CAC Ethics and Professional Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'informed consent' require a counselor to provide to a client before beginning treatment?
- Information about treatment goals, risks, benefits, alternatives, and confidentiality limits (Correct answer)
- A signed agreement that the client will complete treatment
- Medical clearance from a physician
- A list of all rules the client must follow
Correct answer: Information about treatment goals, risks, benefits, alternatives, and confidentiality limits
Informed consent requires disclosure of enough information — including risks, benefits, alternatives, and limits of confidentiality — for the client to make a voluntary, knowledgeable decision.
Question 2: Which ethical principle supports a client's right to make their own treatment decisions, even ones the counselor disagrees with?
- Autonomy (Correct answer)
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Justice
Correct answer: Autonomy
Autonomy recognizes the client's right to self-determination and to make their own choices about treatment.
Question 3: A counselor discovers that a colleague is seeing clients while impaired by alcohol. What is the MOST appropriate first action?
- Report the colleague to a supervisor or licensing board (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague privately and offer support
- Ignore it if the colleague's clients are not complaining
- Alert the clients of the colleague's impairment
Correct answer: Report the colleague to a supervisor or licensing board
Protecting client welfare requires reporting a colleague's impairment to supervisory or regulatory authorities, as self-report alone is insufficient.
Question 4: What is a 'dual relationship' in the context of addiction counseling ethics?
- A professional relationship combined with a personal, financial, or social relationship (Correct answer)
- Treating both a client and their family member simultaneously
- Using two different therapeutic approaches with one client
- Being supervised by two different clinicians
Correct answer: A professional relationship combined with a personal, financial, or social relationship
A dual relationship occurs when a counselor takes on more than one role with a client (e.g., counselor and employer, or counselor and friend), which can impair objectivity.
Question 5: Under federal law (42 CFR Part 2), which is an example of a permissible disclosure WITHOUT client consent?
- Reporting to medical personnel in a life-threatening emergency (Correct answer)
- Sharing records with a client's employer upon request
- Disclosing information to law enforcement investigating a crime
- Sending records to another treatment program
Correct answer: Reporting to medical personnel in a life-threatening emergency
42 CFR Part 2 permits disclosure without consent in medical emergencies where a client's life is at immediate risk.
Question 6: Cultural competence in addiction counseling PRIMARILY requires the counselor to:
- Understand and respect how cultural factors influence a client's substance use and recovery (Correct answer)
- Treat all clients identically regardless of cultural background
- Refer all clients from minority groups to same-culture counselors
- Avoid discussing cultural issues to prevent stereotyping
Correct answer: Understand and respect how cultural factors influence a client's substance use and recovery
Cultural competence involves recognizing how a client's cultural background shapes their worldview, their relationship with substances, and their response to treatment.
CAC Ethics and Professional Standards 2
What does 'informed consent' require a counselor to provide to a client before beginning treatment?