Value Neutrality in Counselors Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

People are raised in different cultural setups. They learn different practices or customs for which they define their own values. Thus, their definition of ethical behavior or appropriate behavior, and personal opinions are influenced by their present or previous cultural setups or both. This is clearly illustrated when people debate on social concepts such as abortion, suicide, drug use, domestic violence and child abuse

Counselors are expected to be very ethical in rendering their services. However, it is very difficult to define what is right or wrong without inclusion of values. For instance, consider a case of abortion. A client may assume a prochoice approach whereas a counselor assumes a prolife approach.

These diametric perspectives can be a source of conflict between a client and counselor especially if a client feels during a counseling session. In such a case, a counselor is coerced to adopt value neutrality.

A counselor should be objective in handling his or her clients. Thus, value neutrality should be avoided because it jeopardizes the objectivity of the counselor.

Moreover, most known values, depending on the circumstances, are relative and are subjected to change i.e. an acceptable value can become an unethical or despicable behavior when certain circumstances change (Dolgoff, Loewenberg, & Harrington, 2011).

For example, a counselor should clearly state that domestic violence is wrong irrespective of the spouse’s cultural background or personality. This can be the only way to end such a vice.

Critics of the above approach argue that, a counselor should not express their values. This is because all situations are not equal and any form of opinion is likely to lead to unprecedented negative consequences. In addition, in the process of opinion expression, a counselor might be biased in a problem approach or may be subjected to stereotyping.

For instance, a case of child abuse over child discipline, whereby a parent uses a belt to hit or discipline a child, would be handled accurately with a nonjudgmental approach. Otherwise a parent may opt to immediately cease disclosing any other useful information to the counselor based on the counselor’s opinions.

A counselor needs to know when to be objective and when to subjective. He or she has to be attentive enough to the client’s perspective and ask questions if necessary. Based on the presented facts, the counselor would decide which method is best to handle a client (Kuhse & Singer, 2006).

Counselors will refer clients to other counselors whenever they feel inadequate to help a client or when they have offered assistance to the client but the client shows no improvement. For example, cases of drug and substance abuse, a psychologist may refer a patient to a psychiatrist.

There are cases in which referral is an option. Such cases would require involvement of family members or close in assisting the clients. A counselor must use his or her skills to obtain this type of information from the client.

In conclusion, there is no single means of handling all counseling clients. However, a combination of methods can be deployed for any isolated case. Value neutrality should only be used where it’s necessary, otherwise it should be avoided.

References

Dolgoff, R., Loewenberg, F., & Harrington, D. (2011). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice. New York: Cengage Learning.

Kuhse, H., & Singer, P. (2006). Bioethics: An Anthology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2019, May 14). Value Neutrality in Counselors. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-neutrality-essay/

Work Cited

"Value Neutrality in Counselors." IvyPanda, 14 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/value-neutrality-essay/.

References

IvyPanda. (2019) 'Value Neutrality in Counselors'. 14 May.

References

IvyPanda. 2019. "Value Neutrality in Counselors." May 14, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-neutrality-essay/.

1. IvyPanda. "Value Neutrality in Counselors." May 14, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-neutrality-essay/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Value Neutrality in Counselors." May 14, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/value-neutrality-essay/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1