Ethical Update: The Counselor's Guide to Ethical Counseling in a Politicized Era

Course overview

The 2020 presidential election landed alongside a global pandemic and civil unrest connected to racial injustices, creating a trifecta of stress and potential trauma. The American Mental Health Counselors Association's 2020 Code of Ethics calls upon clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) to maintain objectivity (I.A.1); to take care of our own mental health so that we can be centered for our clients (I.C.1.h); to understand the role of our beliefs, values, and biases in our clinic work while seeking to better understand our clients (I.C.1.m); and to refrain from discriminating against our clients for their political beliefs (I.C.2.c).