School Counselor Training with LGBTQ Clients: A Constitutional Conflict

Abstract

Can school counselor trainees refuse to comply with the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics and still complete the degree program to become professional school counselors? Two school counseling graduate students argued that they have the right to disregard the ACA Code of Ethics because of their religious beliefs. Two federal appellate decisions were examined to discuss whether the role of an ethics code can be selectively followed according to the school counselor trainee's beliefs or if the code serves as a cohesive, binding statement of professional conduct for all members of the profession including its aspirants. Implications for graduate students training to become public school counselors are also discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• code
• counseling program
• counselor educators
• counselors-in-training
• ethics
• LGBTQ
• school counseling
• school counselor trainees
• sexual orientation