EDCO 821 Ethics & Issues in Pastoral Counseling

An in-depth examination of ethical and legal issues encountered by community counselors, including ethical principles, professional codes of conduct, identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas, ethical decision-making models, and laws governing the profession.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

In a world of fluid values and concepts of right and wrong, it is essential to understand and possess a firm grasp on ethical practice and responsibility when participating in the helping professions. Ethics provide a framework to the values and standards of a given profession, defining behavior and providing expectation and accountability for those involved. It is vital for individuals pursuing a career or vocation in the helping professions to possess a clear and foundational understanding of the role of ethics and related issues.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Resources.

Video Discussion: Self-Narrated Class Introduction

The student will record a video introducing himself/herself to the class. The required questions the student will answer are written in the assignment instructions document. 

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative, evidence-based learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to submit a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 500 words reflecting a doctoral level of evaluation and interaction, and the noticeable and meaningful incorporation of specific and significant insights from the course’s scaffolded Learn items. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 1 fellow learner’s thread. The reply must contain a personal salutation, be at least 250 words, incorporate at least one specific and significant insight from one of the course’s Learn items, and follow the current APA Professional style guidelines. The thread and reply will be split between Modules with the thread in the assigned Module and the reply in the following Module. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, G)

Initial Understanding of Ethics Assignment

The student must write a minimum 5-page paper in current APA Professional style summarizing his or her understanding of the importance and role of ethics in pastoral counseling. This assignment must be completed without the benefit of the course’s Learn items or any other research support. This assignment will also be used in comparison with the Concluding Understanding of Ethics Assignment at the end of this course. (CLO: A, C, D)

Representing Jesus Well in my Research/Writing Process Assignment

The student will conduct a review of his/her editing tool(s) settings and turn off any inappropriate checkers that may generate material that lacks academic integrity. Then the student will write a 2-and-a-half-page paper to share what he/she learned and applied to his/her research/writing process. Any citations will be in current APA format. (CLO: A, E)

Subject Matter Conversation Assignment

A Subject Matter Conversation (SMC) is intentionally designed to create meaningful learning experiences between the faculty member and students. Students are required to identify and thoughtfully demonstrate comprehension of one of SMC’s PowerPoint Presentation questions presented in a real-time virtual classroom or the real-time session’s recorded video/transcript. The assignment must be written with clarity and conciseness, without spelling or grammar errors, follow APA Professional style guidelines, and adhere to instructions and rubric expectations. The student has the choice to attend the live SMC or get the necessary information from the recording. Students are highly encouraged to attend this live SMC. A link to this meeting will be sent at the start of the term. (CLO: A, E)

Concluding Understanding of Ethics Assignment

Using the previously completed Initial Understanding of Ethics Assignment, the student must complete a minimum 10-page paper addressing the differences between his or her former and concluding understanding of the importance and role of ethics in pastoral counseling. Noticeable and meaningful use of specific and significant insights from the course’s Learn items must include appropriate citations and references in the current APA Professional style format.  (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Personal Code of Ethics Assignment

Using the course materials and texts, the student must write a comprehensive personal code of ethics defining his or her commitment to an ethical approach to their role as a pastoral counselor and practice of pastoral counseling. The paper should be 10-12 pages and must incorporate specific and significant insights from the course’s scaffolded Learn items, including contributions from at least 2 of the professional Codes of Ethics. All references used must be cited in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, F)

Quizzes (2)

There are 2 quizzes in this course. Quiz: Question & Answer Center Subscription confirms the student has subscribed to the Question & Answer Center. Quiz: Completion of Required Learn Items (Read & Watch) confirms the student has completed the required Learn material for the module. (CLO: A, D, F)