Ethical challenges in a complex world: Highlights of the 2005 ACA Code of Ethics

A code of ethics for most professional organizations or asso-ciations is designed to articulate the standards of practice for a group of people. It is a way to express the collective values of a profession. A code of ethics “is a living docu-ment that can assist with individual ethical quandaries and be broad enough to encompass many divergent ethical situ-ations ” (Kocet, 2006, p. 7). There are two central compo-nents of a code of ethics for counselors: First, a code out-lines the prescribed or mandatory professional behaviors by which counselors are expected to govern their conduct, and, second, a code contains aspirational components, which en-courage active ethical reflection that fosters clarification of the fundamental ethical beliefs of the profession (Hinman, 2003; Welfel, 2006). No code of ethics can encompass every potential ethical dilemma faced by a professional; however, a code of ethics can serve as a blueprint for laying the foun-dation necessary to promote the competency and efficacy of counselors. Last year, the American Counseling Association (ACA) Governing Council approved the adoption of the 2005 AC