IC&RC Professional Ethics & Regulatory Compliance 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Telehealth delivery of addiction counseling services requires the counselor to:
- Apply the same ethical standards as in-person care, plus address technology-specific issues like security and jurisdiction (Correct answer)
- Use a lower standard of confidentiality because sessions occur in private homes
- Obtain credential in every state where any client might be located before beginning telehealth
- Avoid using telehealth for any clients with co-occurring disorders
Correct answer: Apply the same ethical standards as in-person care, plus address technology-specific issues like security and jurisdiction
Telehealth requires adherence to all standard ethical obligations while also addressing technology security, platform confidentiality, and jurisdictional licensure concerns.
Question 2: A mandatory reporter who is an IC&RC-credentialed counselor suspects a child client is being abused but is not certain. The counselor should:
- Wait until abuse is confirmed before making any report
- Report the reasonable suspicion to child protective services as required by mandatory reporting laws (Correct answer)
- Discuss the suspicion only with their supervisor and take no further action
- Confront the suspected abuser before contacting authorities
Correct answer: Report the reasonable suspicion to child protective services as required by mandatory reporting laws
Mandatory reporters are legally required to report reasonable suspicion of child abuse; certainty is not required before making a report.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of ethics committees within credentialing bodies like IC&RC affiliates?
- To prosecute criminal offenses committed by credential holders
- To review complaints, investigate ethical violations, and impose sanctions to protect clients and the profession (Correct answer)
- To set insurance reimbursement rates for credentialed counselors
- To conduct annual audits of all credentialed counselors' case files
Correct answer: To review complaints, investigate ethical violations, and impose sanctions to protect clients and the profession
Ethics committees investigate complaints against credentialed professionals and impose appropriate sanctions to uphold professional standards and protect the public.
Question 4: A client who has been sober for six months relapses and misses several sessions without contact. The counselor's ethical obligation includes:
- Discharging the client immediately for noncompliance
- Attempting outreach, documenting efforts, and following the agency's abandonment prevention policy (Correct answer)
- Waiting until the client returns on their own with no proactive contact
- Notifying the client's employer about the relapse and missed sessions
Correct answer: Attempting outreach, documenting efforts, and following the agency's abandonment prevention policy
Counselors must make reasonable outreach efforts and follow established protocols to avoid client abandonment when clients disengage from treatment.
Question 5: In IC&RC ethics, 'fidelity' as a core principle primarily means:
- Charging clients a fair and consistent fee
- Keeping promises, honoring commitments, and being trustworthy in the therapeutic relationship (Correct answer)
- Accurately documenting all services provided
- Following all applicable laws and regulations
Correct answer: Keeping promises, honoring commitments, and being trustworthy in the therapeutic relationship
Fidelity refers to the counselor's commitment to honoring obligations, keeping promises, and maintaining trustworthiness, which is the foundation of the therapeutic alliance.
Question 6: A pharmaceutical company offers an addiction counselor a paid speaking engagement contingent on endorsing their product to clients. This situation presents a:
- Legitimate professional development opportunity with no ethical concerns
- Conflict of interest that compromises objectivity and client welfare (Correct answer)
- Permissible arrangement as long as the counselor discloses the payment
- Required disclosure only to the counselor's employer, not clients
Correct answer: Conflict of interest that compromises objectivity and client welfare
Financial incentives tied to product endorsement create a conflict of interest that compromises the counselor's ability to make unbiased recommendations in clients' best interests.
Question 7: When a counselor uses assessment tools with a client from a cultural background for which the tool was not normed, the ethical obligation is to:
- Use the tool as designed and report results without any modifications
- Interpret results with caution, acknowledge cultural limitations, and supplement with culturally appropriate methods (Correct answer)
- Refuse to conduct any assessment until a normed tool becomes available
- Use the tool only if the client provides written consent to potential inaccuracy
Correct answer: Interpret results with caution, acknowledge cultural limitations, and supplement with culturally appropriate methods
Ethical use of assessment requires counselors to recognize tool limitations across populations and supplement findings with culturally informed clinical judgment.
IC&RC Professional Ethics & Regulatory Compliance 5
Telehealth delivery of addiction counseling services requires the counselor to: