| Popis: |
In the mid-1970s, there was a local tavern located in a small town in New Jersey. Long and narrow, a favorite stop on the way home from work for many of the men of the town, it was indeed a place “where everybody knew your name.” What made this bar different from all the others was that at the very end, where the bar curved toward the wall, was a sign that read “Professional’s Corner.” In this blue-collar bar, the rule was that if you wore a necktie to work, you sat down there. Those in ties saw it as an honor; however, no one really knew which group established the corner. The generation that frequented that bar has certainly retired, the bar is closed, and that Professional’s Corner is long forgotten. Nevertheless, there continues to be in society at large a professional corner, with its criteria for admission, its rights, and its responsibilities. For nearly 100 years, the counseling profession has been establishing its place at the professional corner. The development of professional organizations, educational programs and standards, and the legal recognition of licensure contributes to the profession’s place at that professional corner. Still, the essential element of a profession, its ticket to the professional corner, is the relationship of the profession, collectively and individually, with society. In late 2005, the American Counseling Association (ACA) reaffirmed the essence and revised the articulation of that relationship by revising the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (ACA, 1995). The purpose of this article is to reflect on the relationship of the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2005) in the context of the counseling profession’s relationship to society. |
