Professional Practice and Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real NCMHCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Practice and Ethics flashcards as text
A counselor accepts a client's offer of a homemade gift worth approximately $10 at the end of a successful treatment. According to the ACA Code, this is:
Answer: Potentially acceptable after considering cultural context, therapeutic relationship, and motivation
The ACA recognizes that small gifts in certain cultural contexts may not be harmful, and counselors should use judgment considering the client's motivation and cultural meaning.
Which of the following scenarios MOST clearly requires a counselor to break confidentiality without client consent?
Answer: A client discloses they have been HIV positive for years and are having unprotected sex with an unknowing partner
An identifiable third party at ongoing, serious risk of physical harm from the client's knowing conduct may trigger a duty-to-warn obligation depending on state law.
A counselor is asked by a court to evaluate a client they have been treating for 18 months. The counselor should:
Answer: Decline the forensic evaluator role and recommend a separate, independent evaluator
Combining a therapeutic role with a forensic evaluation role creates a fundamental dual-relationship conflict that compromises both functions.
When a minor client's parents request access to their child's therapy records, the counselor should FIRST:
Answer: Assess the minor's age, applicable state law, and the type of services provided before determining access rights
Minors' record access rights vary by state, age, type of treatment, and whether the minor consented to treatment independently, requiring careful legal and ethical analysis.
A counselor discovers they share the same online support group as a current client. The MOST appropriate response is to:
Answer: Withdraw from the support group to avoid the dual relationship
The counselor's participation creates a dual relationship; the least disruptive resolution is typically the counselor withdrawing from the shared space.
The concept of 'fidelity' as an ethical principle in counseling primarily involves:
Answer: Honoring commitments and being trustworthy in the therapeutic relationship
Fidelity refers to faithfulness to professional commitments and the cultivation of trust as the foundation of the therapeutic relationship.
A counselor who practices in a state without specific telehealth regulations wants to provide services to a client who has relocated to another state. The counselor should:
Answer: Research licensure requirements in the client's new state and obtain appropriate authorization before continuing
Practicing across state lines requires compliance with the destination state's licensure laws; the counselor must determine requirements before continuing services.