MHS 6700 Ethical, legal and professional issues in counseling -- Quiz 1

1. ___________ is concerned with perspectives of right and proper conduct and involves an evaluation of actions on the basis of some broader cultural context or religious standard.

a. Ethical conduct
b. Community standards
c. Morality
d. Professionalism

2. Robert runs into the office, unprepared and frustrated because he is late for his weekly appointment with his first client of the day. He is consistently late for his appointments and his behavior is:

a. immoral
b. illegal
c. unethical
d. unprofessional

3. James and Mary were going to counseling for marital problems and the counselor decided to meet with each partner in an individual session before meeting them as a couple. James confided that he was HIV + and was not going to tell his spouse because she would know that he had been unfaithful. The counselor decided to break confidentiality after attempts to encourage James to inform his wife of his condition. The counselor’s action:

a. was illegal and may result in sanctions
b. may be considered ethical, yet the practitioner could be in violation of a legal standard
c. was unethical since confidentiality was broken
d. was ethical and meets the American Counseling Association standard regarding contagious diseases which states that practitioners must report when a client is HIV+.

4. Elizabeth is a beginning practitioner and is counseling in a manner where she merely acts in compliance with the law and follows minimal ethical standards. She is at the first level of ethical functioning which is:

a. personal ethics
b. aspiration ethics
c. mandatory ethics
d. basic ethics

5. The basic purpose of professional code of ethics is to:

a. educate professionals about sound ethical conduct, provide a mechanism for professional accountability and serve as a catalyst for improving practice
b. protect professionals from lawsuits
c. set standards that will be understood and enforced across all cultures
d. ensure that standards remain consistent over time.

6. A formal complaint was filed against Harry for sexually harassing a female client. This is not the first complaint against him and he was previously warned that a major sanction would be imposed if he continued his unethical actions. The professional ethics committee to which he belongs recommended that Harry:

a. be on probation during his entire career
b. resign from his job
c. work without supervision on his word that he will not harass any client.
d. Be expelled from the organization

7. The counselor who ask the questions “Am I doing what is best for my client?” rather than “Is this situation unethical?” is functioning from the following ethical perspective:

a. principle ethics
b. virtue ethics
c. value ethics
d. practical ethics

8. The virtuous professional:

a. is motivated to do what is right because they feel obligated
b. functions within their professional code of ethics because they fear the consequences if they do not
c. possess vision and discernment, which involves sensitivity, judgement, and understanding and leads to decisive ethical decisions
d. typically focus on moral issues with the goal of solving a particular dilemma

9. Ethical issues in the mental health professions are regulated:
a. By legislation
b. By professional codes
c. Both by legislation and professional codes
d. By the governor of each state

10. Jan is an incest victim and is covered for six sessions by her insurance. Her counselor is in private practice and knows that Jan needs more sessions. She decides to offer Jan her services pro bono. In making the ethical decision to ensure that her client has equal access to services, the counselor is using the basic moral principal of:

a. fidelity
b. justice
c. beneficence
d. veracity