Ethical Standards for Rehabilitation Counseling: A Brief Review of Critical Historical Developments

Abstract

This manuscript: (a) briefly reviews critical, historical antecedents of the continuing developments and refinements of ethical standards for the professional practice of rehabilitation counseling; (b) demonstrates how ethical standards reflect the continuing, changing developments in American society, rehabilitation service delivery, and the actual practice of rehabilitation counseling; and (c) substantiates the veracity and validity of its assertion that overall, the development of ethical standards for the professional practice of rehabilitation counseling basically has constituted reaction-to-crisis, facade, and less-than-earnest activities. Recommendations for rehabilitation counseling's future initiatives and activities are offered.

Professionalization, Deprofessionalization, and Reprofessionalization of Rehabilitation Counseling According to Criteria of Professions

“…AS A PROFESSIONAL SPECIALTY The extent to which rehabilitation counseling is a profession has received much attention over the past two decades (Brubaker, 1981;Emener, 1985Emener, , 1986bEmener, , 1987Emener, Lauth, Renick, & Smit, 1985;Wright, 1986). Rehabilitation counseling first emerged as an occupation "largely in response to legislative mandates" (Maki, 1986, p. 3).…”

“…The survival mode of the 1970s appeared to detract professionals from attending to the continuing development of rehabilitation counseling as a profession. For example, minimal attention was given to the continuing development of ethical standards for rehabilitation counselors (Emener, 1987), and rehabilitation counselor education programs were consumed with "issues of survival" (Emener, 1985, p. 68).…”

“…Concomitantly, the proliferation of certification bodies and professional groups claiming to represent rehabilitation providers led to a multiplicity of applicable codes of ethics that were to some degree nonoverlapping or conflicting (Cottone, Simmons, & Wilfley, 1983). The strides toward professionalism made by the original committee that designed the NRCA code were not followed by appropriate professional actions (Emener, 1987), and in effect rehabilitation counseling was deprofessionalized on the issue of ethics.…”

“…In 1987 the new, unified code of ethics was completed and adopted by the three cooperating organizations (Pape, 1987). With concurrent publication in a special issue of the Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling on "Professionalism and Futurism," organized, around the ethical standards , the new code was hailed as a step toward reprofessionalization, with a caveat offered by a history of reaction to crisis rather than professional foresight (Emener, 1987). More important, the first national empirical studies on ethical issues endorsed by the involved professional associations appeared in the rehabilitation counseling literature (Emener et al, 1987;Pape & Klein, 1986).…”

“…With concurrent publication in a special issue of the Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling on "Professionalism and Futurism," organized, around the ethical standards , the new code was hailed as a step toward reprofessionalization, with a caveat offered by a history of reaction to crisis rather than professional foresight (Emener, 1987). More important, the first national empirical studies on ethical issues endorsed by the involved professional associations appeared in the rehabilitation counseling literature (Emener et al, 1987;Pape & Klein, 1986). Still in the process of reprofessionalization, rehabilitation counseling has a need for stricter disciplinary activities and mechanisms for regular ethical code review and revision.…”