839 IAC 1-5-5 Standards for the competent practice of mental health counseling

Sec. 5. The licensed mental health counselor must comply with IC 25-23.6 governing the practice of mental health counseling and shall abide by the following standards: (1) A mental health counselor's primary professional responsibility is to the client. The mental health counselor shall make every reasonable effort to advance the welfare and best interests of the client, including respecting the rights of those persons seeking assistance and making reasonable efforts to ensure that the mental health counselor's services are used appropriately. (2) The mental health counselor shall act in accordance with the highest standards of professional integrity and competence. The mental health counselor is honest in dealing with clients, students, trainees, colleagues, and the public. The mental health counselor seeks to eliminate incompetence or dishonesty from the profession. (3) The mental health counselor holds in confidence information obtained in the course of professional service; the mental health counselor safeguards client confidences as permitted by law. (4) The mental health counselor respects the rights and responsibilities of professional colleagues and, as the employee of an organization, remains accountable as an individual to the ethical principles of the profession. The mental health counselor treats colleagues with respect and good faith and relates to the clients of colleagues with full professional consideration. (5) When using assessment instruments or techniques, the mental health counselor shall make every effort to promote the welfare and best interests of the client. The mental health counselor guards against the misuse of assessment results, and respects the client's right to know the results, the interpretations, and the basis for any conclusions or recommendations. (6) The mental health counselor recognizes that research activities must be conducted with full respect for the rights and dignity of participants and with full concern for their welfare. Participation in research must be voluntary unless it can be demonstrated that involuntary participation will have no harmful effects on the subjects and is essential to the investigation. (7) The mental health counselor adheres to professional rather than commercial standards when making known his or her availability for professional services. The mental health counselor shall provide information that accurately informs the public of the professional services, expertise, and techniques available. (8) The mental health counselor shall not abandon or neglect clients in treatment without making reasonable arrangements for the continuation of such treatment. (9) The mental health counselor is aware of anything that might interfere with the counselor's effectiveness and shall refrain from any activity that might lead to inadequate performance or harm to anyone, including himself or herself and the client.