Applying the Counselors' Code of

¶ … applying the counselors' code of ethics to real-life dilemmas. The author is concerned that traditional codes of ethics do not address the full complexity of the issues at hand, nor do they acknowledge the different developmental levels of counselors themselves.

The key question the author is addressing is: How can we use Wilber's AQAL integral model of the four quadrants in practice to more effectively approach and tackle ethical issues in the counseling profession? The most important information in this article is the step-by-step guidance provided on how to follow the integral approach.

This involves the four viewpoints to address in the order given: the video camera view for objective information gathering; the systems-regulatory view to consider laws, policies, and formal ethical codes; the relational-contextual, cultural view for considering the effects for all parties involved based on race, gender, sexuality, etc., as well as developmental level and issues of self-identity and the "shadow"; and the moral virtues view to "take full responsibility for oneself as the primary moral agent, and to be fully integrated within oneself in order to serve as a stable moral compass for others.

This involves addressing any disowned thoughts or feelings that may be affecting the counselor's "unconscious agency" and affecting his or her ability to effectively treat clients and tackle ethical issues. The "fragmented self" can be addressed through Morelli et al.'s structured journaling process, or through consultation with a supervisory therapist.

The main inferences drawn in this article are that Wilber's model for integration will provide a more effective approach for dealing with ethical dilemmas and concerns in the counseling profession, and dissecting ethical issues by the four quadrants will provide an "important reflective tool" for counselors. The key concepts readers need to understand are the four quadrants: the UL for morals; LL for ethics; LR for legal concerns and functional fit; and the UR for the subjective self, body, individual behavior of the counselor, and inner truth.

The author states that too much attention is given to the lower quadrants; more needs to be paid to the upper quadrants for inclusion of moral concerns and the overall health and well-being of the counselor. By these concepts, the author means that when tackling ethical dilemmas, counselors must consider the issue from multiple and integrated perspectives, including the law, what is right, what is good, and what his or her own intuition is saying about the situation.

This will prevent oversimplification, and allow counselors to confront complex issues more effectively. As for the "health and well-being of the self" issue, the author is saying that counselors cannot do their best at helping others unless they take care of themselves with proper diet, exercise, meditation or prayer, self-reflection to promote self-integration, and the study of integral theory. This recommended approach to self-care is called "Integral Life Practice (ILP).

A final key concept is the idea of considering the importance of the developmental perspective of the counselor when explaining ethical codes of conduct; in other words, what developmental lines or life questions are at play (cognitive, self, values, morals) when a particular counselor is confronting ethical concerns? And how does his or her developmental level in these different areas affect their approach to the ethical concerns? In other words, like intelligence, professional and personal development consists of various "lines" that can differ greatly within one person.

An important question to ask, and another key concept presented is: is the counselor operating on a high level of ethical functioning -- the aspirational level, or on a low-level of functioning -- the mandatory level? The author's main assumption throughout this article is that a failure to use the integral approach will result in oversimplified and faulty responses to ethical dilemmas. The implications of the article, if taken seriously, are that counselors have greater.