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Chapter 3- Ethical Issues in Counseling Practice
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MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST ITEMS
1. In becoming an ethical practitioner, a crucial task is to:
a. learn how to arrive at clear-cut answers for difficult situations.
b. identify a specific ethical code as the source of answers to ethical dilemmas.
c. learn how to interpret and apply ethical codes to an ethical dilemma.
d. avoid making any mistakes in counseling practice.
e. discover the correct solution for every ethical dilemma that might arise.
2. According to the text, the challenge of providing informed consent consists of:
a. telling clients about the nature of confidentiality.
b. striking a balance between giving clients too much and too little information about the therapeutic
process.
c. convincing clients that counselors know what they are doing.
d. teaching clients about state laws that pertain to counseling.
e. getting clients to read the ethical codes of the profession.
3. Many ethical codes state that dual or multiple relationships:
a. should be avoided whenever possible.
b. are clearly grounds for revocation of one’s professional license.
c. are helpful in case of counseling one’s friends or relatives.
d. are impossible to avoid.
e. always result in serious harm to the client.
4. Privileged communication does not apply to
a. group counseling
b. couples counseling
c. family therapy
d. child and adolescent therapy
e. all of these.
5. Confidentiality must be breached and information must be reported by practitioners when:
a. clients pose a danger to others.
b. a child under the age of 16 is the victim of incest, rape, or child abuse.
c. an older adult is being abused.
d. the therapist determines that the client needs immediate, involuntary hospitalization.
e. all of these
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6. Which of the following statements is not true about guidelines for ethical practice in counseling and
psychotherapy?
a. Most professional organizations provide broad guidelines.
b. Therapists ultimately have to discover their own guidelines for reasonable practice.
c. Practitioners are free to formulate any ethics they choose.
d. Ethical issues should be periodically reexamined throughout your professional life.
e. There are differences of opinion among practitioners about how ethical guidelines apply to certain
situations.
7. Under what circumstances should a therapist consult with colleagues or specialists?
a. when a client complains of physical symptoms
b. when facing an ethical problem
c. when working with a client for an extended period of time and losing objectivity
d. all of these
8. Clients have a right to be informed about:
a. their therapist’s qualifications.
b. the general goals of counseling.
c. the approximate length of the therapeutic process.
d. all of these
9. Both feminist therapists and postmodern therapists tend to view diagnosis as it is traditionally done:
a. as an appropriate part of counseling sessions.
b. as generally helpful to women clients.
c. as an essential part of the medical model they follow.
d. as often oppressive and ignoring of societal contexts.
10. Marcus, a therapist in a community agency, recently divorced his wife and seems to be harboring anger
towards women in general. His colleagues, who have noticed a change in his attitude and behavior lately,
have encouraged him to seek personal counseling to work through his issues. They are:
a. overreacting to his anger and are overstepping the boundaries by suggesting he go to counseling.
b. unwise to suggest counseling since he will not benefit from it because he is a therapist and already
knows how to deal with his problems.
c. acting ethically by recommending counseling for Marcus; as counselors, they recognize that personal
issues that have not been worked through are likely to be projected onto clients.
d. being unsupportive colleagues; since they are aware of his situation, they should offer to provide
counseling to him and not refer him to a professional outside of the agency.
11. According to the text, positive ethics is a practice in which counselors:
a. do what is mandated by professional standards.
b. base their ethical decisions on what is best for their clients rather than minimum standards
of care.
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c. strive for the highest level of ethical practice.
d. strictly adhere to lengthy ethics codes, even if this is not in the client’s best interest.
12. During her sessions, Justine questions whether she is trying to meet her clients’ needs or her own
needs. Justine is:
a. being overly analytical.
b. engaging in meaningful self-reflection and self-assessment as a professional.
c. self-absorbed and insecure.
d. behaving unethically since she is preoccupied during her clients’ sessions.
13. Assessment is a useful method of:
a. evaluating a client’s current level of functioning.
b. forming a case conceptualization.
c. involving the client as an active participant in treatment.
d. gaining insight into the client’s subjective world.
e. all of these.
14. Evidenced-based practices are not:
a. based on psychodynamic principles.
b. tailored to address specific problems and symptoms.
c. founded on empirical research.
d. generally time limited.
15. __________________ is the view of ethical practice that deals with the minimum level of professional
practice.
a. Mandatory ethics
b. Minimal ethics
c. Positive ethics
d. Aspirational ethics
TRUE-FALSE TEST ITEMS
1. It is optional for therapists to inform their clients that they may discuss certain details of the relationship
with a supervisor or a colleague.
2. Confidentiality can be considered an absolute.
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3. Contemporary therapy approaches are grounded on a core set of values, which are neither value-neutral
nor applicable to all cultures.
4. Overemphasizing cultural differences is always appropriate in a counseling context.
5. A diagnosis provides a working hypothesis that guides the practitioner in understanding the client.
6. Clinicians who work in community mental health agencies, private practice, and other human service
settings are generally expected to assess client problems within the framework of the National Association
of Social Workers’ Diagnostic and Assessment Protocol Manual (3rd ed.)
7. Evidence-based practice is a potent force in psychotherapeutic practice today, and it may mandate the
types of treatments therapists can offer in the future.
8. Practice-based evidence involves using data generated during treatment to inform the process and
outcome of treatment.
9. The only setting in which one might be forced to manage multiple roles is in community mental health
centers.
10. The ethics codes mandate avoidance of all dual or multiple relationships.
11. Multiple relationship issues can be resolved with ethics codes alone.
12. If you are successful in establishing boundaries in various aspects of your personal life, you have a
good foundation for creating sound boundaries with clients.
13. A boundary crossing could potentially benefit a client.
14. Becoming an ethical practitioner is not a final destination but a journey that will continue throughout
your career.
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15. The American Counseling Association uses the term “nonprofessional relationships” when referring to
dual or multiple relationships.
