Ethics of Consultation: The Canterville Ghost

This article presents an overview of the ethical issues relevant to the counseling psychologist who includes consultation as one of his or her areas of expertise. The existing Ethical Principles of Psychologists are not readily adapted to the practice of consultation; therefore, the possible ethical pitfalls need to be highlighted. Such pitfalls might be viewed as clustering in two global categories: (1) the competencies that the consultant brings to the consulting relationship and (2) the responsibilities that the consultant assumes as he or she provides services to consultees. Under the domain of consultant competencies, the major issues are education and training in consultation; identifying who or what is the client/consultee system and to whom or what the consultant has major responsibility; and determining client/consultee needs and goals as compared to consultant needs and goals. Under the domain of consultant responsibilities, the major responsibilities/issues are presenting qualifications accurately and ethically; negotiating a contract; knowing and respecting client rights; using assessment data; and conducting research and evaluation studies. The issues of confidentiality and informed consent also receive special emphasis.