Academy of Certified Counsellors's Membership

By joining Academy of Certified Counsellors, you have already demonstrated your commitment to high professional standards and a desire to continue learning and growing as a professional.

The aims and objectives of Academy of Certified Counsellors are as follows:

	To monitor, maintain, set and improve professional standards in counsellor education and practice;
	To provide an industry-based association for persons engaged in counsellor education and practice;
	To provide a consistent Code of Conduct and set of Practitioner Standards;
	To promote the professional development and growth of practicing counsellors; and
	To help the public at large to become more aware of the counselling profession and the availability of reputable counsellors.

Membership of the Academy of Certified Counsellors commits members to adhere to the Academy of Certified Counsellors's Ethical Principles. The Ethical Principles apply to all types of Academy of Certified Counsellors member - student members, associate members, full members, fellow members, and institutional members - together with Academy of Certified Counsellors's staffs and lecturers.

It includes clinical or counselling practice, teaching, supervision of trainees and other activities that relate to the overall general training and employment of the counselling profession.

Academy of Certified Counsellors's Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct is not the only one representative of the Academy of Certified Counsellors's Policy and Regulation.

Academy of Certified Counsellors's students are required to be familiar with academic policy as well.

Code of Ethics

Ethical Principles - General Standard

All members uphold the effective and appropriate use of helper's skills that are for the benefit and safety of the client. Therefore, as members of the organization we will :

	Respect the essential humanity, worth and dignity of all people, and this is reflected in our work inside and/or outside the academy.
	Recognize and respect the individual uniqueness of each person and oppose discrimination and oppressive behaviour.
	Offer helping relationship to foster self-determination and individual responsibility on the part of the clients.
	Ensure clients understanding of the purpose, process, and the boundaries of the counselling relationship.
	Cause no harm to clients while providing a psychological service.
	Respect the clients' privacy and preserve the confidentiality of information acquired in the course of counselling or teaching children with special needs.
	Keep all information of ourselves and of our classmates, which may be required to disclose during a class, as confidential.
	Observe / record any sessions only with a permission from ACC and the lecturer.
	Be aware of individual competence in providing a psychological service to others.
	Be committed to ongoing personal and professional development.
	Be responsive to the needs of peers and provide a supportive environment for their professional development.
	Be assertive in exploring and resolving conflicts of interest between themselves and their employers or agencies, especially where this affects the ethical delivery of counselling to clients.
	Be accountable for their services to colleagues and/or employers.
	Be committed to the ACC's ethical principles and recognise that procedures for withdrawal of membership will be implemented for breaches.

Ethical Code of Conduct

Besides the ACC's Ethical General Standards, counsellor and counselling student members are required to maintain the ACC's Ethical Code of Conduct as following:

Definition of Terms:

Counsellors - a counsellor, psychologist, social worker, school counsellor, or counselling programme student who is providing or interested in providing counselling services, both independently and under supervision.

Clients - a client for a service, colleague, supervisee, co-researcher, student, or anyone who may be influenced by a service.

A Service - a psychological aid, psychological guidance, counselling, referral, teaching, workshop training, a public statement or publication regarding psychological concept, or research in areas of psychology, applied psychology, or counselling psychology

1. Competence

	Members, who are counsellors, should be aware of their own level of competence and limitation before providing a service to a client. They are not attempting to provide such a service that they are not competent or familiar with.
	Counsellors with little experience or competency need to practice under supervision.
	They are required to recognize the need for continuing education in their chosen profession to maintain a professional level of awareness of current scientific and professional information and education in their particular fields of activity.
	They are responsible for ensuring that their relationships with clients are not unduly influenced by their emotional needs.
	Counsellors shall consult a supervisor / lecturer in any problematic circumstances.

2. Client Well-being

	Promote the client's control over his/her life, by respecting and supporting the client's ability to make choices and decisions.
	Avoid actions that seek to meet their personal needs at the expense of their clients.
	Awareness of influential positions with respect to clients, and avoid exploiting the trust and dependency of the clients in financial, sexual, emotional or any other ways.

3. Respecting Diversity

	Members are aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours, and how these apply in a diverse society, and avoid imposing their value on clients.
	Members are not to engage in unreasonable discrimination based on age, colour, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender identity, sexual preference or orientation, race or spirituality, political orientation, marital status, socio-economic status, or any other of human life.

4. Counselling Relationship

	Responsibility for setting and monitoring the boundaries between the counselling relationship and any other kinds of relationship, and making this explicit to the client.
	Engaging in any types of dual relationship with a client is prohibited.

5. Contracting

	Counsellors and their clients work jointly to define counselling aims, taking into account the abilities and circumstances of clients.
	Members take all reasonable steps to communicate clearly the extent of the confidentiality they are offering to clients.

6. Confidentiality

	Counsellors take all the reasonable steps to protect their client's information and identity. They avoid unwarranted disclosure of such information either by themselves or by anyone involved in their work in any way, without the express written consent of the practicing client.
	Any information about a client that may result in his/her identification, or any information given by a client, whether obtained directly or indirectly or by inference, must be treated with confidentiality.
	Clients should be informed if counselling includes consultations with course mentors and/or other helping professionals.
	Counsellors are to inform the clients about the kind of records that will be made during or following sessions, and that these will be kept confidential.
	Permission to observe or record any sessions must be obtained beforehand from the client. All records made by observers are to be treated with confidentiality.

7. Termination and Referral

	Members take all reasonable steps not to abandon or neglect clients at any stage of counselling. If a member feels unable to be of professional assistance to the client, they either avoid entering, or immediately terminate a counselling relationship, and suggest appropriate alternatives. If the clients decline the suggested referral, members are not obliged to continue the relationship.
	Termination of counselling relationship should be given an advance and sufficient notice with adequate explanation to the client of impending termination. Members are to secure client's agreement when possible.