The Nuts and Bolts of Multicultural‐Social Justice Ethics in Research:

A Counseling Perspectivearetha faye marbley, PhD, LPC, LPC-S, NCC

Shih-Han Huang, MED, ABD, LPC-InternMelissa Galica, MED, ABD, LPC-Intern

Texas Tech UniversityBryan Moffitt, ABD, JD, MBA, MED, LPC, LPC-S

Family Counseling Services&

Texas Tech University

Presented at the

6th Annual Responsible Conduct of Research & Academic Integrity ConferenceSouthwest Regional Consortium for Academic Integrity

Texas Tech University Ethics CenterLubbock, Texas

If I Could Shrink the Earth

Description of the Presentation

Through cultural competency lenses, the presenters use their experiences as counselors, educators, and researchers demonstrate how to apply the most recent practice, research in counseling, and multicultural‐social justice ethical codes, theories, competencies, and guidelines to professional practice and research, specifically with marginalized and culturally diverse people. 

Learning OutcomesParticipants will: 

• Be able to identify ethical issues in research

• Know the intricacies and politics of the publication process as it relates to multicultural and social justice research

• Be familiar with social justice ethical standards and guidelines

• Be familiar with the APA ethical guidelines

• Be familiar with ACA 2014 Code of Ethics multicultural ethical standards 

Assumptions1. Professional ethics deals with human relationships more than with 

abstract rules.

2. Genuine respect among professionals and those with whom they interact is the key to ethical relationships.

3. Competency consists of knowledge (what), skills (how), judgment (when), and diligence (commitment)in serving the well‐being of others.

4. You are not an expert in diagnosing, prescribing and treating, but you may facilitate, clarify, understand, encourage, and help others gain more power and satisfaction in their lives.

5. Formal codes of ethics and other practice guidelines are helpful, but are not sufficient to ensure that counselors in their practice and research are sensitive to diversity issues.

Cross Cultural Competencies

• The adoption of the Cross Cultural Competencies is indicative of ethical and culturally responsive practices. Historical marginalization based on ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic differences and scientific racism have adversely affected the mental health professions and clients deserving of services.

Core Values of Counseling Profession

Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. Professional values are an important way of living out an ethical commitment. The following are core professional values of the counseling profession:1

Core Values of Counseling Profession

1. Enhancing human development throughout the life span

2. Honoring diversity and embracing a multicultural approach in support of the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of people within their social and cultural contexts

3. Promoting social justice

4. Safeguarding the integrity of the counselor-client relationship

5. Practicing in a competent and ethical manner

2014 Code of Ethics 

Multicultural Ethical Standards

Shih-Han Huang, MED, ABD, LPC-Intern

• B.1.a. Multicultural/Diversity ConsiderationsCounselors maintain awareness and sensitivity regarding cultural meanings of confidentiality and privacy. Counselors respect differing views toward disclosure of information. Counselors hold ongoing discussions with clients as to how, when, and with whom information is to be shared.

• C.2.a. Boundaries of CompetenceCounselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience. Whereas multicultural counseling competency is required across all counseling specialties, counselors gain knowledge, personal awareness, sensitivity, dispositions, and skills pertinent to being a culturally competent counselor in working with a diverse client population.

• E.8. Multicultural Issues/Diversity in AssessmentCounselors select and use with caution assessment techniques normed on populations other than that of the client. Counselors recognize the effects of age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, language preference, religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status on test administration and interpretation, and they place test results in proper perspective with other relevant factors.

• F.2.b. Multicultural Issues/Diversity in SupervisionCounseling supervisors are aware of and address the role of multiculturalism/diversity in the supervisory relationship.

• F.7.c. Infusing Multicultural Issues/DiversityCounselor educators infuse material related to multiculturalism/diversity into all courses and workshops for the development of professional counselors.

F.11. Multicultural/Diversity Competence in Counselor Education and Training Programs

• F.11.a. Faculty Diversity Counselor educators are committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty. • F.11.b. Student DiversityCounselor educators actively attempt to recruit and retain a diverse student body. Counselor educators demonstrate commitment to multicultural/diversity competence by recognizing and valuing the diverse cultures and types of abilities that students bring to the training experience. Counselor educators provide appropriate accommodations that enhance and support diverse student well-being and academic performance.

• F.11.c. Multicultural/Diversity CompetenceCounselor educators actively infuse multicultural/diversity competency in their training and supervision practices. They actively train students to gain awareness, knowledge, and skills in the competencies of multicultural practice.

• H.5.d. Multicultural and Disability ConsiderationsCounselors who maintain websites provide accessibility to persons with disabilities. They provide translation capabilities for clients who have a different primary language, when feasible. Counselors acknowledge the imperfect nature of such translations and accessibilities.

Politics of Publishing

Musings about the process from a 48 year old publishing rookie

‐‐Moffitt

Marginalization Concerns• Rookies‐ Editors use of reviewers‐ The good can get lost in 

review of format‐ Scope of competency in the field(American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014) 

• Non English language speaking individuals (Wisker, 2013)• Reviewing rarely recognized in academic workload model 

(Wisker, 2013)• Connection to the professional association/ Territorialism• Shortening titles is an issue• Relational in nature• American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. (G)(5)(h)• Wisker, G. (2013). Articulate – academic writing, refereeing editing and publishing our work in learning, teaching and educational development. Innovations In Education & Teaching International, 50(4), 344‐356. 

Counselor’s Perspective‐‐Galica

• Autonomy. • Nonmaleficence• Beneficence. • Justice• Fidelity. Fidelity involves ideas surrounding 

faithfulness, commitment, and loyalty. Counselors respect their therapeutic obligations and fulfill these obligations in a trustworthy manner.

Kitchener (1984) 

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed)

• • Be precise. For example, high school males could mean different things to different people. Ninth‐grade African American boys who score in the bottom 20% of their class in math is a much more exact and thus more useful description.

• Mention differences only when relevant. If  a specific status, such as gender, marital, sexuality, racial/ethnic/cultural background, or disability don’t have an effect in your experiment, don’t mention those characteristics gratuitously in your article or report.

• Ask people what they want to be called and then call  them what they want to be called.  Some term can be insulting, derogatory, or patronizing (e.g., Mrs.,  the elderly, handi‐capable, calling all Black people African American) ; avoid using them.

• Don’t reduce a person or group of people to a condition (e.g., schizophrenic , the retarded, autistic). Instead, identify participants first as people (e.g., people with schizophrenia, people with/living with  autism).  That is,  verb not noun‐‐ what a person HAS, not what a person IS.

Ethical Issues

• There are boundaries• Power and Authority• Ownership and use of data 

Kitchener (1984) 

AdvocacyA.7. Roles and Relationships at Individual, Group, Institutional, and Societal Levels• A.7.a. AdvocacyWhen appropriate, counselors advocate at individual, group, institutional, and societal levels to address potential barriers and obstacles that inhibit access and/or the growth and development of clients.• A.7.b. Confidentiality and AdvocacyCounselors obtain client consent prior to engaging in advocacy efforts on behalf of an identifiable client to improve the provision of services and to work toward removal of systemic barriers or obstacles that inhibit client access, growth, and development.

Cross‐Cultural Competencies

HandoutSue, D. W., Arredondo, P., & McDavis, R. J. (1992). Multicultural counseling competencies and standards: A call to the profession. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 477‐486.

I. Counselor Awareness of OwnCultural Values and Biases

II. Counselor Awareness of Clients Worldview

III Culturally Appropriate Intervention Strategies

A. Attitudes and Beliefs

B. Knowledge

C.  Skills

Ethical Advocacy and Social Action.

Advocacy Competency

Handout

The competencies denote six domains of advocacy intervention:a) client/student empowermentb) client/student advocacyc) community collaboration

a) systems advocacyb) public informationc) social/political advocacy

• These advocacy competencies provide a clear plan of action for mental health professionals and  the mental health profession to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to:

a) empower client/student self‐advocacy b) and to advocate through social action for 

their clients/students in all institutional and community settings.

Social Justice

• To help professionals understand SJ, means to teach them critical thinking and reflection to understand their socialization in the matrix of unequal relationships and its implications; to recognize mechanisms of oppression, and the skills and courage to challenge these hierarchies (Sensoy & DeAngelo, 2009).

Social justice approaches and practice in refer to the elimination of sources of oppression and actively addressing the dynamics of oppression, privilege, and “isms.”

Further, it recognizes that society is the product of historical, social, and political stratifications, which have been sanctioned by institutions, along socially constructed group lines that include race/ethnicity/culture, gender, class, sexual orientation, and ability.

Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) Code of Ethics

Should be Adhered to by All Professions

Development of a Social Justice Ethical Code and Standards

• Toporek and Liu (2001) initially proposed ethical guidance for advocacy that highlights areas that can help guide the development of an ethical code and standards for CSJ.

• (a) knowledge of the contexts in which those we serve live and work

(b) recognition and validation of oppressions faced by marginalized groups including racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and other oppressions such as those related to age, religion, disability,  and immigrant status.

(c) recognition of the privileges that professionals enjoy as a result of their education

Ethical Guiding Principles

• Social Justice• Social Action• Eradication of all forms of abuse and oppression

• Dignity and worth of all persons• Embracing diversity• Integrity and competence.

Social Justice Ethics

• It is important for the  all professions to embrace social justice principles

A CASE STUDY

“Don’t call her Sadie without her permission!”

The “b” in bell and the “h” in hooks are not capped.

Questions

• What are the ethical issues present in this case study?– What are the multicultural ethical issues– What are social justice ethical issues

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