FEATURE ARTICLE
October 2003

Ethics Proposed for NCDA Home Study Grant
By Sally Gelardin, NCDA Professional Development Chair

The National Career Development Association’s Professional Development Committee has been directed by the NCDA Board to identify a subject that could be delivered through a home study course for NCDA members and other career professionals who need CEUs and who would find the subject helpful to their professional development. Ethics was one area that has been identified by members as valuable and needed.

According to Spencer Niles, NCDA President, "All state licensing boards require ethics since career services are full of potential ethical issues." Robert Pate at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, said, "The professionalization of counseling has resulted in counselors (licensed in all but California and a couple other states) being included in the benefits (e.g., third-party payments) and liabilities (e.g. increased malpractice liability) associated with recognition as mental health professionals. The importance of the subject of ethics is demonstrated by the increasing emphasis on ethical and legal issues in professional journals and newsletters."

The Professional Development Committee welcomes referrals to home study or online ethics curriculum designers who would be interested in submitting a proposal for an existing or to-be-designed curriculum. The Professional Development Committee is in the process of designing general guidelines for the proposal, and compensation.

Please send an email to me if you have designed, would be interested in designing, or are aware of existing home study or distant ethics courses for career professionals. Email: lifeworks@gelardin.net.