Running head: VALUE REFLECTION PAPER

Values Reflection Paper

Value Reflection Paper
An important personal value that I hold in my life is my spirituality. Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression. Finding spirituality in something can make someone feel enlightened and bring strong emotion and deep feeling. Several authors have based some of their writings on their spirituality. Some of these writings are as intricate as the Bible or as basic as an article in a local newspaper, but the meaning and passion behind them should never be doubted.
In my personal value system and for the purpose of this Value Reflection paper, spirituality is forever tied to knowing God and doing God's will. We often hear the word "spirituality" used to signify that one has faith in a higher power. Spirituality as it is seen in Christianity is to believe in God. As a Christian, we believe that God loves us. We believe that Jesus died for us. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead with all power in his hand. Spirituality as it relates to Christianity says believe on a merciful God that loves and offers us redemption in spite of, and because of, our sins. In regards to counseling and my personal value of spirituality, I understand my need to be multiculturally aware and vigilante towards ethically serving the needs of my clients. According to Elliott (2008), while conflicts regarding sexual orientation and gender identity often receive attention, other value conflicts may emerge in the counseling process both for practicing counselors and counselors-in-training; e.g., counseling issues related to termination of pregnancies, euthanasia and the “right to die”, sexual relations outside of marriage, counseling offenders, and counseling individuals from cultural and racial backgrounds different from that of the counselors.
In all these aforementioned situations, counselors or counselors-in-training as myself who have very strong beliefs and values regarding these issues may experience serious internal struggles between their values and beliefs and the requirements of the ACA Code of Ethics. While several sections of the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2005) are relevant to the counselor’s role and responsibility in resolving issues related to personal values, the following sections are particularly applicable. Section A.1.a. clearly states: “The primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients”. Regarding imposing my personal values, Section A.4.b. states: “Counselors are aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling goals. Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees, and research participants”. Adherence to this ethical guideline provides and essential safeguard against the potential abuse of power inherent in the counseling relationship and is necessary if counselors are to be both ethical and therapeutic when engaged in counseling (Elliott, 2008). Particularly important to this discussion of personal values in the counseling relationship is the ACA Code of Ethics statement on nondiscrimination. In Section C.5.: “Counselors do not condone or engage in discrimination based on age, culture, disability, ethnicity, race , religion/spirituality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status/partnership, language preference, socioeconomic status, or any basis proscribed by law.”
In order to balance “being myself” and being respectful of my clients’ value systems, I have obtained useful information from an article written by Sink and Devlin (2011). According to Sink and Devlin (2011), counselors and particularly those who experience a conflict between personal values and ethical guidelines are encouraged, and some would say required, to ground their practice of counseling on the core conditions of the therapeutic process identified with the client-centered approach to counseling. It is the position of these authors’ that these conditions – unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence- provide a perspective that holds the potential for the resolution of the conflict that occurs when personal values are at odds with relevant ethical guidelines. The importance and the efficacy of the client-centered approach continue to be emphasized in the field of counseling and are especially relevant when counselors face controversial issues in the practice of counseling (Clark, 2010).
According to Hall, Dixon and Mauzey (2004), as the counselor attains an emerging perspective grounded in the core conditions of the client-centered approach, the counselor comes to trust his or her commitment to the validity, usefulness, and interdependence of unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence. According to Hall, Dixon, and Mauzey (2004), regarding the interdependence of the core conditions, the counselor discovers that unconditional positive regard and empathy are inseparable. Furthermore, the counselor recognizes the third core condition, congruence or genuineness, is also inseparable from the other two conditions and is essential to the capacity to extend unconditional positive regard and empathy. That is, if the counselor is not genuine in the desire to be accepting of and empathic toward the client, the counselor’s lack of authenticity will be apparent and will prevent the counselor from communicating the conditions of unconditional positive regard and empathy and thus will inhibit the counselor’s ability to be therapeutic as well as ethical (Elliott, 2008).
I absolutely understand that counselors are committed to respecting all clients, promoting their welfare, and not imposing their personal values on clients. Nevertheless, counselors also have the right as citizens to believe whatever they choose to believe and to adhere to whatever they as citizens have chosen. As Elliott (2008) discusses, in contrast to rights as a citizen, when a Christian is enacting the role of a counselor in the practice of counseling, the counselor is required to follow the ethical guidelines even if the guidelines conflict with personally held beliefs and values. Therefore, in respecting a client, the counselor strives to extend unconditional positive regard and acceptance of the client as a person deserving of respect while at the same time responding with empathy as the counselor attempts to understand what the client is experiencing from the client’s frame of reference.
In conclusion, mental health professionals are beginning to acknowledge the need for competency regarding religions and spirituality issues in the counseling field (Hall, Dixon, Mauzey, 2004). The scientific evidence clearly indicates that spiritual involvement in religion or religious activities may be of benefit to both mental and physical health. Regardless of the means, spirituality influences health. Religion and spirituality is important to most clients. For example, a Gallup poll from 1996 found that 96% of North Americans believe in God. In relation to competency regarding religions and spirituality, Stloukal and Wickman (2011) indicate that professional school counselors have an ethical responsibility to work toward students’ social-emotional development and to create a culture in which diversity and pluralistic beliefs and values are welcomed. Removing the stigma related to spirituality and religion as topics in school counseling means that counselors must follow ethical guidelines to avoid promoting (a) their own biases as well as (b) a political agenda (Stloukal and Wickman, 2011). As a Christian believing in free will, my counseling role is a facilitator, rather than an instructor. However, sharing is different from instructing and guiding, not imposing values does not mean refusing to discuss values, ethics or philosophies. Since my goals of counseling and theoretical orientation are inherently influenced by my own values, and that client needs and expectations would determine the therapeutic process, I would review these aspects to decide on when and how to share my personal values.

Reference
American Counseling Association (2005). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author. American Psychological Association (2009). Report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on appropriate therapeutic responses to sexual orientation. Available at www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/therapeutic-response.pdf
Clark, A.J. (2010). Empathy: An integral model in the counseling process. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88 (3), 348-356.
Devlin, J.M., Sink, C.A. (2011). Special Section: Spirituality and School Counseling. Counseling and Values, Volume 55, 130-144.
Elliott, G. (2008). When Values and Ethics Conflict: The Counselor’s Role and Responsibility. Alabama Counseling Association Journal, Volume 37, 39-45.
Hall, C., Dixon, W., Mauzey. (2004). Spirituality and Religion: Implications for Counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, Volume 82, 504-507.
Wickman, S., Stloukal, M. (2011). School Counseling Programs as Spiritual and Religious Safe Zones. Counseling and Values, Volume 55, 157-169.