Phone Marriage Counseling and Online Ethical Issues

Standards for the Ethical Practice of Web Counseling

The relative newness of the use of the Internet for service and product delivery leaves authors of standards at a loss when beginning to create ethical practices on the Internet. This document, like all codes of conduct, will change as information and circumstances not yet foreseen evolve. However, each version of this code of ethics is the current best standard of conduct passed by the NBCC Board of Directors. As with any code, and especially with a code such as this, created for an evolving field of work, NBCC and CCE welcome comments and ideas for further discussion and inclusion. Further, the development of these WebCounseling standards has been guided by the following principles:

These standards are intended to address practices which are unique to WebCounseling and WebCounselors,

These standards are not to duplicate non-Internet-based standards adopted in other codes of ethics,

Recognizing that significant new technology emerges continuously, these standards should be reviewed frequently,

WebCounseling ethics cases should be reviewed in light of delivery systems existing at the moment rather than at the time the standards were adopted.
WebCounselors who are not National Certified Counselors may indicate at their WebSite their adherence to these standards, but may not publish these standards in their entirety without written permission of the National Board for Certified Counselors.

The Practice of WebCounseling shall be defined as "the practice of professional counseling and information delivery that occurs when client(s) and counselor are in separate or remote locations and utilize electronic means to communicate over the Internet".

In addition to following the NBCC Code of Ethics pertaining to the practice of professional counseling, WebCounselors shall:

1. review pertinent legal and ethical codes for possible violations emanating from the practice of WebCounseling and supervision.

2. inform WebClients of encryption methods being used to help insure the security of client/counselor/supervisor communications.

3. inform clients if, how and how long session data are being preserved.
4. in situations where it is difficult to verify identity of WebCounselor or WebClient, take steps to address impostor concerns, such as by using code words, numbers, or graphics.

5. when parent/guardian consent is required to provide WebCounseling to minors, verify the identity of the consenting person.

6. follow appropriate procedures regarding the release of information for sharing WebClient information with other electronic sources.

7. carefully consider the extent of self disclosure presented to the WebClient and provide rationale for WebCounselor's level of disclosure.

8. provide links to websites of all appropriate certification bodies and licensure boards to facilitate consumer protection.

9. contact NBCC/CEE or the WebClient's state or provincial licensing board to obtain the name of at least one Counselor-On-Call within the WebClient's geographical region.

10. discuss with their WebClients procedures for contacting the WebCounselor when he or she is off-line.

11. mention at their websites those presenting problems they believe to be inappropriate for WebCounseling.

12. explain to clients the possibility of technology failure.

13. explain to clients how to cope with potential misunderstandings arising from the lack of visual cues from WebCounselor or WebClient.