Revised to reflect recent ethical, legal, and professional developments, Welfel's Ethics in Counseling & Psychotherapy prepares readers to deal effectively with the issues they will confront in practice. The book's ten-step model for ethical decision making guides students and practitioners as they work through and analyze complicated ethics cases that demonstrate some of the most challenging dilemmas they will face. Updated to integrate the new 2014 ACA Code of Ethics, this edition also explores how technology (including social networking) relates to ethical issues, and discusses the ethical issues that may arise when counseling clients from different cultural backgrounds, clients with disabilities, older adults, and clients at risk of harming others and themselves. The text familiarizes readers with the field's key scholarly writings and, by examining emerging ethical issues, enables students to advance beyond their basic awareness and knowledge of the professional codes of ethics.

New to this Edition

• This edition integrates the new 2014 ACA Code of Ethics, including updated content on boundary issues and the limits of confidentiality as presented in the 2014 code. The author reviews and explores the implications of the new code for professional practice, paying special attention to changes from the earlier version.


• Extensive coverage of the role of technology in professional practice includes discussion of both the ethical and legal dimensions of distance practice.


• Additional coverage of the neuroscience of morality is presented along with the implications for ethical decision making.


• Chapter 4, "Competence to Practice: Building a Foundation for Doing Good and Avoiding Harm," includes new content that examines the implications of recent court decisions on situations related to conflicts between trainee and practitioner personal values and professional responsibilities.


• The author presents coverage of ethical issues that arise when clients may be at risk for harming others and themselves (homicide-suicide), as well as updated material on the responsibilities of mental health professionals under the Affordable Care Act.


• Additional case material appears in the text and in the supplements, providing students with insight into numerous issues they'll face in their professional practice.