Ethics in the Capacity of a High

Ethics

In the capacity of a high school counselor, certain situations will probably arise that in which the counselor will have to assume some type of leadership, and exercise decision making skills in order to address the issue. Some (if not many) of those situations are likely to include issues of illegalities or ethics.

One such scenario might include when a counselor is confronted with a student who might be an illegal immigrant. Some of the concerns that the counselor would have to consider in this case might include the fact that if the student's status were to become known (certainly by law enforcement individuals or entities), the student and his/her family might be separated, or forced into a deportation process.

Another scenario could take place when a young lady presents to the counselor a concern about pregnancy. This situation brings with it many perils; a counselor would have to tread softly in a case such as this.

And finally, an unethical scenario that might present itself to a high school counselor that also has seemed to be in the news a lot lately, is when a teacher is having a sexual relationship with a student. This situation is probably the most straightforward of all three; an immediate response would be to give the information to the principal of the school, as well as district personnel and law enforcement. The negative impact in this particular case is on the student, the teacher, the faculty and administration, but the impact is also on the school, the district, and the community at large. Public perception of the situation is universally negative in nature, and reflects badly not only on the individual teacher, but on the school overall.

The pregnancy case is usually less impactful than the teacher/student sharing intimate sexual conduct case, but that may not seem so to the person involved. Approaching a high school counselor with the problem may be her way of asking for assistance that she probably is not receiving elsewhere. She may even ask the counselor to keep it quiet, not mention it to her parents or guardians, or even to help her in arranging for an abortion. These type of scenarios are difficult for a counselor that does not wish to compromise the girl's trust, but at the same time wishes to assist the girl in the most effective manner. Rules, regulations and laws of the state may take precedence over the girl's wishes, but oftentimes the counselor may be left up to his own discretion over exactly how to proceed. The negative impact on this young girl's life cannot be overstated. Bringing a child into this world, is almost as stressful as deciding not to bring the child into this world.