Ethical Implications of Ward v. Wilbanks for the Counseling Profession

Sources:
ACA
• Kaplan, D. (2014, April). Ethical
implications of a critical legal case for
the counseling profession: Ward v.
Wilbanks. Journal of Counseling &
Development, 92(2), 142-146.
• Alliance Defending Freedom. (2012,
December 10). EMU student achieves
final victory after court rules ‘tolerance is
a two-way street’. (Legal aid firm that
represented the plaintiff)
• Tedesco, J. (2013, January 4). The Julea
Ward settlement: A win for religious
liberty. Townhall. (Jeremy Tedesco was
the lawyer who represented the
plaintiff)
• Oppenheimer, M. (2012, February 3). A
counselor’s convictions put her
profession on trial. The New York Times
INSTRUCTIONS :
Be sure to address every item below:
• Review the ACA (clinical mental health track) or ASCA (school counseling track) Code
of Ethics on all diversity-related standards. (Though you will read all diversity-related
standards in preparation, your paper should discuss only the standards most salient
to the case.)
o How do you think they apply to this case? Give general and brief statements
here.
o In essence, what does the code say about how counselors should approach
diversity and what they should do when their values clash with their client’s?
• Related to individuals like the counseling client in this case, discuss the historical,
social, and political inequities that might come into play.
• Do you believe EMU had a right to expect that a counselor in training at a public
university should broaden her experience to serve those whose worldview
fundamentally differed from her own? Why or why not?
• What do you personally think about this case? Did either side go too far? Give your
opinion here and feel free to share your personal ideas and values on the topic.
o How would you address differences of values in the counseling relationship?
o How does this approach apply to your professional identity as a counselor?
• Keeping in mind the emphasis on justice and equity throughout the ACA Code of
Ethics, how do you plan to work (at the individual, institutional, and/or societal
levels) to remove inequities for people in non-dominant groups?
Note: Of course, you will have your gut reaction to the case, but your opinion needs to be
informed by the ACA and/or ASCA Codes of Ethics. The paper needs to present a well –
defended opinion to a divisive topic.
Format your paper using APA Style, including title and references pages. The paper should
be 5- to 7-pages (not including title and reference pages), and exhibit a thorough13
development of each question, showing reference to the relevant ethic