SAC Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student discloses that they have been using marijuana on weekends but insists it is not affecting their school performance. What is the SAC's most appropriate initial response?
- Immediately notify the student's parents regardless of the student's wishes
- Conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine the extent and impact of use (Correct answer)
- Refer the student directly to an outside treatment program
- Dismiss the concern since the student reports no academic impact
Correct answer: Conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine the extent and impact of use
A comprehensive assessment is the ethical first step before making referrals or taking action, as it establishes the scope and severity of the issue.
Question 2: Which principle best describes the SAC's obligation to act in the student's best interest, even when the student's choices may be harmful?
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical principle that requires professionals to act in ways that promote the well-being of the client.
Question 3: An SAC discovers that a colleague is providing counseling services outside their scope of competence. The MOST ethical course of action is to:
- Report the colleague directly to law enforcement
- Address the concern with the colleague first, then escalate if necessary (Correct answer)
- Ignore it as it does not directly involve the SAC's students
- File an anonymous complaint with the school board immediately
Correct answer: Address the concern with the colleague first, then escalate if necessary
Professional ethics generally require addressing concerns with the colleague first before escalating through formal channels.
Question 4: A parent requests that the SAC share detailed session notes about their minor child's counseling. The SAC should:
- Provide all notes immediately upon written parental request
- Balance parental rights with the student's developmental need for confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Refuse entirely, citing absolute confidentiality
- Only share notes if the student gives written consent
Correct answer: Balance parental rights with the student's developmental need for confidentiality
SACs must navigate the tension between parental rights and the therapeutic need for adolescent privacy on a case-by-case basis.
Question 5: Which of the following best defines 'dual relationship' in the context of SAC ethics?
- Working with two students from the same family simultaneously
- Holding both a counseling and a disciplinary role with the same student (Correct answer)
- Providing services in both individual and group formats
- Coordinating with two separate community agencies for one student
Correct answer: Holding both a counseling and a disciplinary role with the same student
A dual relationship occurs when a counselor holds more than one type of professional role with the same client, which can impair objectivity.
Question 6: Informed consent in student assistance counseling primarily means:
- The student's parents have signed the school enrollment forms
- Students and families understand the nature, limits, and risks of services before agreeing to participate (Correct answer)
- The SAC has read all school policies aloud to the student
- The student agrees to complete all assigned homework between sessions
Correct answer: Students and families understand the nature, limits, and risks of services before agreeing to participate
Informed consent requires that participants understand what services entail, including confidentiality limits, before agreeing to participate.
Question 7: A student tells the SAC they have a plan to seriously hurt a classmate. Under the duty to protect, the SAC MUST:
- Keep the information confidential and work only with the student
- Warn the identified potential victim and notify appropriate authorities (Correct answer)
- Document the threat and wait to see if the student follows through
- Refer the student to a psychiatrist without notifying anyone else
Correct answer: Warn the identified potential victim and notify appropriate authorities
The Tarasoff duty to protect requires that identifiable potential victims and appropriate authorities be warned when there is a credible, specific threat.
SAC Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A student discloses that they have been using marijuana on weekends but insists it is not affecting their school performance.
What is the SAC's most appropriate initial response?