Ethical issues in addiction counseling

Although all counselors face ethical challenges, addictions counselors enco unter ethical issues that are, in many respects, unique to their discipline . This article provides an overview of these issues, which include bur are not limited to (a) the lack of communication and continuity between researc h and clinical practice, (b) lack of agreement over the necessary professio nal credentials, (c) the questionable propensity of group work in the addic tions field, (d) special issues of confidentiality and privileged communica tion, (e) boundaries of professional practice in making treatment decisions , and (f) unusual circumstances of informed consent. In addressing these is sues, addictions counselors must not only uphold the ethical standards of t heir profession, they must also be cognizant of any federal statutes that m ay supersede their state regulations and act in accordance with them.