Ethical & Legal Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real SAC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethical & Legal Standards flashcards as text
A student discloses to a SAC counselor that she was sexually abused by a family member last year. The SAC counselor's FIRST obligation is to:
Answer: File a mandated report with child protective services
SAC counselors are mandated reporters and must report suspected child abuse or neglect to child protective services, regardless of when the abuse occurred.
Under FERPA, which of the following individuals does NOT have an automatic right to access a student's educational records?
Answer: A school counselor from another district without consent
FERPA prohibits disclosure of educational records to outside parties, including other school counselors, without written consent or a specific legal exception.
Which ethical principle requires a SAC counselor to act in the student's best interest even when the student cannot fully understand what is beneficial?
Answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical obligation to promote the well-being of clients and act in their best interests.
A SAC counselor receives a subpoena for a student's counseling records. The counselor should FIRST:
Answer: Consult with the school's legal counsel before releasing records
A subpoena is a legal request but not always a court order; the counselor should consult legal counsel to determine the appropriate response and protect privileged communications.
When a student assistance program involves group sessions, confidentiality limitations MUST be:
Answer: Explained to all members at the outset of the group
Counselors must inform group members of confidentiality limits at the start of the group because the counselor cannot guarantee other members will maintain confidentiality.
A student's parent requests that the SAC counselor keep a second set of informal 'personal notes' separate from official records. These notes are BEST described as:
Answer: Exempt from FERPA if kept entirely private and not shared
Under FERPA, 'sole possession' notes that are kept private, not accessible to others, and used only as personal memory aids are exempt from the definition of education records.
A SAC counselor discovers that a colleague is providing alcohol to students after school. The counselor's ethical obligation is to:
Answer: Report the behavior to a supervisor or appropriate authority
Ethical codes require counselors to report colleagues who violate ethical or legal standards that harm or endanger clients or others.