LCDC Professional and Ethical Responsibilities 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical principle requires a counselor to act in the best interest of the client?
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence obligates counselors to actively promote the wellbeing of clients through competent, evidence-based practice.
Question 2: A counselor discovers they have a close personal relationship with a new client. The ethical response is to:
- Disclose the dual relationship, refrain from providing services, and refer the client appropriately (Correct answer)
- Proceed with treatment but document the relationship
- Ask the client to keep the relationship confidential
- Transfer the client only if they request it
Correct answer: Disclose the dual relationship, refrain from providing services, and refer the client appropriately
Dual relationships compromise objectivity and therapeutic boundaries; ethical practice requires disclosure and appropriate referral.
Question 3: Countertransference in substance use counseling refers to:
- The counselor's emotional reactions to the client that are influenced by the counselor's own experiences (Correct answer)
- The client's feelings toward the counselor
- Projection of client feelings onto family members
- The counselor's technique of reflecting client emotions
Correct answer: The counselor's emotional reactions to the client that are influenced by the counselor's own experiences
Countertransference involves the counselor's unresolved issues or emotional reactions that are triggered by the client and can affect clinical judgment.
Question 4: The NAADAC Code of Ethics requires counselors to practice within their:
- Scope of competence, seeking supervision or referral when client needs exceed their training (Correct answer)
- License type regardless of training gaps
- State board's most permissive guidelines
- Program's billing categories
Correct answer: Scope of competence, seeking supervision or referral when client needs exceed their training
Practicing within competence means counselors must recognize the limits of their training and refer or consult when client needs exceed those limits.
Question 5: A counselor who shares personal recovery stories with clients as a regular therapeutic technique is risking:
- Inappropriate self-disclosure that shifts focus from the client to the counselor (Correct answer)
- Building a stronger therapeutic alliance
- Violating state licensing requirements
- Providing unauthorized medical advice
Correct answer: Inappropriate self-disclosure that shifts focus from the client to the counselor
While judicious self-disclosure can be therapeutic, regular or extensive sharing of personal stories can blur boundaries and center the counselor's experience over the client's.
Question 6: Professional burnout in substance use counselors is best prevented by:
- Engaging in regular supervision, self-care, and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries (Correct answer)
- Working longer hours to keep pace with caseload demands
- Avoiding particularly difficult client cases
- Keeping personal and work life completely separate at all times
Correct answer: Engaging in regular supervision, self-care, and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
Supervision, peer support, self-care practices, and healthy boundaries are the primary evidence-based strategies for preventing counselor burnout.
LCDC Professional and Ethical Responsibilities 1
Which ethical principle requires a counselor to act in the best interest of the client?