Multicultural counselors often face a moral dilemma: should they follow the ethical guidelines of their professional counseling organization at the expense of a client or take the appropriate action while bending official standards?Ethics in a Multicultural Context provides strategies for critical decision making in multicultural settings. Utilizing extensive case studies, authors Sherlon P. Pack-Brown and Carmen Braun Williams present a comprehensive exploration of counseling ethics in a cultural context. Examining the implications and consequences of competent multicultural counseling, they present ethical dilemmas arising in face-to-face counseling interactions, supervisory relationships, and educational situations.By placing ethical issues in a cultural context, this inclusive volume provides readers with the practical tools to address complex questions such asAre dual relationships ethical?How do you handle unintentional cultural bias?Can you barter for counseling services?How do you manage a client’s welfare?Does counseling foster dependence?What are the boundaries of competence? Ethics in a Multicultural Context encourages critical thinking rather than passive acceptance. The authors identify culturally troublesome issues, encourage culturally appropriate interpretations of existing ethical guidelines, and promote ethical behavior in multicultural contexts.encourages critical thinking rather than passive acceptance. The authors identify culturally troublesome issues, encourage culturally appropriate interpretations of existing ethical guidelines, and promote ethical behavior in multicultural contexts. Designed for students and educators in counselor education and counseling psychology programs, this book is also an essential guide for social workers, psychologists, and health professionals who work in multicultural environments.

Unintentional Cultural Bias

Unintentional cultural bias

ACA Code

Section A.2.a of the ACA (1995) code states, “Counselors do not condone or engage in discrimination based on age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic status.”

APA Code

The general principles of the 2002 APA code include the statement (Principle E),

Psychologists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on [age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status], and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.

NASW Code

The NASW (1996) code states,

Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination, exploitation, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ...

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