High School Counselor's Ethical Obligation

From the perspective of a high school student a school counselor is seen as an individual who is there to help them in with academic, social, and personal issues (Glosoff, Herlihy, & Spencer, 2000). It may take time, effort, and trust to create a relationship where the student expresses their troubles to the counselor. The amount of issues that a counselor may see with a student may range from academics to personal matters. Regardless of the reasoning of the counseling session, the counselor has an ethical obligation to keep the counseling session confidential (Remley & Herlihy, 2010). The unfortunate matter is that the confidentiality that is discussed between the student and the counselor could be breached if the parent or guardian requests …show more content…
Guidelines are provided through the American School Counseling Association (ASCA), and the American Counseling Association (ACA). The ASCA provides standards of a school counselor and the ACA provides the code of ethics. Laws provide that parents or legal guardians have the privacy right of the minor (Remley & Herlihy, 2010). The intent of the law is to keep their child safe. State statutes are also laws made by legislative bodies that can affect privacy rights of a minor. Through these resources, it guides school counselors for ethical and legal decision …show more content…
The focus lies within the respect and protection of information of the client; whether it is a verbal conversation or documentation, the counselor must keep their information confidential, but there are exceptions. If the client is a minor, then the legal guardian/parents have the right to have the information disclosed to them. Another exception is if the counselor foresees a harm or danger to themselves or others (Code of Ethics B.2.a, 2010). The section also discusses information of the limitations of confidentiality that must be explained to the client (Code of Ethics B.1.d,