| This survey study explored the attitudes of in-home and outpatient counselors in Virginia regarding ethical situations encountered by in-home counselors. Differences in responses were examined across several variables to identify any relationships among those constructs that are salient to in-home counseling and ethics. Of 108 participants, no significant differences were found between the two groups. One variable was found to predict counselors' responses: the percent counselors provide counseling services compared to case management. The item seen as most ethical involved telling a client to apply for needed services, surprising, given its directive nature that runs counter to the counseling profession. The item seen as least ethical involved providing counseling outside of one's level of competence. Considering this along with several open-ended comments expressing concern over unqualified and under-educated in-home counselors provides important implications for counselors, supervisors, and educators and gives direction for future research. |
