Please no plagiarism and make sure you are able to access all resources on your own before you bid. Main references come from Neukrug, E. S., & Fawcett, R. C. (2015) and/or Encyclopedia of Counseling (2017). Assignments should adhere to graduate-level writing and be free from writing errors. APA format also requires headings. Use the prompt each week to guide your heading titles and organize the content of your initial post under the appropriate headings. Remember to use scholarly research from peer-reviewed articles that are current. I have attached examples and expectations, so you can see how to make full points. Please follow the instructions to get full credit for the assignment. I need this completed by 01/31/20 at 5pm. 

Assignment – Week 10

Ethical, Legal, and Professional Standards in Assessment

In this Assignment, you will consider the ACA’s Code of Ethics and how these practices impact assessment. This professional code identifies your responsibilities and the practices you must adhere to for the benefit of your clients, your colleagues, and your community.

To Prepare:

• Review ACA’s Code of Ethics website found in the Learning Resources and consider how they apply to your professional development.
• Review and use the Corey, Corey, Corey, and Callanan Ethical Decision-Making Model from the course text on p. 28 to process the cases on p. 37 by including each step.
• Review Exercise 2.2 Making Ethical Decisions (p. 37), choose two to review and process through the Model, answering each question.

Assignment:

• Review the five cases
• Select two of the situations in Exercise 2.2 in the text to discuss. Complete the eight steps provided in the course text from the Ethical Decision-Making Model on p. 28 for both of the situations you chose. You do not need to answer the questions at the end of each submission in Exercise 2.2. Take the point of view of what      YOU need to do as an ethical counselor, and consider ALL perspectives in the situation, not just one person’s perspective.
• In one page each, identify the cases you selected and include your responses to the steps of the model on p. 28 for each situation (Note: Two pages not including title or reference page).
• On page 3, add a summary paragraph or two that shares your personal challenges with addressing the ethical issues in the assignment.
• Use proper APA formatting and citations.

Required Resources

Neukrug, E. S., & Fawcett, R. C. (2015). Chapter 2: Ethical, legal, and professional issues in assessment. In The essentials of Testing and Assessment: A practical guide for counselors, social workers, and psychologists (pp. 21-41). Stamford, CN: Cengage Learning.

Neukrug, E. S., & Fawcett, R. C. (2015). Appendix B: Assessment sections of ACA’s and APA’s Code of Ethics. In The essentials of Testing and Assessment: A practical guide for counselors, social workers, and psychologists (p.308). Stamford, CN: Cengage Learning.

American Counseling Association (ACA). (2014). ACA code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics ?sfvrsn=4

Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling AARC (formerly AACE). (2012). Retrieved from http://aarc-counseling.org/

Association for Assessment in Counseling. (2003a). Responsibilities of users of standardized tests (RUST) (3rd ed.). Retrieved from http://aac.ncat.edu/Resources/documents/RUST2003%20v11%20Final
Association for Assessment in Counseling. (2012). Standards for multicultural assessment. Retrieved from http://aac.ncat.edu/Resources/documents/STANDARDS%20FOR%20MULTICULTURAL%20ASSESSMENT%20FINAL
Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. (1996). AMCD multicultural counseling competencies. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/Competencies/Multcultural_Competencies

Optional Resources

Dadlani, M. B., Overtree, C., & Perry-Jenkins, M. (2012). Culture at the center: A reformulation of diagnostic assessment. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43(3), 175–182.

Ibrahim, F. A. and Dykeman, C. (2011), Counseling Muslim Americans: Cultural and Spiritual Assessments. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89, pp. 387–396. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2011.tb02835.x

Richards, P. S., Bartz, J. D. and O’Grady, K. A. (2009), Assessing Religion and Spirituality in Counseling: Some Reflections and Recommendations. Counseling and Values, 54, pp. 65–79. doi:10.1002/j.2161-007X.2009.tb00005.x.

Wapner, J. (2017). Revisiting a disturbing study of human psychology reveals our willingness to obey and to inflict pain. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/new-milgram-experiments-same-results-569103.

Corey, Corey, Corey, and Callanan Ethical Decision-Making Model

In addition to the moral model just noted, a number of other ethical decision-making models exist (Neukrug, 2016). One hands-on, practical, problem-solving model espoused by Corey, Corey, and Corey (2019) suggests that the practitioner go through the following eight steps when making complex ethical decisions: 1. Identify the problem or dilemma 2. Identify the potential issues involved 3. Review the relevant ethical guidelines 4. Know the applicable laws and regulations 5. Obtain consultation 6. Consider possible and probable courses of action 7. Enumerate the consequences of various decisions 8. Decide on what appears to be the best course of action Finally, in addition to the moral and practical models mentioned earlier, some suggest that regardless of the approach one takes in ethical decision-making, the ability to make wise ethical decisions may well be influenced by the clinician’s level of ethical, moral, and cognitive development (Lambie, Hagedor, & Ieva, 2010; Levitt & Moorhead, 2013) (see Exercise 2.1). Those who are at higher levels of cognitive development, they state, view ethical decision-making in more complex ways than others. Certainly, this has broad implications for the training that takes place in clinical programs, as it would be hoped that students are challenged to make decisions that are comprehensive and thoughtful (McAuliffe & Eriksen, 2010).

Neukrug, Edward S.. Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists, Enhanced (p. 28). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.

Exercise 2.2 Making Ethical Decisions

Review the situations below, and then using the moral principles identified in the chapter, Corey’s models of ethical decision-making, and your knowledge of legal and professional issues decide on your probable course of action. Share your answers with the rest of the class.

Situation 1: A graduate-level mental health professional with no training in career development is giving interest inventories as she counsels individuals for career issues. Can she do this? Is this ethical? Professional? Legal? If this professional happened to be a colleague of yours, what, if anything, would you do?

Situation 2: During the taking of some routine tests for promotion, a company learns that there is a high probability that one of the employees is abusing drugs and is a pathological liar. The firm decides not to promote him and instead fires him. He comes to see you for counseling because he is depressed. Has the company acted ethically? Legally? What responsibility do you have toward this client?

Situation 3: An African-American mother is concerned that her child may have an attention deficit problem. She goes to the teacher, who supports her concerns, and they go to the assistant principal requesting testing for a possible learning disorder. The mother asks if the child could be given an individual intelligence test that can screen for such problems, and the assistant principal states, “Those tests have been banned for minority students because of concerns about cross-cultural bias.” The mother states that she will give her permission for such testing, but the assistant principal says, “I’m sorry, we’ll have to make do with some other tests and with observation.” Is this ethical? Professional? Legal? If you were a school counselor or school psychologist and this mother came to see you, what would you tell her?

Situation 4: A test that has not been researched to show to be predictive of success for all potential graduate students in social work is used as part of the program’s admission process. When challenged on this by a potential student, the head of the program states that the test has not been shown to be biased and the program uses other, additional criteria for admission. You are a member of the faculty at this program. Is this ethical? Professional? Legal? What is your responsibility in this situation?

Situation 5: An individual who is physically challenged and wheelchair bound applies for a job at a national fast-food chain. When he goes in to take the test for a mid-level job at this company, he is told that he cannot be given this test because it has not been assessed for its predictive ability for individuals with his disability. You are hired by the company to do the testing. What is your responsibility, if any, to this individual and to the company?

Neukrug, Edward S.. Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists, Enhanced (p. 37). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.

A. Attitudes and Beliefs

1. Culturally skilled counselors believe that cultural self-awareness and sensitivity to one’s own
cultural heritage is essential.

2. Culturally skilled counselors are aware of how their own cultural background and experiences
have influenced attitudes, values, and biases about psychological processes.

3. Culturally skilled counselors are able to recognize the limits of their multicultural competency
and expertise.

4. Culturally skilled counselors recognize their sources of discomfort with differences that exist
between themselves and clients in terms of race, ethnicity and culture.

B. Knowledge

1. Culturally skilled counselors have specific knowledge about their own racial and cultural
heritage and how it personally and professionally affects their definitions and biases of
normality/abnormality and the process of counseling.

2. Culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge and understanding about how oppression,
racism, discrimination, and stereotyping affect them personally and in their work. This allows
individuals to acknowledge their own racist attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. Although this standard
applies to all groups, for White counselors it may mean that they understand how they may have
directly or indirectly benefited from individual, institutional, and cultural racism as outlined in White
identity development models.

3. Culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge about their social impact upon others. They
are knowledgeable about communication style differences, how their style may clash with or
foster the counseling process with persons of color or others different from themselves based on
the A, B and C, Dimensions ,and how to anticipate the impact it may have on others.

C. Skills

1. Culturally skilled counselors seek out educational, consultative, and training experiences to
improve their understanding and effectiveness in working with culturally different populations.
Being able to recognize the limits of their competencies, they (a) seek consultation, (b) seek
further training or education, (c) refer out to more qualified individuals or resources, or (d) engage
in a combination of these.

2. Culturally skilled counselors are constantly seeking to understand themselves as racial and
cultural beings and are actively seeking a non racist identity.

A. Attitudes and Beliefs

1. Culturally skilled counselors are aware of their negative and positive emotional reactions
toward other racial and ethnic groups that may prove detrimental to the counseling relationship.

They are willing to contrast their own beliefs and attitudes with those of their culturally different
clients in a nonjudgmental fashion.

2. Culturally skilled counselors are aware of their stereotypes and preconceived notions that they
may hold toward other racial and ethnic minority groups.

B. Knowledge

1. Culturally skilled counselors possess specific knowledge and information about the particular
group with which they are working. They are aware of the life experiences, cultural heritage, and
historical background of their culturally different clients. This particular competency is strongly
linked to the “minority identity development models” available in the literature.

2. Culturally skilled counselors understand how race, culture, ethnicity, and so forth may affect
personality formation, vocational choices, manifestation of psychological disorders, help seeking
behavior, and the appropriateness or inappropriateness of counseling approaches.

3. Culturally skilled counselors understand and have knowledge about sociopolitical influences
that impinge upon the life of racial and ethnic minorities. Immigration issues, poverty, racism,
stereotyping, and powerlessness may impact self esteem and self concept in the counseling
process.

C. Skills

1. Culturally skilled counselors should familiarize themselves with relevant research and the latest
findings regarding mental health and mental disorders that affect various ethnic and racial groups.
They should actively seek out educational experiences that enrich their knowledge,
understanding, and cross-cultural skills for more effective counseling behavior.

2. Culturally skilled counselors become actively involved with minority individuals outside the
counseling setting (e.g., community events, social and political functions, celebrations,
friendships, neighborhood groups, and so forth) so that their perspective of minorities is more
than an academic or helping exercise.

A. Beliefs and Attitudes

1. Culturally skilled counselors respect clients’ religious and/ or spiritual beliefs and values,
including attributions and taboos, because they affect worldview, psychosocial functioning, and
expressions of distress.

2. Culturally skilled counselors respect indigenous helping practices and respect help~iving
networks among communities of color.

3. Culturally skilled counselors value bilingualism and do not view another language as an
impediment to counseling (monolingualism may be the culprit).

B. Knowledge

1. Culturally skilled counselors have a clear and explicit knowledge and understanding of the
generic characteristics of counseling and therapy (culture bound, class bound, and monolingual)
and how they may clash with the cultural values of various cultural groups.

2. Culturally skilled counselors are aware of institutional barriers that prevent minorities from
using mental health services.

3. Culturally skilled counselors have knowledge of the potential bias in assessment instruments
and use procedures and interpret findings keeping in mind the cultural and linguistic
characteristics of the clients.

4. Culturally skilled counselors have knowledge of family structures, hierarchies, values, and
beliefs from various cultural perspectives. They are knowledgeable about the community where a
particular cultural group may reside and the resources in the community.

5. Culturally skilled counselors should be aware of relevant discriminatory practices at the social
and community level that may be affecting the psychological welfare of the population being
served.

C. Skills

1. Culturally skilled counselors are able to engage in a variety of verbal and nonverbal helping
responses. They are able to send and receive both verbal and nonverbal messages accurately
and appropriately. They are not tied down to only one method or approach to helping, but
recognize that helping styles and approaches may be culture bound. When they sense that their
helping style is limited and potentially inappropriate, they can anticipate and modify it.

2. Culturally skilled counselors are able to exercise institutional intervention skills on behalf of
their clients. They can help clients determine whether a “problem” stems from racism or bias in
others (the concept of healthy paranoia) so that clients do not inappropriately personalize
problems.

3. Culturally skilled counselors are not averse to seeking consultation with traditional healers or
religious and spiritual leaders and practitioners in the treatment of culturally different clients when
appropriate.

4. Culturally skilled counselors take responsibility for interacting in the language requested by the
client and, if not feasible, make appropriate referrals. A serious problem arises when the linguistic
skills of the counselor do not match the language of the client. This being the case, counselors
should (a) seek a translator with cultural knowledge and appropriate professional background or
(b) refer to a knowledgeable and competent bilingual counselor.

5. Culturally skilled counselors have training and expertise in the use of traditional assessment
and testing instruments. They not only understand the technical aspects of the instruments but
are also aware of the cultural limitations. This allows them to use test instruments for the welfare
of culturally different clients.

6. Culturally skilled counselors should attend to as well as work to eliminate biases, prejudices,
and discriminatory contexts in conducting evaluations and providing interventions, and should
develop sensitivity to issues of oppression, sexism, heterosexism, elitism and racism.

7. Culturally skilled counselors take responsibility for educating their clients to the processes of
psychological intervention, such as goals, expectations, legal rights, and the counselor’s
orientation.

Arredondo, P., Toporek, M. S., Brown, S., Jones, J., Locke, D. C., Sanchez, J. and Stadler, H. (1996)
Operationalization of the Multicultural Counseling Competencies. AMCD: Alexandria, VA

AMCD Multicultural Counseling Competencies
I. Counselor Awareness of Own Cultural Values and Biases
A. Attitudes and Beliefs
B. Knowledge
C. Skills
II. Counselor Awareness of Client’s Worldview

A. Attitudes and Beliefs
B. Knowledge
C. Skills

III. Culturally Appropriate Intervention Strategies
A. Beliefs and Attitudes
B. Knowledge
C. Skills