Asca Ethical Standards

Although Ontario shares a border with the United States, it goes without say that the two areas have significant differences when it comes to school counsellors and their ethical standards. In relations to professional development and furthered learning and social media ramifications both the ASCA and OSCA have different ethical standards. First and foremost, as indicated in both documents supplied by the ASCA and the OSCA, school counsellors must be engaged in self-professional growth and work towards improving their minds in the profession of counselling. However, according to the ASCA, an American school-counsellor must have completed a counselor education program at an accredited institution and earned a master’s degree in school counseling.
This allows American counsellors to be equipped to identify mental health issues and get the student to the correct services. Although, American school-counsellors cannot diagnose, with the training in counselling they may be more tailored to identifying a problem which could lend to an earlier intervention for students suffering from Mental Health issues. The ASCA document specifically addresses the need to maintain a membership in school counselor professional organizations to stay up to date on current research and to maintain professional competence in current school counseling issues and topics. American school-counselors become well-appointed to deal with issues surrounding student’s mental health and competency, which would also help when dealing with accommodations within the classroom. School-counsellors have the tools to bridge the gap between a school environment and outside services to help maintain life-long
Sound judgment and due care should be exercised. Teaching is a public profession. Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that teachers’ off-duty conduct, even when not directly related to students, is relevant to their suitability to teach.
Outlining the importance of using social media safely and knowing the consequences and impacts on professional lives can help all educators and school-counsellors to identify the boundaries and prevent any misinformed information. In the ASCA document, it does not outline the ramifications and complications social media can have on its professionals. It does outline a school-counsellor’s ethical behavior such as counsellor-student relationships, however it does not outline the effects of social media and technology misconstructions.
Ethical Guideline specific to Northern schools in remote First Nations communities;
Lac La Croix First