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Section 8
 Actions to Prevent Harm

Question 8 | Test | Table of Contents

National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics

1. Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to Clients

1.09 Sexual Relationships

(a) Social workers should under no circumstances engage in sexual activities, inappropriate sexual communications through the use of technology or in person, or sexual contact with current clients, whether such contact is consensual or forced.

(b) Social workers should not engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with clients' relatives or other individuals with whom clients maintain a close personal relationship when there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the client. Sexual activity or sexual contact with clients' relatives or other individuals with whom clients maintain a personal relationship has the potential to be harmful to the client and may make it difficult for the social worker and client to maintain appropriate professional boundaries. Social workers--not their clients, their clients' relatives, or other individuals with whom the client maintains a personal relationship--assume the full burden for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries.

(c) Social workers should not engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with former clients because of the potential for harm to the client. If social workers engage in conduct contrary to this prohibition or claim that an exception to this prohibition is warranted because of extraordinary circumstances, it is social workers--not their clients--who assume the full burden of demonstrating that the former client has not been exploited, coerced, or manipulated, intentionally or unintentionally.

(d) Social workers should not provide clinical services to individuals with whom they have had a prior sexual relationship. Providing clinical services to a former sexual partner has the potential to be harmful to the individual and is likely to make it difficult for the social worker and individual to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.

1.10 Physical Contact

Social workers should not engage in physical contact with clients when there is a possibility of psychological harm to the client as a result of the contact (such as cradling or caressing clients). Social workers who engage in appropriate physical contact with clients are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries that govern such physical contact.

1.11 Sexual Harassment

Social workers should not sexually harass clients. Sexual harassment includes sexual advances; sexual solicitation; requests for sexual favors; and other verbal, written, electronic, or physical contact of a sexual nature.

1.12 Derogatory Language

Social workers should not use derogatory language in their written, verbal, or electronic communications to or about clients. Social workers should use accurate and respectful language in all communications to and about clients.

1.14 Clients Who Lack Decision-Making Capacity

When social workers act on behalf of clients who lack the capacity to make informed decisions, social workers should take reasonable steps to safeguard the interests and rights of those clients.

2. Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues

2.06 Sexual Relationships

(a) Social workers who function as supervisors or educators should not engage in sexual activities or contact (including verbal, written, electronic, or physical contact) with supervisees, students, trainees, or other colleagues over whom they exercise professional authority.

(b) Social workers should avoid engaging in sexual relationships with colleagues when there is potential for a conflict of interest. Social workers who become involved in, or anticipate becoming involved in, a sexual relationship with a colleague have a duty to transfer professional responsibilities, when necessary, to avoid a conflict of interest.

2.07 Sexual Harassment

Social workers should not sexually harass supervisees, students, trainees, or colleagues. Sexual harassment includes sexual advances; sexual solicitation; requests for sexual favors; and other verbal, written, electronic, or physical contact of a sexual nature.

2.10 Unethical Conduct of Colleagues

(a) Social workers should take adequate measures to discourage, prevent, expose, and correct the unethical conduct of colleagues, including unethical conduct using technology.

(b) Social workers should be knowledgeable about established policies and procedures for handling concerns about colleagues' unethical behavior. Social workers should be familiar with national, state, and local procedures for handling ethics complaints. These include policies and procedures created by NASW, licensing and regulatory bodies, employers, agencies, and other professional organizations.

(c) Social workers who believe that a colleague has acted unethically should seek resolution by discussing their concerns with the colleague when feasible and when such discussion is likely to be productive.

(d) When necessary, social workers who believe that a colleague has acted unethically should take action through appropriate formal channels (such as contacting a state licensing board or regulatory body, the NASW National Ethics Committee, or other professional ethics committees).

(e) Social workers should defend and assist colleagues who are unjustly charged with unethical conduct.

4. Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities as Professionals

4.02 Discrimination

Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability.

- National Association of Social Workers. (2021). NASW Code of Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Highlighted-Revisions-to-the-Code-of-Ethics

National Board for Certified Counselors Code of Ethics

PREAMBLE
The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) administers national certifications that recognize individuals who have voluntarily met standards for general and specialty areas of professional counseling practice. Counselors certified by NBCC may also identify with different professional organizations, and are often licensed by jurisdictions that promulgate standards of behavior. Regardless of any other affiliation, this Code of Ethics is applicable to all NBCC certificants, including National Certified Counselors (NCCs). Counselors are required to adhere to these expectations and all of the Code directives. Candidates and certificants will be sanctioned pursuant to this Code by NBCC when the standards in the NBCC Code of Ethics are found to have been violated. This Code applies to all counselors who are certified by NBCC, candidates for certification, and other counselors subject to this Code.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
7. Counselors shall demonstrate multicultural counseling competence in practice. Counselors will not use counseling techniques or engage in any professional activities that discriminate against or show hostility toward individuals or groups based on gender, ethnicity, race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or any other legally prohibited basis.

8. Counselors shall not misuse their professional influence or meet their own needs at the expense of a client’s welfare, including, but not limited to, the promotion of services or products.

9. Counselors shall not solicit testimonials from current clients or their families and friends. Recognizing the possibility of future requests for services, counselors shall not solicit testimonials from former clients within (5) years from the date of service termination.

12. Counselors shall comply with all NBCC policies, procedures, and agreements, including all disclosure requirements and related instructions.

COUNSELING RELATIONSHIPS
17. Counselors shall take proactive measures to avoid harming their clients, and avoid imposing personal values on those who receive their professional services. Counselors will seek to minimize unavoidable or unanticipated harm, and where possible seek to address unintentional harm.

18. Counselors shall respect each client’s privacy, and shall solicit only information that contributes to the identified counseling goals or facilitates the counseling process, and is also consistent with counseling protocols.

19. Counselors shall not share client information that is obtained through the counseling process without specific written consent by the client or legal guardian except when necessary to prevent serious and foreseeable harm to the client or others, or when otherwise mandated by Federal or State law or regulation.

20. Counselors generally shall not accept goods or services from clients in return for counseling services in recognition of the possible negative effects, including perceived exploitation. Counselors may accept goods, services or other nonmonetary compensation from clients only in cases where: no referrals are possible or appropriate; the arrangement is discussed with the client in advance; the exchange is of a reasonable equivalent value; the exchange does not place the counselor in an unfair advantage; the arrangement is not harmful to the client or their treatment; and, is documented in the counseling services agreement.

21. Counselors shall not accept gifts from clients except in cases when it is culturally appropriate or therapeutically relevant. Counselors shall consider the value of the gift and the effect on the therapeutic relationship before accepting. Acceptance of a gift shall be documented in the client’s record.

22. Counselors shall be mindful of engaging in counseling relationships with those individuals with whom another relationship, such as a community connection, friendship, or work relationship exists (i.e., multiple relationships). Counselors strive to avoid multiple relationships with clients, to the extent possible, except in cases when it is culturally appropriate or therapeutically relevant. In the event that a multiple relationship develops in an unforeseen manner, the counselor shall discuss the potential effects with the client, and shall take reasonable steps to resolve the situation, including termination and the provision of referrals. This discussion shall be documented in the client’s record.

23. Counselors will exercise caution, and avoid exploitation or the appearance of exploitation before entering into a non-counseling relationship with a former client. A period of five (5) years is recommended, and counselors shall exercise caution and avoid exploitation of former clients. Counselors will discuss with the former client important relevant considerations, including the amount of time since counseling service termination, duration of counseling, nature and circumstances of the client’s counseling, and the likelihood that the client will want to resume counseling at some time in the future, circumstances of service termination, and possible negative effects or outcomes. Counselors will respect the autonomy of each former client, and not use undue influence to form any sort of relationship with a former client.

24. Counselors will not engage in any form of sexual or romantic contact with a client or former client for at least five (5) years following the date of counseling service termination.

25. Counselors will not engage in any type of harassing behavior towards clients, which is defined as any verbal, nonverbal, electronic, or physical act that is known, or reasonably understood, to be unwelcome or that are of a severity that reasonably would be perceived as harassment.

SUPERVISION AND CONSULTATION
41. Counselors who provide clinical supervision shall obtain appropriate training, including continuing education concerning current clinical trends, in order to meet the needs of their supervisees and the clients they serve.

42. Counselors who provide supervision services shall provide accurate written information to supervisees regarding the counselor’s credentials, as well as information regarding the process of supervision. This information shall include the conditions of supervision, supervision goals, case management procedures, confidentiality and its limitations, appraisal methods, and timing of evaluations.

43. Counselors who act as counselor educators, field placement supervisors, or clinical supervisors shall not engage in sexual or romantic intimacy with current and former students or supervisees for at least five (5) years from the date of the last academic and/or supervision contact, whichever is later. Prohibited intimate sexual or romantic engagements include in-person contact and electronic interactions.

44. Counselors who provide clinical supervision services shall keep accurate records of supervision goals and the supervisee’s progress. All supervision related information shall be treated as confidential, except to prevent serious and foreseeable harm to a client or others, or when legally required to do so by a court or government agency order. When a supervisor receives a court or governmental agency order requiring the production of supervision records, the counselor shall make reasonable attempts to promptly notify the supervisee. In cases in which the supervisee is a student in a counselor education program, the supervisor counselor shall release supervision records consistent with the terms of the supervision arrangement with the counselor education program.

45. Counselors who provide clinical supervision services shall intervene in situations where a supervisee is impaired or incompetent and potentially placing the client(s) at risk. The clinical supervisor will notify the supervisee of any concerns and provide recommended or required steps to seek assistance. The supervisor also may take steps to end the supervisee’s services to protect the client, and may only resume services after the completion of any recommended or required remediation.

46. Counselors who provide clinical supervision services shall not have multiple relationships with a supervisee that may interfere with the supervisor’s professional judgment or exploit the supervisee. Supervisors shall not supervise friends, family, or relatives. When a dual relationship cannot be avoided, the supervisor must discuss risks and benefits with the supervisee prior to engaging in supervision and document this discussion in supervision records.

47. Counselors who provide supervision services shall provide supervisees with regular and substantive feedback throughout the supervision process.

48. Counselors shall promote the welfare and continued education of supervisees by discussing ethical standards and practices related to supervision, as well as the legal standards that regulate the practice of counseling.

49. Counselors who provide clinical supervision services shall establish procedures for responding to crisis situations related to supervisees and the supervisee’s clients. These procedures shall be provided both verbally and in writing to their supervisees. A clear protocol and guidelines shall be made available and communicated to the supervisee in the event of the supervisor’s absence. Contact information for an alternative supervisor shall be provided to the supervisee in the absence of the supervisor.

Consultation
56. Counselors who provide consultative services (consultants) shall use and provide to consultees accurate information regarding their consultation qualifications and credentials related to the identified concerns or situations.

COUNSELOR EDUCATION
Multiple Relationships
86. Counselor educators shall avoid non-academic relationships with counseling students during the student’s participation in the educator’s training program. Counselor educators with pre-existing relationships with students shall clearly communicate the nature of the relationship to the appropriate university administrator(s) and students, and shall carefully manage risks related to the relationship.

87. Counselor educators shall not engage in intimate or sexual relationships with current students or individuals who were students enrolled in the counselor’s program within the past five (5) years. Prohibited sexual or romantic intimacy engagements include physical contact and electronic interactions.

TELEMENTAL HEALTH, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND TECHNOLOGY
Telemental Health
93. Counselors shall ensure that the electronic means used in providing telemental health services are in compliance with current Federal and State laws and regulatory standards concerning telemental health service.

94. Counselors shall ensure that all electronic technology communications with clients are encrypted and secure.

95. Counselors shall maintain records of all clinical contacts with telemental health service clients.

96. Counselors shall set clear expectations and boundaries with telemental health service recipients about the type(s) and timing of communications that will be included in service provision. These expectations and boundaries shall be communicated in writing in disclosure documents provided to clients.

97. Counselors shall provide written information to all telemental health clients regarding the protection of client records, accounts and related passwords, electronic communications, and client identity. This information should include a description of the nature of all communication security measures that are used by the counselor, including any risks or limitations related to the provision of telemental health services.

98. Counselors shall communicate information regarding security to clients who receive telemental health services. Telemental health service clients shall be informed of the potential risks of telemental health communications, including warnings about transmitting private information when using a public access computer or one that is on a shared network.

99. Counselors shall screen potential telemental health service clients to determine whether such services are appropriate.

Social Media and Technology
113. Counselors shall respect the privacy of a client’s social media material and accounts, and shall not access client social media accounts without specific client permission, a related discussion with the client, documentation of potential risks and benefits, and a specific clinical purpose.

114. Counselors shall avoid non-professional relationships with clients online. This restriction includes connecting with or following client social media accounts.
- National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (2023, May). NBCC Code of Ethics. Retrieved from https://nbcc.org/assets/Ethics/NBCCCodeofEthics.pdf?_zs=KjseE1&_zl=Jlq77

Update
Social Work Research Ethics in China:
A scoping Review of Research
Involving Human Subjects during COVID-19

- Wang, Y., Wu, S., He, L., Li, L., & Wang, Z. (2023). Social work research ethics in China: A scoping review of research involving human subjects during COVID-19. International social work, 66(1), 233–253.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article References:
Conrad, M. (2019). Moving upstream in the post-Hoffman era: When ethical responsibilities conflict with the law. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 50(6), 407–418.

Rowe-Johnson, M. (2018). Achieving ethical mentoring and mentee professional integrity through formal mentor training for practicing psychologists. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 12(3), 203–209.

Williams, Izaak & O'Connor, Peg. (2019). Power in the Counseling Relationship: The Role of Ignorance. 4. 1-37.

QUESTION 8
What action could therapists take to prevent harm?To select and enter your answer go to Test.

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