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1Standards of PracticeA. Professional ResponsibilityCODE OF ETHICSSTANDARDS OF PRACTICEA1General rapists maintain high standards of professionalcompetence by attending to their personal well-being, participating in continuing professional education and development, andsupporting the development and delivery of continuing educationwithin the counselling/therapy profession.Counsellors/therapists maintainhigh standards of professionalcompetence and ethical behaviourand recognize the need forcontinuing education andpersonal care in order to meet thisresponsibility. (See also C1, E1,E11, F1, G2, Section I)Counsellors/therapists invest time and effort in understandingthe CCPA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Theyavoid practice contexts and circumstances in which they wouldknowingly have to violate these ethical requirements. If, however,counsellors/therapists discover a conflict between existing oremerging organizational policies and their ethical obligations,they commit to educating others in the setting about the ethicaldilemma and work to achieve alignment between the policiesand ethically congruent practice.Counsellors/therapists should become familiar with theCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and, as relevantto their professional setting and services provided, review thefollowing federal and provincial/territorial legislation: mental health acts child protection acts public schools/education administration acts privacy acts criminal codes marriage, divorce and matrimonial property acts criminal youth justice act freedom of information acts mediation acts professional statutory regulationsCounsellors/therapists provide fair, equitable, and timely services,using only those therapies that are legal, ethical, helpful, evidenceinformed and within their scope of practice and boundaries ofcompetence.

2Standards of PracticeA2Respect for RightsRespect for RightsCounsellors/therapists understand and respect the rights andfreedoms of those with whom they work and others, particularly those who may be disenfranchised or negatively affected bypolitical, personal, social, economic, or familial histories that maycontinue to resonate across the lifespan. These circumstances mayinclude, but are not restricted to, colonization, poverty, oppression,violence, structural injustice, systemic racism, war, or discriminatory practices.Counsellors/therapists participatein only those practices that arerespectful of the legal, civic, moral,and human rights of themselvesand others, and act to safeguardthe dignity and rights of theirclients, students, supervisees, andresearch participants. (See alsoD1, D9, E1, Section I)Counsellors/therapists convey respect for human dignity, principlesof equity, and social justice. They speak out or take other appropriateactions against practices, policies, laws, and regulations that directlyor indirectly bring harm to others or violate their human rights.Counsellors/therapists refrain from providing professional information to individuals who have expressed an intention to use itto violate the human rights of others. This standard of practicemay NOT be interpreted or used to justify or defend any humanrights violation.Counsellors/therapists practice in a manner congruent with theoverarching principles of the Universal Declaration of HumanRights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UNDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to which Canadais a signatory.Counsellors/therapists respect due process and demonstratecommitment to the principles of social justice by honouringdiversity, upholding human rights, fostering inclusivity, workingto establish equity, and seeking to ensure access to resourcesfor all. They espouse social justice perspectives and practices inall of their paid and volunteer professional activities, includingcounselling/therapy, assessment and evaluation, clinical supervision, consultation, counsellor/therapist education, research, andprofessional writing, adjudication, and review.Fiduciary RelationshipA fiduciary relationship is one founded on trust or confidence relied on by one person in the integrity and fidelity ofanother. A fiduciary has a duty to act primarily for the client’s benefit in matters connected with the undertaking and notfor their own personal interest.Black’s Law Dictionary (2004)

3Standards of PracticeA3Boundaries of CompetenceBoundaries ofCompetenceCounsellors/therapists restrict their counselling/therapy servicesto those areas within the boundaries of their competence byvirtue of verifiable education, training, supervised experience, and other appropriate professional experience. They alsorestrict their services based on their role and function, their legalauthority, and their jurisdiction of employment.Counsellors/therapists limit theircounselling/therapy services andpractices to those which are withintheir professional competenceby virtue of their education andprofessional experience, andconsistent with any requirementsfor provincial/territorial andnational credentials. They seeksupervision, consult with and/orrefer to other professionals whenthe counselling needs of clientsexceed their level of competence.(See also C3, C4, D1, E4, E6, F1, F2,G2, G14, H4, Section I)Counsellors/therapists who wish to extend their professionalservices ensure competence in any additional areas of expertisethrough extra verifiable education or training in these areas andprovide service only after they have secured adequate supervision from supervisors with demonstrative expertise in thepractice area. Supervisors should have a high level of expertisein the area that is certified by an independent process such as:certification, registration, licensing, or similar independentprocess that is overseen by an Elder or knowledge keeperrecognized by community when the expertise is related toIndigenous competencies.When counsellors/therapists are faced with clients whose needsexceed the counsellors/therapists’ boundaries of competence,they make appropriate referrals for their clients. Counsellors/therapists provide appropriate contact and support for theirclients during any transitional period associated with referringthem to other sources of professional help.When counsellors/therapists find themselves in circumstancesin which access to referral agents and resources is limited, theyseek consultation. For instance, rural and remote practice tendsto be broader, more generalist, and more eclectic than is thecase for practitioners in more densely populated areas. This isbecause of the wide range of client issues that must be addressedby limited resources. Counsellors/therapists living and workingin rural and remote communities need to remain cognizant ofthe limits to their competence while working in communitiesthat have few, if any, referral possibilities, including communitiessuch as those that are closed, enclaved, isolated, rural, northern,or remote. Taking advantage of electronic means of consultation,referral, continuous learning, and supervision, where available, isrecommended.Since consultation with the other professional or communityrecognized Elders is often necessary to provide the best servicesfor clients, all contributing helping professionals may agree,with the explicit informed consent of clients, to collaboratewith each other.

4Standards of PracticeStandard of CareCounsellors/therapists provide their professional services to a level consistent with the degree of skill, knowledge,and ethics ordinarily possessed and provided by the average prudent reputable member of the profession in similarcircumstances in the community.(Adapted from Lanphier v. Phipos, 1833)Professional ImpairmentCounsellors/therapists should take steps to appropriatelylimit their professional responsibilities when their physical,mental, spiritual, or personal circumstances are such that theyhave diminished capacity to provide competent services to allor to particular clients. Counsellors/therapists in such situations must seek consultation and supervision and may need tolimit, suspend, or terminate their professional services. Sinceimpairment may affect the capacity of counsellors/therapistsfor personal insight and self-regulation, colleagues and othersmay find it necessary to contact appropriate personnel and/or aregulatory body.A4Clinical Supervision and ConsultationSupervision andConsultationAll counsellors/therapists should obtain supervision and/orconsultation for their counselling/therapy practices. This isparticularly true with respect to doubts or uncertainties, whichmay arise during their professional work.Counsellors/therapists seeksupervision and consultationacross the career span to supportand enrich their ongoing professional development. Supervisionand consultation are warrantedespecially when counsellors/therapists are confronted withdilemmas or uncertainties, andwhen they are developing anew practice area or updatingknowledge and skills related to aformer area of practice. (See alsoB10, C4, C7, Section E, Section F,I5, I9, I10)In school settings, counsellors/therapists should arrange regular,qualified supervision and/or consultation with other counsellors/therapists in their school or in their school district or region wherever possible, and make arrangements for supervision elsewhere ifnot locally available. Counsellors/therapists in other agencies/institutions and/or in private practice should organize their supervision with other qualified professionals who have documented anddemonstrated expertise in relevant areas of practice (e.g., setting,clientele, referral issues, approaches employed).Counsellors/therapists have an obligation to be appropriatelyaccountable to their employers for their professional work.Supervision of counsellors/therapists should be conducted bysomeone other than a person who is responsible for evaluatingtheir work (such as a person in a line management position). Ifsuch a situation cannot be avoided, then the counsellor/therapistshould also have access to independent opportunities for supervision and/or consultation.

5Standards of PracticeSchool counsellors often face challenges in the area of clinicalsupervision, particularly when they are the only school counsellorin the school building and do not have the opportunity to besupervised by other counsellors/therapists in their school districtor region. This challenge is also true of many counsellor/therapistsin private practice and in many other areas. Online supervisionmay offer an effective strategy for addressing these challenges.When counsellors/therapists seek professional consultation, theymake every effort to do so in ways that will protect the identityof the client. If the client’s identity cannot be protected, then theclient’s informed consent must be sought before the consultation. When consulting, counsellors/therapists make every effortto ensure that the identity of the client will not create any dualrelationship dilemmas for the person with whom they consult.Administrative assistants, supervisors, and all others who workwith counsellors/therapists’ confidential records have a responsibility similar to that of the counsellors/therapists with respectto confidentiality. Counsellors/therapists must take all necessarysteps to guarantee that client confidentiality is respected andmaintained by others with whom they work and consult.A5Representation of Professional QualificationsRepresentation ofProfessionalQualificationsCounsellors/therapists should display their CCC certificate and/or any professional regulatory certificate in a prominent locationat their work site and place their Code of Ethics in the waitingroom at their work site or display it in any other manner thatwould allow it to be readily seen by consumers of their professional services. For Indigenous persons and other persons forwhom humility may inhibit such actions, it would be appropriateto have the credentials available upon request, have a visiblerecognition that CCC regulations are followed, and have theCode of Ethics document on display.Counsellors/therapists claim orimply only those professionalqualifications that they possessand are responsible for correctingany known misrepresentationof their qualifications by others.Counsellors/therapists workingin a province or territory withprofessional statutory regulationensure they adhere to the specificrepresentation of professionalqualifications requirements thathave been mandated by statuteand/or Regulatory College bylaw.(See also H7, I5)Counsellors/therapists shall not use CCPA membership and/or any other professional membership as a designation onbusiness cards, door plates, in advertisements, directories, noruse it in any other way intended to advertise their professionalservice unless it is clearly stipulated that the member possessesa Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) designation. Thisdistinction is required because membership admission doesnot evaluate a member’s qualifications to practice counselling/therapy, whereas the certification process does. Where provincialcertification/licensure exists, counsellors/therapists may also usethese designations to advertise their professional service, and

6Standards of Practiceonly in accordance with the statutory regulations pertaining tothe use of professional designations.When counsellors/therapists are involved in public activities,including the making of public statements, they do so in such away that clarifies whether they are acting as private citizens, asdesignated spokespersons of a particular professional body, or asrepresentatives of the counselling/therapy profession.Counsellors/therapists shall not misrepresent nor falsely enhancetheir professional qualifications, experience, or performance.When counsellors/therapists become aware of misuse or misrepresentation of their work, they take reasonable steps to correct orminimize the misuse or misrepresentation.Counsellors/therapists avoid making public statements that arefalse, deceptive, or misleading. For example, it would be inappropriate for graduates from a counselling/therapy specialtyprogram housed in an educational psychology department tocreate and use a title such as “counselling psychologist” to refer tothemselves. Associations and regulatory colleges have protectedtitles that must only be used by individuals with permission touse those titles. Counsellors/therapists also avoid other statements that could easily be misunderstood by virtue of what theysay about their professional qualifications and services or by whatthey neglect to say about them.Counsel

StandardS of Practice iii Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association _ Standards of Practice _ The Standards of Practice (2021) was revised from the 2015 editio