• What topics/items from the course would you like to explore further? Why?

Examples of other students response below

PLEASE DON’T COPY the examples This will help with ideas on what to write:

********************************************EXAMPLE 1:*******************************************

Reflection

What is one thing that stood out to you in the content presented in this course? Why?

A particular concept that stood out to me in this course was the concept, “do no harm,” As I noted in my discussion post from the article “HIPPA or FERPA, or Not” (Williams, 2010). The role of a school counselor is first and foremost to “do no harm.” As “doing no harm” may be interpreted differently by individuals, various specific rules, principles and guidelines have been put in place to help counselors create a safe and supportive school environment for individuals in the school community. These include such things as (but not limited to), confidentiality and privacy, informed consent, boundaries and personal relationships, competence, referral, ethical decision making, continuous learning and self reflection (ASCA, 2022). School counselors can still have challenges with issues pertaining to confidentiality, reporting and privacy-  even when laws and guidelines are in place.

How can you apply what you learned this week to your career?

Application

In the future, I will use the 9-step ethical decision making model to assist with issues pertaining to reporting, ethics and laws. The following steps are listed below: 

• Defining the Problem 
• Applying the ASCA ethical code and the legal issues: ASCA’s ethical code is to “do no harm” 
• Considering the student’s chronological and developmental levels. 
• Considering the setting, parental rights and minor’s rights: School counselors are required to respect the inherent rights and responsibilities of parents for their children. 
• Applying the moral principle: Counselor should consider their moral responsibility in maintaining confidentiality. 
• Determining a potential course of action and its consequences.
• Evaluating the selected action: 
• Consulting with peers: It’s always important to consult with peers for difficult cases that involve reporting to third parties, confidentiality and legal concerns. 
• Implementing the selected course of action.

What topics/items from the course would you like to explore further? Why?

Further Exploration

As I proceed in my profession working as a counselor, I will ensure to follow the 9-step guide to decision making. In particular, I think it’s very important to consult with peers. Even in the discussions amongst peers in this course, I can see how some of us may approach ethical decisions quite differently – and may not always end up in the same place in decision making. In order to do “no harm” I will continue to stay abreast of professional learning opportunities that review ethical and legal issues in school counseling. 

*******************************************EXAMPLE 2:*******************************************

What is one thing that stood out to you in the content presented in this course? Why?

“A school counselor’s job is never black and white, but it is less obtuse when considering the prime ethical directive of acting in a student’s best interests. (Williams, 2010)” Although the decision-making and issues in school counseling are often vague, the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors provide a framework for dealing with the complicated issues that arise. This course taught me how to navigate scenarios utilizing mandates in place to help protect students, such as child abuse reporting, HIPPA and FERPA laws, and Title IX.

How can you apply what you learned this week to your career?

This week the appendix of the text Ethical, Legal, and Professional was assigned. I will practice Appendix E – Guidelines for counseling notes throughout my career. I found points four and five on the list particularly helpful, which suggests separating the notes into two sections: objective and subjective. In the objective section, the counselor should “write what the client said, what you said, and what you observed, not drawing any conclusions at this point.” (Remley Jr., p.447) The subjective section can be used to “record any thoughts that you will need for the future, such as impressions of the client, speculations about the reasons for the client’s problems, reminders to yourself or present thoughts.” (Remley Jr., p.447) This technique will help to organize my thoughts after meeting with students.

What topics/items from the course would you like to explore further? Why?

In week 1, the reflection assignment was regarding transgender and gender-expansive students. Although I am learning about this demographic, I still need further understanding of the terms and specific laws. Community members often bring up this topic in the district board meetings, so I must be well-versed on how to answer their questions if they arise on campus or whom to refer them to.

Reference

Remley Jr., T. P. & Herlihy, B.P.  (2020). Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling ( 6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson. ISBN: 9780135183816

Williams, R., Ed.D., LPC, NCC (2010, July 1). HIPAA or FERPA or Not. ASCA School

Counselor. Retrieved May 16, 2023, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org

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