School counselors face ethical and legal challenges every day. Whether you are new to the field or have been practicing for years, legal and ethical challenges can still unsettle you (ASCA, 2016). The ethical dilemmas surrounding child protection and navigating home-school communication are regularly faced by school counselors, particularly those who are Christian. Many of these issues are influenced by school counselors' ability to recognize their own personal values ​​while balancing ethical obligations and administrative boundaries (Springer, SI, 2016). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. Additionally, bias is a tendency to favor one explanation, opinion, or understanding over another potentially equally valid perspective. In a therapeutic setting, a therapist's individual biases may change the recommendations they make to clients or influence their understanding of a person's problems. Recognizing one's own biases is often the first step in eliminating biases, because it gives the researcher the opportunity to actively correct their biases. Double-blind studies and peer review can also help counteract the biases of individual researchers (GoodTherapy.org, 2016). As a Christian school counselor, I believe I need to be aware of possible biases triggered within me that can emerge from any angle. advise students. Objectivity is my main goal at all times – that much is clear! The moment I lose my objectivity during counseling and start to gain subjectivity, I know for a fact that I am on the verge, if not already, of becoming biased, which will lead me to find myself trapped in an ethical dilemma. Honestly, I'm convinced I would definitely lose. objectivity by becoming biased when counseling a student at my Christian school if she confides in me that she is sexually attracted to another person of the same sex and wishes to express this sexual orientation openly. In this thought piece, I will examine and express how my personal beliefs and value system will influence me positively and negatively, thus leading to potential bias for my client, and even how this may affect my client when it comes to of a similar case as the aforementioned. I will also produce an ethical decision-making plan to address these biases and provide effective advice to this same client [student]. In a situation where a 16-year-old student confides to me that she is in love with another classmate of the same age, wants to dress like a student at school and wants to use the school's men's restroom, I would certainly find myself facing an ethical dilemma due to my Christian belief and values ​​which consider these acts to be sinful and an abomination in the very eyes of my God. There is no way my Christian school and I would tolerate or accept a student with such a sexual orientation and such “inappropriate conduct.” On the other hand, I would be worried about this student because not only will she be the victim of bullying but she will also be expelled from this school for such "indecent conduct", without a doubt. By reacting immediately and believing that it is a sin (Romans 1:18-32), I would already be prejudiced, because I do not allow myself to sympathize with this student who so desperately needs to be "accepted" . All this could prevent my client fromwanting to believe in herself, to have the right to express her sexual orientations and feelings and to achieve good academic results, because this would lower her self-esteem. I will make her think and find a real “decent identity”. Prejudices like those mentioned above will cause me to lose my objectivity and fail in the six fundamental principles: Autonomy, Nonmaleficence, Beneficence, Justice, Fidelity, and Truthfulness (ACA, 2014). This situation will even affect me on a personal level and as a professional counselor because this client's sexual orientation and intended conduct is absolutely contrary to my Christian beliefs and principles. As a professional counselor, my duty is to practice the six moral principles that govern me and not attempt in any other way to influence or impose my personal values ​​and beliefs on this student because school counselors hold back to impose their beliefs (ACA, 2014; ASCA, 2016). Furthermore, ethics refers to moral and values-based decision-making. Professional ethics goes beyond personal values ​​and includes behaviors deemed good by the profession. These values ​​have been codified and accepted by the counseling profession. Codes of ethics were developed to address counselors' need to morally resolve practical problems in a consistent manner (Freeman, Engels, & Altekruse, 2004). Additionally, ethical issues frequently arise for school counselors. To address these issues responsibly, a school counselor can refer to the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) and the ASCA (2016) Ethical Standards for School Counselors. The ethical standards for school counselors state that a school counselor must use the STEPS ethical ruling. be a role model when faced with an ethical dilemma (ASCA, 2016). Therefore, in using the STEPS ethical decision-making model to develop an effective plan with measures to address these biases and provide professional services to my client, I will consider the following: I. Identify and describe the problem (legal, ethical, and professional) and the potential issues involved: After identifying this problem as ethical, I will begin by examining it emotionally and intellectually. My religious beliefs would let me see that my client's sexual orientation is indecent. Furthermore, the school administration would come after me if they ever found out that I did not attempt to resolve this client's sexual orientation problem. I will also do my best to ensure that this student completes her studies and is not expelled.II. Refer to the ACA Code of Ethics: In the preamble, the ASCA Ethical Standards (2016) state that a student's sexual orientation must be respected. Section B.3.i of the same ethical standards states that school counselors monitor their own awareness of bias against sexual orientation and seek to become more competent counselors in this area.III. Determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma: I will consult colleagues who have more experience with similar cases and research in relevant literature reviews (I.2.c. ACA, 2014). Imposing my own beliefs on this student would violate their autonomy. However, I believe that giving inappropriate advice regarding sexual orientation would harm the student and violate the principle of non-maleficence. On the other hand, it would violate the principle of justice to impose a certain system of beliefs on it.IV. Identify possible course of action: I will evaluate all my options to either avoid the problem during counseling, discuss the problem openly while trying to limit my own biases, or.