The Necessity of Professional Disclosure and Informed Consent for Rehabilitation Counselors

Abstract

Within the rehabilitation counseling arena, professional disclosure and informed consent are critical concepts for the rehabilitation counselor to understand. Once understood, they become key components of a rehabilitation counselor’s daily practice. Counselors need to provide sufficient prior information about their evaluation and services to respect the individual’s right to make an informed choice about participating in the activities. This is one of the most important steps for the counselor to make at the outset of the relationship and thereafter. Yet, inconsistency abounds among rehabilitation counselors when it comes to providing a full and adequate disclosure, thereby ensuring the individual’s right to informed consent. This article addresses the history of these issues, the manner by which earlier versions of the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors addressed them, and the changes regarding disclosure and informed consent within the revised 2010 code. Because the code now requires written disclosure, this article provides guidance to rehabilitation counselors for incorporating proper professional disclosure and informed consent protocols into their daily professional activities.