Liberty University
I am a police officer and more times than not, I find myself dealing with school ages kids. Usually they range between the ages of 13-18. Most of the time I feel like a counselor because when we deal with juveniles, the juvenile judicial system has tied our hands in what they will incarcerate a juvenile for, so we usually give them a stern talking to and release them back to the custody of their parents. I also work closely with the middle and high school administrators. Sometimes we are in the schools dealing with problems or sometimes we take kids back to school that we find skipping class.
This is why I chose to write this discussion board entry on the ethics of school counselors. There are several ethical standards for school counselors, so I will only be touching on a few of them, while comparing them to biblical passages. The first I would like to hit on is the counselor’s responsibilities to their students. They are to treat their students with respect at all time and always consider the students future when talking with them. Romans 12:10 states, “be devoted to one another in brotherly love, but give preference to one another in honor. I think this passage fits perfect here, because when a student goes to a counselor it is usually to talk about a problem they are having or advice on a particular topic. This verse is saying to be devoted to the person as you want the same devotion to you. Another ethical standard for school counselors is confidentiality. The administrators and counselors are not to discuss the student’s issues and school records with anyone unless a informed consent has been agreed on and signed. Proverbs 12:22 states, “lying lips are an abomination of the lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. Taking this passage word for word to me basically means that the lord frowns upon the lips that lie and lying is also one of the Ten Commandments that should be remembered when being trusted by another. One of the ethical standards is that counselors and administrators but inform parents and/or legal guardians if a student poses a danger to himself or another. The counselors are never to negate the risk of harm because some students will hide this in order to avoid any type of further scrutiny from other students, teachers or administrators. Corinthians 6:19-20 states, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify in your body. ” I don’t think that many of these students who look to harm themselves or harm someone else are thinking past the injury and into the bible and what they are actually doing in the Lord’s eyes. The next ethical standard by which the counselors are held to is professionalism. They are to treat everything that you do in a way that is looked at as professional to society.
They are to seek the consent of parents before conducting any research into a student or educational records, and treat every research opportunity with professionalism. Psalms 34:22 says, “The Lord redeems the life of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. ” References: The New King James Study Bible, publisher Thomas Nelson, Inc. , 2007 undefined. (1984). American School Counselor Association. In Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Retrieved February 19, 2012, from http://www. mnschoolcounselors. org/EthicalStandards2010. pdf.
