Counselors who are in a supervisory role must be aware of their ethical obligations.

Ethics and Supervision

Counselors who are in a supervisory role must be aware of their ethical obligations. Ethically and legally, supervisors are responsible for the quality of services and actions of supervisees. Ethical supervision includes paying particular attention to the following areas: knowledge and skill development, competence, evaluation and gate-keeping, dual relationships, confidentiality, informed consent and self-care.

Many states have specific legal and ethical guidelines for approved clinical supervisors. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are receiving the specific type, quality, and quantity of supervision that is required by your academic program and state of licensure.

For this Discussion, reflect on the qualities of effective and ineffective supervisors. Think about a time when you worked with a supervisor. This does not need to be in a counseling position or even a paid position. Consider potential courses of action if you discovered your supervisor was engaged in unethical behavior.

Post by Day 3 a description of the qualities of the most effective supervisor and the least effective supervisor and explain whether you consider these supervisors to be ethical or unethical. Then, explain how these supervisors affected your performance. Explain the significance of having an ethical supervisor. Finally, explain a potential course of action if you discovered that your supervisor was behaving unethically.

Be sure to use the Learning Resources and the current scholarly (i.e., peer-reviewed) literature to support your response.

Required Resources

Readings

• Remley, T. P., Jr., & Herlihy, B. (2016). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

• Chapter 15, “Supervision and Consultation” (pp. 358-379)
• American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics. Current Edition.
• Ery?lmaz, A., & Mutlu, T. (2017). Developing the four-stage supervision model for counselor trainees. Kuram Ve Uygulamada E?itim Bilimleri, 17(2), 597-629 doi:10.12738/estp.2017.2.22523
• Merriman, J. (2015). Enhancing counselor supervision through compassion fatigue education. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 93(3), 370-378. doi:10.1002/jcad.12035