COUN 5910 - Ethical and Professional Standards

This provides an orientation to the field of clinical mental health counseling with a specific focus on professional and ethical practices. Students will explore the mental health counseling profession through an extensive review of the American Mental Health Counseling Association’s (AMHCA) Code of Ethics, the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) Code of Ethics, an exploration of the different types of licenses and their scopes of practice, and licensure laws for the state in which they plan to practice. Students will understand the benefits of professional membership in counseling organizations (e.g., AMHCA/ACA and its divisions). Legal issues in counseling and the role of social justice and advocacy as they apply to ethics and the law will be introduced. Students will learn and apply ethical decision-making models to mock clinical cases. Since background checks are required by nearly all licensing boards, students will be required to obtain a criminal background check from the state(s) in which they plan to practice. This course is offered fully online, asynchronously with faculty and student interaction through Blackboard. Credits: 3