2017 Annual Conference

Morgan E. Kiper Riechel

Elementary
Middle
Secondary
Independent
Counselor Educator, Supervisor

ASCA’s Ethical Standards includes a 9-step process for ethical decision-making, the first of which is to “define the problem emotionally and intellectually.” Many ignore this important dual step, focusing primarily on the intellectual examination of issues at expense of the counselor’s emotional response, which can be a barometer in decision-making. This session will discuss research in decision-making and provide additional resources for school counselors to consider both the “emotional” AND “intellectual” aspect to ethical decision-making.

• Become re-acquainted with Stone’s (2010) Ethical Decision-making model that is included in the ASCA National Model, with an emphasis on the first step, “define the problem emotionally and intellectually.”
• Understand that a school counselor’s ability to make ethical decisions begins with a sensitivity, both intellectual and emotional, to ethical issues. Subsequent steps in the ethical decision-making model cannot occur without this first step.
• Become familiar with the literature in embodied decision-making which uses the ethic of care and compassion to understand how our physical, bodily reactions and emotions to the environment can help us understand ethical dilemmas in context better than using our intellect alone. Neither process (intellect or emotion) is sufficient on its own
• Receive resources and tools to enhance sensitivity to ethical issues using both our intellectual and emotional capacities as professional school counselors.