Beliefs About the Ethics of Practice Among CRCs: A National Survey

Abstract

Knowledge of the ethical beliefs of rehabilitation counselors and their level of confidence in these beliefs is important to understanding the professional culture of rehabilitation counseling. The purpose of this study was to determine the specific beliefs of a national sample of CRCs about whether particular behaviors are ethical, the degree to which there is a consensus about the ethical nature of these behaviors, and which behaviors involve a high degree of controversy. Results indicated that of the 104 behaviors, 13% (n=14) appear to be clearly identified as ethical, 22% (n-23) clearly unethical, and 16% (n=17) as controversial. In addition, the level of confidence of rehabilitation counselors demonstrated in their judgments and difficult judgment items also is discussed along with the participants' ratings of the effectiveness of various resources regarding ethics.

A Comparison of the Ethical Beliefs of Certified Rehabilitation Counselors and National Certified Counselors

“…The percentage of CRCs who endorsed each item as ethical in the Tarvydas et al (2001) study was compared with that of individuals certified by the NBCC in the Gibson and Pope (1993) study. The same percentage cutoff criteria were used for categorization in the present study as were used in the latter study to allow for comparability.…”

“…The purpose of this analysis was to compare the specific beliefs of a national sample of CRCs (Tarvydas et al, 2001) with a national sample of NCCs (Gibson & Pope, 1993) regarding whether particular behaviors are or are not ethical, the degree to which there is a consensus about these behaviors, and which behaviors involve a high degree of controversy. An ex post facto descriptive research design using a survey research approach was used and is a replication of the earlier Gibson and Pope work.…”

“…Tarvydas et al (2001) have provided a complete description of the procedures used to collect these data. A total of 658 usable responses were received, representing a 41% response rate for this study.…”

“…The average number of hours of ethics instruction that participants had completed through continuing education in the past 2 years was 3.39 (SD = 6.78), with a range of 0 to 80 (Tarvydas et al, 2001). NCC Sample.…”

“…The Ethics of Practice Questionnaire was adapted with minor modifications from the National Survey of Certified Counselors, developed by Gibson and Pope (1993) for the Tarvydas et al (2001) study. The questionnaire consisted of 88 items representing seven ethical principles or issues: (a) avoiding harm, (b) demonstrating competence, (c) avoiding exploitation, (d) showing respect, (e) maintaining confidentiality, (f) informed consent, and (g) social equity and justice.…”