Describe the responsibilities to Students in counseling

School counselors have primary responsibility for ensuring that their counseling services and the educational program of the school consider the total development of every student, including educational, vocational, personal, and social development. Counselors accept responsibility for informing students about the purposes and procedures involved in counseling relationships and use appropriate assessment and diagnostic techniques to determine which services to provide. The ethical guidelines state that school counselors should avoid imposing their values on counselees. Therefore, counselors should encourage students to explore their own values and beliefs in making decisions about educational plans and life goals. This responsibility is not an easy task. Counselors, too, have strong values and in dealing with young people, these convictions are not easily ignored or disguised. Counselors might find it appropriate to express their views and allow students to consider these opinions while broadening their available options. There is a distinct difference between expressing one’s views and imposing one’s values. When a counselor’s values and views are so strongly opposed to those of the student’s that a healthy and helpful relationship is impossible, the counselor is obliged to assist the student in finding another professional with whom a beneficial relationship can be established.
The ethical standards stipulate that school counselors protect the confidentiality of students’ records and information received from students in counseling relationships. In practice, the concept of confidentiality and its limitations are explained to students at the beginning of a helping relationship. Because of the ages of students they serve, school counselors are in a unique position regarding confidentiality. The courts have not always recognized that minors have the capacity to understand and establish confidential helping relationships. For this reason, school counselors not only need to be aware of their professional code of ethics, they also need to know their legal responsibilities regarding confidentiality. First, counselors need to know the difference between confidentiality and privileged communication. The term confidentiality refers to an individual’s right to privacy that is inherent in professional counseling relationships. By contrast, privileged communication is a legal term used to indicate that a person is protected from having confidential information revealed in a public hearing or court of law. As such, confidentiality is established in an agreement between the school counselor and student when they form a helping relationship privileged communication, on the other hand, is
granted to students by states that have laws protecting the confidences students share in relationships with their school counselors.
A final consideration about confidential counseling relationships relates to situations that indicate a clear and imminent danger to a student or to others. When students share information indicating their intention to harm themselves or others, or when they, themselves, are being abused, counselors cannot keep this information confidential. Sadly, sometimes children and adolescents are forced into abusive situations that include physical harm, sexual assault, emotional or physical neglect, and psychological harassment. Counselors are obligated to learn about laws and procedures governing the reporting of child abuse and neglect, and to fulfill their responsibilities as outlined by such statutes and regulations. In cases of abuse and neglect and instances of imminent danger to students, school counselors must break confidence and reports are essential, and, in cases of potential suicide, the security of students is paramount.
In addition, school counselors are warned about establishing dual relationships that might diminish their objectivity. If a dual relationship is unavoidable (e.g. counseling a family relative in your school when you are only counselor available), each counselor has responsibility to take action that would address the potential for harm to the client.

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francis1897 answered the question on March 17, 2023 at 09:26