THE ROLE OF ETHICAL NORMS IN SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING: FROM MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO LEGAL RESTRICTIONS

The article analyses the main problems of the ethical component of a consultant’s professional activities when working with clients. It is noted that the spiritual and moral issues of helping relationships are reflected in the ethical principles and norms of helping practices, in particular social and psychological counselling, and the practical activity of a consultant is regulated by a code of ethics, which provides for compliance with general professional standards, including ethical principles as requirements that must be met counselling a person who has sought help. The analysis of the codes of ethics showed that, in general, all communities of consultant-psychologists and consultant-psychotherapists consider the same principles of professional activity and professional relations as the basis for their work. Each community puts its own emphasis on ethical principles, distinguishing them as independent provisions of the code. The most acute contradictions of ethical systems that affect the process of counselling are considered. The norms of behavior of a professional consultant in professional activities are the fulfillment of the standards of his own professional and scientific obligations to clients, to the professional community and to society. This includes responsibility for professional actions, statements, recommendations; maintaining high standards of competence, maintaining professional boundaries, avoiding relationships that create a conflict of interest; choosing research topics, methods used in research, analysis and reporting; maintaining concern for the interests of the client; taking into account one’s personal limitations. The problem of studying the determinants of the perception of ethical dilemmas by a consultant and decision-making in such situation is raised. Consultant ethics is the most important professional competency, the formation of which is not only possible at the stage of training future specialists, but should become the core, the basis of their training.