CCS CCS Ethical & Legal Standards in Career Counseling 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which professional organization's Code of Ethics is most commonly referenced by Certified Career Strategists in the United States?
- National Career Development Association (NCDA) (Correct answer)
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
Correct answer: National Career Development Association (NCDA)
The NCDA Code of Ethics is the primary ethical framework governing career development professionals in the US.
Question 2: Under NCDA ethical guidelines, informed consent in career counseling requires that clients be told about all of the following EXCEPT:
- Counselor's qualifications and credentials
- Confidentiality limits and exceptions
- The counselor's personal career history (Correct answer)
- Fees and billing procedures
Correct answer: The counselor's personal career history
Informed consent covers qualifications, confidentiality limits, fees, and session structure—not the counselor's personal career history.
Question 3: A CCS discovers that a client is planning to misrepresent their credentials on a resume. The ethically correct first step is to:
- Immediately terminate the counseling relationship
- Explore the client's reasoning and educate them on the professional and legal risks (Correct answer)
- Report the client to their prospective employer
- Refuse to continue working on the resume without addressing the issue
Correct answer: Explore the client's reasoning and educate them on the professional and legal risks
Ethical practice requires counselors to address potential harm by exploring the issue and providing education before taking more drastic action.
Question 4: Which federal law most directly governs how a CCS must handle client records and privacy in the United States?
- FERPA
- HIPAA
- The Privacy Act of 1974
- State licensing laws vary; no single federal law governs all career counselors (Correct answer)
Correct answer: State licensing laws vary; no single federal law governs all career counselors
Career counselors are not universally covered by HIPAA or FERPA; applicable privacy law depends on state licensure and the setting in which services are provided.
Question 5: Dual relationships in career counseling refer to situations where:
- A counselor works with clients from two different industries
- A counselor holds both a CCS and another credential simultaneously
- A counselor has both a professional and a personal relationship with a client (Correct answer)
- A counselor provides both resume writing and interview coaching
Correct answer: A counselor has both a professional and a personal relationship with a client
Dual relationships occur when a counselor has a secondary relationship with a client (e.g., friend, family member) that may impair objectivity.
Question 6: When a CCS works with a client who belongs to a protected class under US employment law, the counselor's ethical obligation includes:
- Advising the client to hide protected characteristics from employers
- Providing culturally competent, unbiased career guidance (Correct answer)
- Referring the client to a counselor who specializes in that protected class
- Focusing only on skill-based job targets to avoid legal liability
Correct answer: Providing culturally competent, unbiased career guidance
Ethical career counselors provide culturally competent and unbiased guidance regardless of a client's protected characteristics.
CCS CCS Ethical & Legal Standards in Career Counseling 1
Which professional organization's Code of Ethics is most commonly referenced by Certified Career Strategists in the United States?