Ethics are designed to provide some guidelines for the professional behavior of members of a particular organization. A professional code of ethics is a set of standards of conduct based upon an agreed set of values by which professionals in a given occupation voluntarily abide. Values are our fundamental principles, they define what we think is right, good, fair, and just. Ethics are behaviors and tell people how to act in ways that meet the standards our values are set for us.

Textbook:Ethics in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Standards, Research, and Emerging Issues, 2nd Edition, Elizabeth Reynolds Welfel. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole, 2002 ISBN: 0-534-36752-6