Professional Practice and Ethics Flashcards

This set of flashcards covers foundational statistics, ethical principles, legal requirements, and professional practices within the field of counseling as derived from the lecture materials.

The arithmetic average of a set of scores, which is noted for being sensitive to outliers.

Mean

The middle value in a distribution of data, considered the best measure for skewed data sets.

Median

The most frequent value appearing in a set of data.

Mode

A measure of the spread of scores; a higher value indicates more variability within the data.

Standard deviation

A distribution where most scores cluster around the mean.

Normal distribution

The consistency of a test, or whether it provides stable and repeatable results.

Reliability

A type of reliability where items on a test measure the same thing.

Internal consistency

The accuracy of a test, specifically whether it measures what it claims to measure.

Validity

A type of validity that indicates whether a test predicts or correlates with outcomes.

Criterion Validity

One of Kitchener's five moral principles referring to independence and the ability for a client to make their own decisions.

Autonomy

A moral principle meaning treating each person fairly, though not necessarily treating each person the same way.

Justice

The ethical principle of doing good or acting in the best interests of the client.

Beneficence

The ethical obligation to do no harm to others.

Nonmaleficence

The concepts of loyalty, faithfulness, and honoring professional commitments.

Fidelity

A finding of civil liability that occurs if a counselor fails to exercise "due care" and a wrong results in injury or damages.

Negligence

The area of tort law concerning professional conduct; requires a duty owed, a breach of that duty, a causal link, and resulting damage.

Malpractice

A variable standard established through the testimony of expert witnesses used in liability proceedings to determine if a counselor's performance was within accepted practice.

Standard of Practice

A legal document indicating that an attorney believes a counselor may have information helpful to a case; it should not be automatically complied with without consultation.

Subpoena

A legal request filed by an attorney to allow a counselor to not comply with a subpoena.

Motion to Quash

A legal term describing the privacy of counselor-client communication that exists by statute and applies specifically to testifying in a court of law.

Privileged Communication

Federal regulations that vary by state allowing certain minors to seek treatment for conditions like substance abuse or mental health without parental notification.

Minor Consent Laws

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of $1974$, which governs the inspection, dissemination, and access to student educational records.

FERPA

Notes written by counselors to serve as an extension of memory; they are not part of the educational record as long as they remain in the sole possession of the maker.

Personal Notes

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of $1996$, which established national standards for the privacy of health information and patients' rights.

HIPAA

The federal law defining child abuse and requiring practitioners to report suspected abuse or neglect within $24$ to $72$ hours.

Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003

Also known as the therapeutic alliance, it is a trusting, positive, and collaborative bond between therapist and client, and a consistent predictor of successful treatment.

Rapport

The quality of being authentic, genuine, and transparent in the therapeutic relationship.

Congruence

An ongoing process and conversation ensuring clients understand the nature, risks, benefits, and limits of counseling before participating in treatment.

Informed Consent

The process of obtaining a minor's willingness to participate in counseling using developmentally appropriate language, even when a guardian has provided legal consent.

Assent

A policy in family or couples counseling where the counselor may disclose information shared privately by one participant to the others if it is relevant to treatment.

No Secrets Policy

Counseling services delivered through technology, requiring specific informed consent regarding privacy, security, and technology limitations.

Telemental Health

A group therapy policy stating no member is ever required to answer a question, participate in an activity, or tell anything if they feel uncomfortable.

The Stop Rule

Documents containing provider, patient, and visit information (including diagnosis and procedure codes) required for insurance claim submission, but excluding chart notes.

Superbills

A legal term ensuring that an individual's rights and liberties are protected from start to finish, such as providing a supervisee warning and opportunity to improve before a negative final evaluation.

Due Process

A slow degradation of a counselor's ability to empathize with clients over time, often created by work-related stress.

Burnout

Secondary traumatic stress symptoms, similar to PTSD, that can be acquired through even a single interaction where a counselor is affected by a client's trauma.

Vicarious Traumatization

A state where exposure to client suffering and the inability to rescue them results in feelings of depletion, anxiety, resentment, or emotional withdrawal.

Compassion Fatigue

A significant negative impact on professional functioning that compromises client care or poses potential harm to the client.

Impairment