The Six Ethical Principles When most people think of ethics or morals, they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong, of rules regarding what is right or prudent. Ethics and morality help us to reason and find an answer when we find ourselves asking: “What should we do? How should we behave in the face of certain circumstances?” Rehabilitation counselors are professionals who can make judgments, apply their skills, and make informed decisions in situations that the general public cannot. Rehabilitation counselors are often faced with situations that require sound ethical decision-making. Rehabilitation counselors are committed to facilitating the personal, social and economic independence of people with disabilities. Determining the appropriate path to take when faced with a difficult ethical dilemma can be a challenge. In a perfect world, laws at all levels and all relevant ethical codes would be perfectly in tune with each other, but this is not always the case. Codes of ethics and guidelines cannot give all the answers to all the situations that a consultant is forced to face. There may be times when advisors may find themselves in a situation where they must exercise personal and professional judgment because the legal and professional requirements are inconsistent. Sometimes the counselor may have to choose between legal, but unethical, actions, as in the case of a client who has expressed suicidal ideation. Codes of ethics provide limited guidance to counselors in resolving ethical dilemmas. Consultants must have critical analytical decision-making skills to solve them. However, the six ethical principles will help rehabilitation professionals… halfway through the document… sometimes, this alone will clarify the issues enough that the solution to the dilemma is obvious. In more complicated cases it is useful to be able to work through the stages of an ethical decision-making model and evaluate which of these moral principles might be in conflict. Always remember that the reason we chose this profession was for the benefit and well-being of the client. Van Hoose and Paradise (1979) offered a suggestion for counselors who may question whether or not their actions as a counselor toward a client are ethical. They suggest that if the counselor maintains personal and professional honesty combined with the best interest of the client, without malice or gain and can justify his actions as the best judgment of what should be done based on the current state of the situation. profession, then they are probably acting ethically.