t3 Legal Issues in Career Counseling Eport

Legal Issues in Career Counseling
Kaitlyn Zaiser
Grand Canyon University
CNL-510 Counseling for College and Career
Dr. Kristen Green
August 23, 2023

Ethical or Legal Considerations and Career Counseling for PK-12 Students
Counselors in the PK-12 setting are abided by ethical and legal considerations when
collaborating with students. Counselors have a responsibility to the students and to ensure they
are treated with dignity and respect while supporting the student in their academic progress and
social-emotional well-being (ASCA, 2022). Career counseling requires collaborative efforts
from internal and external stakeholders to establish a culture that promotes career readiness to
students’ post-graduation. Additionally, there is a responsibility to advocate for all students
needs and desires for any postsecondary endeavors whether it be career, higher education,
technical school, workforce, or military. Having the ability to distinguish gaps in areas that
hinder a student from pursuing college or career access is vital to eliminate any biases or
systemic policies that are inequitable (ASCA, 2022).
Ethical or Legal Considerations and the Common Good
Ethical dilemmas will occur in a counseling experience, and counselors have ethical and
legal considerations to consider to the common good. The ethical decision-making model
encourages counselors to apply certain principles such as beneficence, autonomy,
nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity (ASCA, 2022). Beneficence is ensuring the
counselor is promoting good overall sense of well-being and mental health to the student and
autonomy is abiding that counselors cannot sway a student to make certain decisions and that
those decisions must come from the student. Counselors are ethically bound to avoid causing any
harmful actions towards a student while treating them equitably. Fidelity ensures that counselors
honor their responsibilities and commitments to their students, where veracity requires
counselors to be honest with whom they are professionally collaborating with (ASCA, 2022).
Each of these ethical codes assists counselors in navigating through ethical and/or legal
considerations with compassion towards students and justice to ensure advocacy to student rights
for the common good.
Eliminating Bias
There are several laws to protect students from discrimination such as Title VI, Title IX,
Section 504, and IDEA. Counselors can work with students to mitigate biased based on gender,
race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disabilities in career counseling by cultivating an
atmosphere on campus that eliminates acts against marginalized groups. Bridging gaps in
opportunity and achievements for students on campus is a way to allow students to be involved
in areas they find interest in (ASCA, n.d.). Identifying harmful behaviors in students and
correcting them to create safe spaces for all. Teaming up with the community and other
partnering families to place an emphasis on eliminating bias and racism in programs and
organizations. Other collaborations include working with administrators to develop intervention
strategies in times of crisis, and taking action to educate others on unconscious bias and how to
develop cultural competencies (ASCA, n.d.)
Balancing Responsibilities
Counselors guide students through the process of post-secondary institutions by developing
goals both long and short to help them prepare for their next endeavor. Additionally, as
counselors are not ethically responsible to promote a student to make certain decisions, they can
assist in the decision-making process to ensure the student is making informed decisions and are
aware of their rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (ASCA, 2021).
Creating balance to this responsibility is bridging any gaps between the student and their families
with the recruiters or institutions that are interested in the student ensuring they are
understanding to any waivers and information required of them. Additionally, collaborating to
ensure the families have open discussion about endeavors and interests in certain higher
education opportunities prior to moving forward in the application processes (ASCA, 2021).
Career Development Interventions
There are several interventions a counselor can implement for career development. Such
as developing groups that are equitable to students to participate that revolve around specific job
interests or fields (ASCA, 2022). Career exploration programs to help students identify areas
they would fit in most, more commonly using career assessments to examine where their
interests lie and what careers correlate towards. Building relationships within the communities to
come in as speak to students about different job fields and what duties and requirements of the
jobs entail. Ethical responsibilities also require that the counselor create realistic opportunities
for students while supporting them towards endeavors they are interested in.
References
American School Counseling Association (ASCA). (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School
Counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-
f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf
American School Counseling Association (ASCA). (n.d.) Standards in Practice.
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/542b085a-7eda-48ba-906e-24cd3f08a03f/
SIP-Racism-Bias.pdf
American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2021). The School Counselor and Student
Postsecondary Recruitment.
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-
Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Student-Postsecondary-Rec

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Legal Issues in Career Counseling

Grand Canyon University

CNL-510 Counseling for College and Career

Dr. Kristen Green

August 23, 2023

social-emotional well-being (ASCA, 2022). Career counseling requires collaborative efforts

students’ post-graduation. Additionally, there is a responsibility to advocate for all students

systemic policies that are inequitable (ASCA, 2022).

Ethical or Legal Considerations and the Common Good

encourages counselors to apply certain principles such as beneficence, autonomy,

for the common good.

race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disabilities in career counseling by cultivating an

organizations. Other collaborations include working with administrators to develop intervention

develop cultural competencies (ASCA, n.d.)

Counselors guide students through the process of post-secondary institutions by developing

Career Development Interventions

American School Counseling Association (ASCA). (n.d.) Standards in Practice.

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