Psychotherapy as a profession belongs to those areas of activity where human is the center of interest and influence. The interpersonal relationships established by the counsellor always have an ethical dimension and involve interference in the way of the existence of another human being. These circumstances determine the importance of compliance with professional ethics in counsellors' activities and justify the imposition of high ethical requirements on them. Being an ethical counsellor requires ethical awareness and knowledge, the ability of ethical reasoning skills, and motivation to act ethically.

"John, a 30-year-old man, is a brand-new student in the MACP program. He appears eager to begin the process of learning; since his first day of class, he's shared that he has come from his own addiction problems. He mentioned during the introduction that he works in a substance abuse clinic. In his discussions with his peers, he was eager to point out that he would make "the best counsellor because he understood what his clients were going through..." John submitted the first assignment without support from any scholarly research or evidence. In fact, he commented to a peer in class that "life experience is far better than research." A peer colleague gently confronted him and John quickly retorted, "I take pride in my past struggles, and no one is perfect." He paused and remarked, "I already know how to provide counselling; I just need the degree to say that I am fit to be registered as a counsellor." The instructor acknowledged that everyone has something to learn in the MACP program, and John interrupted, stating, "I am sure many do, but some of us have already done all of our personal work."

*******Counselling competence involves increasing skill, expanding knowledge and minimizing or avoiding judgement in order to treat clients in the most efficient way (Olszewski, 2020). Openness is one of the vital personality traits and has a strong influence on people's mental health, interpersonal relationships and social attitudes (Sparkman, 2020).

Do you believe that John is lacking this trait and therefore would also be challenged in his life when it comes to personal relationships? Why?********

References

Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. (2020).Code of ethics - canadian counselling and psychotherapy association (CCPA). Code of Ethics. Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CCPA-2020-Code-of-Ethics-E-Book-EN.pdf

Sparkman, D. J. (2020). Openness.The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences: Models and Theories, 293-297.