Legal and Ethical Issues for School Counselors: Supervision as a Safeguard

In the past 20 years, counselors have become increasingly aware of the legal and ethical issues related to counseling. This paper addresses the various legal and ethical topics relevant to school counselors. Since counselors need to make informed decisions based on statutes, codes of ethics, professional standards, community expectations, and clinical judgment, some of the more common ethical dilemmas are discussed here. These include informed consent, client privacy, duty to warn, dual relationships, and computer technology. After outlining the counselor's role and the importance of supervisory safeguards, some key points, of which counselors, supervisors, and administrators should be aware, are identified: (1) Litigation aimed at counselors has increased; (2) School counselors and mental health professionals in clinical settings face similar issues; (3) A school counselor's myriad task