Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions

About This Edition: New Features

• New commentaries following all of the cases presented in the various chapters provide guidance to students as they consider the issues involved. These commentaries also assist students in applying ethical standards from the various codes to a wide variety of practical cases. While students are not provided with the "correct answers" to the cases presented, they are given specific ideas about ways to resolve ethical dilemmas found in the many cases.


• Throughout the book, the authors present new research and literature on a wide range of ethical topics, including counter transference, informed consent, ethical and effective practice of clinical supervision, sexual attractions in therapy, dealing with impaired supervisees, giving and receiving gifts, training and supervision of group leaders, advantages and disadvantages of counseling via the Internet, recent ethics codes on technology applications, and more. The authors also include new material on empathy fatigue, the role of spirituality and religion in counseling, ethical issues in spirituality and addictions treatment, and end-of-life decisions. Additionally, new information has been added on the CACREP (2009) standards pertaining to personal counseling for students.


• Chapter 4, "Multicultural Perspectives and Diversity Issues," has been thoroughly revised and now includes new information on multicultural and diversity perspectives, a revised discussion of issues pertaining to sexual orientation and inclusion of competencies in working with LGBT individuals, and an updated discussion of training students in the area of multicultural competence.


• The book's discussion of confidentiality and privileged communication has been expanded. Chapter 6, "Confidentiality: Ethical and Legal Issues," includes a new discussion of an ethical practice model for protecting clients' confidentiality, a revised section on the implications of HIPAA for mental health providers, and updated material on the duty to warn and protect, especially in protecting children, older persons, and dependent adults from harm.


• In Chapter 8, "Professional Competence and Training," you'll find a new discussion of competence and how to assess it, as well as important new material on formative assessment, summary assessment, and an expanded section on continuing professional education.