ETHICS AMONG CHRISTIAN COUNSELORS - A SURVEY OF BELIEFS AND BEHAVIORS

Previous researchers have reported survey results of the beliefs and b ehaviors of psychologists (Pope, Tabachnick, & Keith-Spiegel, 1987) an d counselors (Gibson & Pope, 1993) with regard to professional ethics. We sent the same instrument to 900 Christian counselors, and received back 496 completed surveys. Rarely and commonly practiced ethical beh aviors are described, and differences by sex, age, highest degree, and licensure status are discussed. Although Christian counselors general ly appear to have high regard for and good awareness of ethical standa rds, many unlicensed Christian counselors may benefit from additional training in preventing exploitative counseling relationships. Current professional standards for multiple-role relationships may not apply w ell to all Christian counseling situations, making an ethics code for Christian counselors an important goal for the immediate future. Impli cations for training paraprofessionals and for subsequent research are considered.