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Self-Inventory Questionnaire Responses

Jashanjot Singh Dhaliwal

COUNSELING 5310: Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling
Prof. Steven Brooks
Date: August 7th, 2022
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Self-inventory directions: For each statement, indicate the response that most closely
identifies your beliefs and attitudes. Use the following code:
5 = I strongly agree with this statement.
4 = I agree with this statement.
3 = I am undecided about this statement.
2 = I disagree with this statement.
1 = I strongly disagree with this statement.
__5___1. Counselors are ethically bound to refer clients to other therapists when working with
them is beyond their professional training.
__5___2. It is inappropriate and unethical to refer a client on the basis of a client’s sexual
orientation.
__2___3. Possession of a license or certificate from a state board of examiners shows
that a person has therapeutic skills and is competent to practice psychotherapy.
__4___4. Professional licensing protects the public by setting minimum standards of
preparation for those who are licensed.
__5___5. None of us is competent in all settings, with all client populations, with all
therapeutic modalities, and with all skills and techniques.
__5___6. Continuing education coursework should be a requirement for renewal of a
license to practice psychotherapy.
__5___7. To apply our knowledge and skills competently, we must attend to our physical,
emotional, mental, social, and spiritual well-being.
__5___8. Institutions that train counselors should select trainees on the basis of both
their academic record and the degree to which they possess the personal characteristics of
effective therapists.
__3___9. The arguments for licensing psychotherapists outweigh the arguments against
licensing.
__4___10. Candidates applying for a training program have a right to know the criteria for
selecting trainees.
__5___11. Once students are admitted to a graduate training program, that program
should assess them at different times to determine their suitability for completing the
degree.
__4___12. Trainees who display rigid and dogmatic views about human behavior, and
who are not responsive to remediation, should be dismissed from a training program.
__5___13. Specialized training is necessary for those who plan to conduct online
therapeutic interventions.
__5___14. Lifelong learning is a critical component of professional competence.
__1___15. I might not seek out workshops, seminars, courses, and other postgraduate
learning activities if continuing education were not required to maintain my license to
practice.
On the next page, I will explain each one of my responses chronologically, beginning with the
first statement.
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1. I strongly agree that counsellors are ethically bound to referring a client if he/she is
outside their competence level. This is because even if a counsellor can gain valuable
experience from counselling a difficult client, the priority is always the client. So, if the
client cannot be benefitted from the counsellor’s services due to incompetence, then it
is their duty to refer to someone who the client can benefit from (Corey et al., 2019).
2. I strongly agree that it is inappropriate to refer a client solely on the basis of sexual
orientation because it is in the counselling code of ethics. We, as counsellors are not
allowed to have any sort of bias towards our clients based on sexual orientation, among
many other things (Corey et al., 2019).
3. I disagree with this because simply having a certification or licence does not make a
counsellor competent enough to handle clients and their problems. Counsellors are
judged by the academic achievements, peer reviews, self-assessments, time under
supervision etc. for their competence in dealing with clients (Corey et al., 2019).
4. I agree with this because having a system of professional licensure does give a minimum
standard for counsellors. This makes it so that clients can at the very least expect a
certain level of counselling competence from a practitioner even if they are not
completely ready. There is a baseline level of performance that a counsellor must be
capable of.
5. I strongly agree that no one is competent in every setting, scenario, or situation given
the different kinds of people out there. There are simply too many factors to consider
and to train ourselves in, so it is best to understand our niche of competence.
6. I strongly agree that continuing education should be a variable that is required to renew
licences because this ensures that counsellors do not get lazy and become incompetent
(Corey et al., 2019). This provides counsellors with continuous education and ensures
that clients have access to competent services wherever they choose to go.
7. I strongly agree because to do out job as counsellors well, we must take care of
ourselves first. We should be in an optimal place in life, mentally, physically, and
spiritually before we decide to offer our services to others, otherwise our deficiencies or
problems may begin to influence our clients, which is unethical (Corey et al., 2019).
8. I strongly agree because it is not enough to simply have a great academic record to be a
proficient counsellor. A counsellor must show expertise in his/her chosen aspect(s) of
counselling through various ways such as assessments, peer reviews and hours in
training (Corey et al., 2019).
9. I’m undecided about this statement because I think there are some good arguments on
both sides of the situation. One can make a good case for licencing psychotherapists as
well against licencing.
10. I agree with this because candidates who are applying for a program definitely have the
right to know the criteria for selecting trainees. However, I believe there is some room
for surprises because although they have the right to know the criteria, they may be
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assessed in ways that they did not anticipate. As long as these assessments, however
subtle, were outlined in the agreement, or disclosure document, then I believe it is fine.
11. I strongly agree with this because students in a graduate program may lose motivation
along the way, so I believe it is a good idea to have multiple assessments for them at
multiple times to ensure that they are suitable for graduation.
12. I agree with this because if those trainees show absolutely no signs of remediation and
do not plan to have variability in their views about human behaviour, then they most
likely should be removed from the program. I believe that modern scientific or even
typical religious views in counselling are not too rigid or dogmatic, so if a trainee does
express the unwillingness to change, then they probably should be removed.
13. I strongly agree that counsellors who plan to online therapy should have specialized
training because online counselling has its own specific challenges. Online counselling
has its own unique aspect in the code of ethics and slightly modified version of the
therapeutic treatment (Corey et al., 2019).
14. I strongly agree with this because as a competent counsellor, you are on a never-ending
journey of personal and professional growth. This cannot be impeded by setbacks or
obstacles, and a counsellor must always strive to be the best version that he/she can be.
To accomplish this, the counsellors must always be learning and challenging themselves
to broaden their perspective.
15. I am thankful that I have found my ultimate meaning in life, so I can confidently state
that I strongly disagree with this statement. Even if continuing education was not a
requirement, I would find ways to grow through learning; maybe not in the same ways
that are required in the relicensing process. However, I would find ways to continue to
educate myself, grow through networking, and constantly improve because the limit is
the sky in counselling. There are so many people out there from countless different
backgrounds, ethnicities, and experiences, that being competent enough to help them
all would be nearly impossible. But this colossal goal would keep me moving forward
even if continuing education was not required to maintain my licence.
 References:

Corey, G., Corey, M. S., Corey, C. (2019). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions, 10th
Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from vbk://9781337671378