[NOTE: See also the Code of Ethics in Chapter 9, which
applies to alcohol and drug counselors, alcohol and drug counseling aides, and
certified clinical supervisors generally.]
I.
Scope
This code of ethics applies to persons certified by the board
to provide clinical supervision to alcohol and drug counseling aides, certified
alcohol and drug counselors and licensed alcohol and drug counselors and
applies to their conduct during the performance of their clinical duties as
supervisors.
Supervision is a disciplined and defined clinical activity.
It has a parallel, but linked relationship to teaching, consulting,
administering and researching. It is a necessary, significant and meaningful
aspect of the delivery of competent, humane, ethical and appropriate services
to clients/consumers.
II.
Competence
A certified clinical supervisor shall limit practice to areas
of competence in which proficiency has been gained through education or
documentable experience or through the awarding of a reciprocal professional
certification of licensure. A certified clinical supervisor shall accurately
represent areas of competence, education, training, experience and professional
affiliations, in response to responsible inquiries, including those from
appropriate boards, the public, supervisees and colleagues. A certified
clinical supervisor shall aggressively seek out consultation with other
professionals when called on to supervise counseling situations outside their
realm of competence. A certified clinical supervisor shall refer supervisees to
other competent staff when they are unable to provide adequate supervisory
guidance to the supervisee.
III.
Client Welfare and Rights
The primary obligation of a certified clinical supervisor is
to train substance abuse counselors to respect the integrity and promote the
welfare of their clients. A certified clinical supervisor shall have
supervisees inform clients that they are supervised and that details of their
treatment can and will be discussed or reviewed with a supervisor. Any audio or
video taping of a client/consumer's treatment must be authorized in writing. A
certified clinical supervisor shall make his or her supervisees aware of
clients' rights, including protecting clients' rights to privacy and
confidentiality in the counseling relationship and the information resulting
from it. Clients also shall be informed that their right to privacy and
confidentiality will not be violated by the supervisory relationship. Records
of the supervisory relationship, including interview notes, test data,
correspondence, the electronic storage of these documents, and audio and video
recordings are to be treated as confidential materials. Written permission for
use of these materials outside of the supervisory session must be granted by
the client. A certified clinical supervisor is responsible for monitoring the
professional actions of their supervisees as well as their failure to take
appropriate action. A certified clinical supervisor is responsible for the
presentation of adequate training for all supervisees in the area of
transference, dual relationships, cultural sensitivity and professional
deportment.
IV.
Professional Behavior
Due to the unique scope of practice substance abuse
counselors provide, certified clinical supervisors must monitor the following
behaviors of their staff and themselves:
A. Conviction for the possession or use of
any illegal drug, narcotic or mood altering substance;
B. The use of intoxicants and/or non
physician prescribed and monitored mood altering substance when engaged in
professional pursuits;
C. The
conducting of intimate, personal and/or business relationships of any kind with
any clients or their families. This applies to all clients. A supervisee should
have all relationships of this kind reviewed. A certified clinical supervisor
shall consult with an objective peer when this issue is raised;
D. A certified clinical supervisor who is a
member of Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al
Anon, etc., shall not become a sponsor to any active or discharged client or
family member;
E. In addition to
the other obligations required by this code, a certified clinical supervisor
violates this code if the supervisor:
1. Is
convicted of any felony;
2. Is
convicted of a misdemeanor related to the supervisor's qualifications or
functions;
3. Engages in conduct
which could lead to conviction of a felony or misdemeanor related to the
supervisor's qualifications or functions;
4. Is expelled from or disciplined by other
professional organizations;
5. Has
the certification suspended, revoked, or otherwise disciplined by a regulatory
body;
6. Refuses to seek treatment
for alcohol/drug abuse, mental/emotional problems, or physical health problems
that interfere with professional functioning; or
7. Fails to cooperate at any point of an
ethical complaint investigation;
F. A certified clinical supervisor respects
the dignity and protect the welfare of participants in research and are aware
of regulations and professional standards governing the conduct of research,
including informed consent;
G. A
certified clinical supervisor makes and abides by financial arrangements with
clients, third party payer and supervisees that are understandable and conform
to accepted professional practices. A certified clinical supervisor shall
disclose any fees to clients and supervisees at the beginning of services and
represent facts truthfully to clients, third party payers and supervisees
regarding services rendered; and
H.
A certified clinical supervisor accurately represents his or her competence,
education, training and experience relevant to practice as a certified clinical
supervisor and clinical experience. A certified clinical supervisor assures
that advertisements and publications in any media (such as directories,
announcements, business cards, newspapers, radio, television and facsimiles)
convey information that is necessary for the public to make an appropriate
selection of professional services.
V.
Supervisory Role
Inherent and integral to the role of supervisor are
responsibilities for monitoring client welfare, insuring compliance with
relevant legal and professional standards of service delivery, monitoring
clinical performance and professional development of supervisees and evaluating
and certifying current performance and potential of supervisees for academic,
screening, selection, placement, employment and credentialing purposes.
A. A certified clinical supervisor shall
maintain professional decorum and standards.
B. A certified clinical supervisor shall
obtain ongoing training in supervision.
C. A certified clinical supervisor shall
pursue professional and personal continuing education activities to maintain
certification and improve supervisory skills. Competency in the Four
Performance Domains of ATOD Clinical Supervision must be maintained.
D. A certified clinical supervisor shall make
supervisees aware of professional and ethical standards and legal
responsibilities of the counseling profession. In the absence of agency or
state policy, industry standards of ethical behavior shall be explained to the
supervisee.
E. A certified clinical
supervisor shall not exploit, but shall strive to enable supervisees to be
competent, autonomous, professional, judicious, aware of limitations, and to
become future supervisors if that is an appropriate career goal.
F. Procedures for contacting the supervisor,
or an alternative supervisor, to assist in handling crisis situations shall be
established and communicated to supervisees.
G. Supervision is maintained through regular
face-to-face meetings with supervisees in group or individual
sessions.
H. Actual work samples
via audio, counselor report, video or observation shall be part of the
regularly scheduled supervision process.
I. A certified clinical supervisor shall
provide supervisees with ongoing feedback on their performance.
J. A certified clinical supervisor who has
multiple roles (e.g. teacher, clinical supervisor, administrator, etc.) with
supervisees shall avoid any conflict of interest caused by these disparate
roles. The supervisees shall know the limitations placed on the supervisor and
the supervisor shall share supervision when appropriate.
K. A certified clinical supervisor shall not
sexually harass, make sexual advances or participate in any form of sexual
contact with supervisees. Supervisors shall not engage in any form of social
contact or interaction, which would compromise the supervisor-supervisee
relationship. Dual relationships (including outside consults, partnerships,
nepotism, etc.) with supervisees that might impair the supervisor's objectivity
and professional judgment shall be avoided and/or the supervisory relationship
terminated.
L. A certified clinical
supervisor shall not use the supervision process to further personal,
religious, political, or business interests.
M. A certified clinical supervisor shall not
endorse any treatment that would harm a client either physically or
psychologically and shall ensure the professional quality of the program on
which supervisees participate.
N. A
certified clinical supervisor shall not establish a psychotherapeutic
relationship as a substitute for supervision. Personal issues should be
addressed in supervision only in terms of the impact of these issues on clients
and on professional functioning.
O.
A certified clinical supervisor shall never supervise past or current clients
who are staff or their families.
P.
A certified clinical supervisor shall model appropriate use of supervision for
problem solving and practice reviewing.
Q. A certified clinical supervisor shall be
straightforward with supervisees about observed professional and clinical
limitations of the supervisee. These concerns must be clearly documented and
shared with the supervisee.
R. A
certified clinical supervisor shall not endorse a supervisee for certification
or credentialing if the supervisor has documented proof of impairment or
professional limitations that would interfere with the performance of
counseling duties in a competent and ethical manner. The presence of any
impairment shall begin with a process of feedback and remediation so that the
supervisee understands the nature of the impairment and has the opportunity to
remedy the problem and continue with his/her professional
development.
S. A certified
clinical supervisor shall incorporate the principles of: informed consent and
participation; clarity of requirements; expectations; roles and rules; and due
process and appeal into the establishment of policies related to progressive
discipline.
T. A certified clinical
supervisor shall integrate the Core Functions of Substance Abuse Clinical
Competency into the supervisor's theoretical and supervisory approach. A clear
understanding of the Global Criteria is essential.
U. A certified clinical supervisor shall be
an active participant in quality assurance and peer review.
V. The supervision provided by a certified
clinical supervisor shall be provided in a professional and consistent manner
to all supervisees regardless of age, race, national origin, religion, physical
disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital or social or
economic status. When a supervisor is unable to provide non-judgmental
supervision, a referral to an appropriate supervisor with a complete
explanation of the supervisee must be made.
