Reflection

Abstract
The profession of counseling is founded on the values of ethical practice. Professional
counselors are expected to observe the ethics provided by the code of ethics that governs them. It
is known that personal values are likely to interfere with counselors’ ability to remain objective
in their practice. As such, the code of ethics guides them strictly on upholding professionalism
and not imposing their values on their clients. This reflection paper explores my responses to
scenarios when my values would interfere with my abilities to function professionally as a
counselor. It also makes suggestions on ways in which to resolve personal values conflict that
may arise in practice and how to ensure that the counselor-client relationship is prioritized.

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Introduction
Values and beliefs have a thing in common in that they shape human behavior and
character. The unique code of values and set of beliefs create the principles that govern a
person’s daily life. These elements of character have an influence on personal as well as
professional life. The case is similar among counseling professionals. As much as their actions
and behavior professionally are governed by The American Counseling Association’s (ACA)
Code of Ethics, sometimes these individuals find themselves in a difficult situation when clients’
values and beliefs totally contradict with their own. When completing the Attitudes & Beliefs
Inventory, I identified three questions that I struggled to answer. These questions are question 3
“A person who shows little conscience development is strictly interested in his/her own
advancement and uses others for personal gain.”, question 6, “A woman who has decided to
leave her husband and children to gain independence” and question 23, ” A man was recently
released from jail after serving a sentence for rape.” In this paper, I provide my response to these
questions, explore the values and beliefs that affected my responses, and actions that I will take
personally and professionally to ensure that I do not allow my personal values and beliefs to
interfere with my profession as a counselor.
Reflection
My response to the question regarding a person showing little conscience development
and is just interested in their own advancement and is willing to use others for personal gain was
‘very uncomfortable.’ I realized that a person who holds themselves in high regard could be
hurtful for those around them and don’t care about whom they hurt. Since the person is only
interested in their own advancement, they are unlikely to realize that in the process, they end up

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hurting other people. The individual’s actions contradict my values on compassion, kindness, and
empathy. The individual has total disregard for the feelings of other people, and I struggled with
dealing with such an attitude. These values are inspired by religion. I have been a religious
person, and we have for a long time been taught the importance of these values. They have been
inculcated in me from a very young age, and I found it hard having a person who believes in the
complete opposite. Evans et al. (2021) hold that religious beliefs should be separated from
professional practice among counselors as these can be serious obstacles towards maintaining the
required ethics.
According to Elliott (2018), counselors who hold very strong personal and religious
values may encounter serious dissonance between holding onto their beliefs and following the
requirements of the code of ethics provided by ACA. Based on this, I will work on resolving the
dissonance and ensuring that I do not allow my personal values and beliefs to interfere with my
work when dealing with counselors. David Kaplan, an ethicist, argues that counselors function
based on their professional competencies as opposed to their own values (Kocet & Herlihy,
2019). The sentiment will guide me anytime I encounter a client whose values and beliefs do not
align with my own. I will do this by ensuring that I do not refer to my personal values when
dealing with clients. Further, meeting a client’s needs is more important than upholding personal
values as they do not matter in the client-counselor relationship (Grunhaus et al., 2018). Based
on this, I will continuously read the codes and ensure that I understand the implication of each to
my practice as a counselor. The aim is to remain ethical in my practice. Since imposing personal
ethics on a client is unethical, I will ensure that I do not so that I can maintain a professional
relationship with the client at all times. At a personal level, I will work to ensure that I do not
impose my values on other people.

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Further, my response to question 6 was “somewhat uncomfortable.” This is because I felt
that this woman might have a good reason for leaving, but abandoning and putting oneself above
the family. She is trading her happiness without taking into consideration the feeling of kids,
especially if they are young. Her actions appeared to me as selfish and inconsiderate. I found that
she was entitled to her own happiness, but there were third parties, the children, who she had to
consider in making her decisions. The values that her actions contradicted were commitment,
consideration, ability to compromise, and love. I found difficulties responding to the question
because of my beliefs regarding marriage. My parents emphasized a lot about commitment in
relationships and one’s ability to compromise. Sometimes it is permissible to compromise one’s
comfort for the sake of the children. I saw them make many compromises growing up, and this
shaped my beliefs on how people should relate in a marriage. Pursuit of one’s happiness at the
expense of the children seems self-centered.
According to Kocet & Herlihy (2019), ethical counselors are required to be aware of their
own values and work on ensuring that they do not impede their ability to help the client. I will
work in ensuring that I identify my values and establish ways in which they ay interfere with my
role as a counselor. I will do this by looking at various scenarios of clients and looking at how I
would respond to their issues. If I identify a value that is likely to affect my relationship with the
client, then I work on it. The aim will be to identify identifying values and beliefs that I may not
even be aware of and ensure that they come to my conscious. Self-education is an effective
strategy towards achieving competence as a professional (Levitt et al., 2021). Doing this will
enable me to be more aware of my values and the different ways that they may affect my
practice. The aim is to be prepared to handle any type of client without necessarily being
triggered when our value systems do not align.

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My response to question 23 was “somewhat uncomfortable.” I struggled with the
question because someone recently released from jail for rape in many cases affects many of us
because we know many who have suffered at the hands of rape as it because more common in
our society. Working with them could be tough, but I would take into consideration that maybe
my counseling could help push them in the right direction. On one side, I was convinced that
incarceration had helped them change their ways. However, on the other side, I felt that the
victim may still be traumatized by the rape incident. The incident here contradicts my values on
love and empathy. The individual raped someone, and the action does not in any way reflect love
or empathy. I acquired these values, specifically in the context of a rape victim from society. I
have interacted with rape victims and understand the trauma that rape inflicts on the victim.
As a counselor, however, I cannot allow such values to interfere with my ability to help
the client. As such, I will work on myself by ensuring that I understand ethical bracketing. This
is a professional activity that entails immersion in self-reflection and making myself aware of the
conflict (Ametrano, 2019). When functioning professionally, I will have to first identify the
conflict that exists and engage in self-education so that I am able to resolve the conflict well and
provide the services needed. There is a lot of literature on dealing with such dilemmas, so I will
engage in self-education and continuously refer to the ethical codes as these will guide me on the
most appropriate course of action. Personal counseling will also help ensure that all obstacles
related to personal biases are addressed (Duggal & Sriram, 2021). It is important to ensure that
one practices optimally and ethically like a professional. Remarkably, there may be instances
when ethical bracketing is not possible as the personal values conflict may trigger strong
emotional reactions (McWhorter, 2019). When this happens, I will be prepared to integrate
professional and personal values, resolve the values-based conflicts and serve the client.

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Conclusion
Overall, taking the Attitudes & Beliefs Inventory made me reflect a lot on my
preparedness as a counselor. I realized that I hold certain biases that are mainly caused by my
personal values and beliefs. Every human has their own values and beliefs that inform their
behavior. However, as a professional counselor, I cannot allow my personal values and beliefs to
interfere with my ability to help a client. I have to put the relationship with the client first and
prioritize the client’s wellbeing as opposed to upholding my personal beliefs. After the exercise, I
have realized that personal values conflict and professional values conflict exists when working
as a counselor. I have to resolve the conflicts whenever they arise. I have also to be prepared to
deal with different types of clients, some, whose values will sharply conflict with mine.
However, even when this happens, I must ensure that I provide quality services to the client,
follow the ethical codes that guide professional counselors, and ensure that I do not impose my
personal values on a client.

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References

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