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Extract from the Ethical Framework

1.ÌýOur ethics are based on values, principles and personal moral qualities thatÌýunderpin and inform the interpretation and application ofÌýOur commitment toÌýclientsÌýandÌýGood practice.

Values

2.ÌýValues are a useful way of expressing general ethical commitments that underpin theÌýpurpose and goals of our actions.

3.ÌýOur fundamental values include a commitment to:

• respecting human rights and dignity
• alleviating symptoms of personal distress and suffering
• enhancing people’s wellbeing and capabilities
• improving the quality of relationships between people
• increasing personal resilience and effectiveness
• facilitating a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concernedÌýwithin their personal and cultural context
• appreciating the variety of human experience and culture
• protecting the safety of clients
• ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client relationships
• enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application
• striving for the fair and adequate provision of services

4.ÌýValues inform principles. They become more precisely defined and action-orientatedÌýwhen expressed as a principle.

Principles

5.ÌýPrinciples direct attention to important ethical responsibilities. Our core principles are:

• Being trustworthy:Ìýhonouring the trust placed in the practitioner
• Autonomy:Ìýrespect for the client’s right to be self-governing
• Beneficence:Ìýa commitment to promoting the client’s wellbeing
• Non-maleficence:Ìýa commitment to avoiding harm to the client
• Justice:Ìýthe fair and impartial treatment of all clients and the provision of adequate services
• Self-respect:Ìýfostering the practitioner’s self-knowledge, integrity and care for self

6.ÌýEthical decisions that are strongly supported by one or more of these principlesÌýwithout any contradiction with the others may be regarded as well-founded.

7.ÌýHowever, practitioners may encounter circumstances in which it is impossible toÌýreconcile all the applicable principles. This may require choosing which principlesÌýto prioritise. A decision or course of action does not necessarily become unethicalÌýmerely because it is controversial or because other practitioners would have reachedÌýdifferent conclusions in similar circumstances. A practitioner’s obligation is to considerÌýall the relevant circumstances with as much care as possible and to be appropriatelyÌýaccountable for decisions made.

Personal moral qualities

8.ÌýPersonal moral qualities are internalised values that shape how we relate to othersÌýand our environment. They represent a moral energy or drive that may operateÌýunconsciously and unexamined. This moral energy or drive is ethically more beneficialÌýwhen consciously examined from time to time and used to motivate our ethicalÌýdevelopment or shape how we work towards a good society.

9.Ìý‘Personal moral qualities’ are a contemporary application of ‘virtues’ from moralÌýphilosophy.

10.ÌýThe practitioner’s personal and relational moral qualities are of the utmost importance.ÌýTheir perceived presence or absence will have a strong influence on how relationshipsÌýwith clients and colleagues develop and whether they are of sufficient quality andÌýresilience to support the work.

11.ÌýHigh levels of compatibility between personal and professional moral qualities willÌýusually enhance the integrity and resilience of any relationship.

12.ÌýKey personal qualities to which members and registrants are strongly encouraged toÌýaspire include:

• Candour: openness with clients about anything that places them at risk of harm or causes actual harm
• Care: benevolent, responsible and competent attentiveness to someone’s needs, wellbeing and personal agency
• Courage:Ìýthe capacity to act in spite of known fears, risks and uncertaintyÌý
• Diligence: the conscientious deployment of the skills and knowledge needed to achieve a beneficial outcome
• Empathy:Ìýthe ability to communicate understanding of another person’s experience from that person’s perspective
• Fairness:Ìýimpartial and principled in decisions and actions concerning others in ways thatÌýpromote equality of opportunity and maximise the capability of the people concernedÌý
• Humility:Ìýthe ability to assess accurately and acknowledge one’s own strengths and weaknessesÌý
• Identity:Ìýsense of self in relationship to others that forms the basis of responsibility, resilienceÌýand motivationÌý
• Integrity:Ìýcommitment to being moral in dealings with others, including personalÌýstraightforwardness, honesty and coherenceÌý
• Resilience:Ìýthe capacity to work with the client’s concerns without being personally diminishedÌý
• Respect:Ìýshowing appropriate esteem for people and their understanding of themselvesÌý
• Sincerity:Ìýa personal commitment to consistency between what is professed and what is doneÌý
• Wisdom:Ìýpossession of sound judgement that informs practice

Conclusion

13.ÌýThe challenge of working ethically means that practitioners will inevitably encounterÌýsituations that require responses to unexpected issues, resolution of dilemmas, andÌýsolutions to problems. A good understanding of the ethics that underpin our work is aÌývaluable resource which is helpful in making significant decisions. The use of an ethicalÌýproblem-solving model and discussion about ethics are essential to good practice.ÌýThis Ethical Framework is intended to assist practitioners by directing attention to theÌývariety of ethical factors that may need to be taken into consideration and to identifyÌýalternative ways of approaching ethics that may prove more useful.

14.ÌýNo statement of ethics can eliminate the difficulty of making professional judgementsÌýin circumstances that may be constantly changing and full of uncertainties. ByÌýaccepting this statement of ethics, members and registrants of the British AssociationÌýfor Counselling and Psychotherapy are committing themselves toÌý engaging withÌýthe challenge of striving to be ethical, even when doing so involves making difficultÌýdecisions or acting courageously.

Video transcripts (opens in a new window)

How have our ethics changed over the lifetime of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ?

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Why do we talk about personal moral qualities rather than virtues?

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