Impact of ethical information resources on counselor education students

Abstract

A convenience sample of 263 counselor education students from six CACREP-accredited programs evaluated 16 boundary crossing scenarios in the context of four ethical information interventions. Reviewing the ACA Code of Ethics, Gottlieb’s model, and Kitchener’s model did not change students’ reactions to the 16 boundary crossing scenarios. Students already appear committed to making boundary crossing decisions based on personal characteristics and consulting with peers and supervisors. When comparing these students with an earlier study of independently licensed counselors, the ratings of the boundary crossing scenarios as well as strategies cited for working through boundary crossings with clients were surprisingly equivalent.