An examination of the ethical dilemmas of school counsellors: opinions and solution recommendations

Abstract

Ethical dilemmas are concerning for school counsellors in Turkey. This article presents findings of a qualitative study exploring the views and suggestions of 16 school counsellors in Rize, Turkey. Content analysis was performed on the data obtained from interviews with the participants. The results of the study showed that the school counsellors had the most knowledge about the competency principle of school counselling codes of ethics. The study also showed that regarding legal aspects of school counselling, the participating counsellors had the most knowledge about professional duties and responsibilities, yet they considered themselves inadequate in terms of both professional ethics and legal aspects of counselling. It was concluded that the school counsellors were confronted with ethical dilemmas mostly in cases of confidentiality, and it was understood that the counsellors mostly chose to do research to overcome these dilemmas.

The Role of Organizational Justice Perceived by Teachers on the Ethical Dilemmas They Experience

“…İkiz and Camadan (2021) revealed that teachers mostly experience ethical dilemmas regarding professional and scientific responsibility. Camadan et al (2020) found that teachers frequently encounter ethical dilemmas related to job-related ethical and legal rules, encompassing areas such as privacy, competence, and willingness. In the study conducted by Özivgen and Karaçam (2020), no significant differences were observed between teachers' ethical dilemmas and various subdimensions (behavioral, structural, political, and systemic) in relation to age, length of service, gender, and type of institution.…”

Ethical dilemmas of school counsellors: A vignette study

“…The current literature in Turkey defines sources of dilemmas for school counsellors as confidentiality and competencies (İkiz et al, 2017), conflicts with school leaders, dual relationships, boundary issues (Siviş-Çetinkaya, 2015a), and title confusions (Arslan et al, 2019). Camadan et al (2020) also revealed the top three kinds of information for school counsellors in the context of counselling ethics to be competence, continuing professional development, and sensitivity. To our knowledge, only one study has examined the ethical judgments of Turkish counsellors, and that research was not specific to school counsellors (Siviş-Çetinkaya, 2015c).…”