Counseling professional ethics from viewpoint of counselor educators

Abstract

Professionalism necessitate adherence to professional ethics bounded by believes and moral values of a society. Regardless of any profession, professional ethics guide professionals in conducting their behaviors while in the professional settings. Professional code of ethics for Malaysian counselors was developed by PERKAMA (Persatuan Kaunseling Malaysia) more than two decades ago, and is now becoming a point of reference for evaluating professional conducts of local practicing counselors. This paper reviews various aspects of counseling professional ethics within the local context. Specifically, from the viewpoint of the authors, this paper will dissect the professional ethics of Malaysian counselors based on: (1) PERKAMA Code of Ethics; (2) Malaysian Counselor Act (Act 580) 1998; and (3) Five Basic Moral Principles of Professional Ethics – autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity. This paper also discusses the impact of professional ethics in counseling among local practitioners.