Ethical guidelines for counselling

Autonomy and professionalism are the most important criteria counsellors need to follow in their work.
Ethical guidelines gaining ground in counselling can also be of help to counsellors to provide for their professionalism and autonomy.


*Respect
Respect the applicant’s will in all phases of counselling process. Counselling has to result from the counsellor’s integrity and independence. Counselling should not be guided by the counsellor’s interests. The counsellor’s role is to strike a balance between promoting, offering challenges and respecting the applicant’s interests.

*Impartiality
Counselling has to be neutral and impartial. It has to protect the applicant’s interest, and not the interests of individual institutions or other interests.

*Transparency
The general framework and counselling conditions should be clearly determined. If necessary, the counsellor has to be prepared to also involve other institutions, but the applicant has to be informed about it in advance.

*Confidentiality
All counselling interviews have to remain confidential. In cases when counsellors are statutorily obliged to transmit certain data to other institutions, applicants have to be notified in advance about the data in question.

*Accuracy/ diligence
Transmitted information have to be correct and kept up-to-date. Counselling materials have to be appropriate and contain relevant aspects pertaining to the selection of educational programmes, training and employment as well as to the description of the lifestyle linked to the education process.