Mission Statement:

Regent University serves as a center of Christian thought and action to provide

excellent education through a Biblical perspective and global context equipping
Christian leaders to change the world.

SECTION 1: COURSE OVERVIEW

Regent University
College of Health & Behavioral Sciences
School of Psychology and Counseling
Department of Counseling Ministries

HSC/PAC 505 Professional Ethics in the Human Services Field

(3 credit hours)
8 of weeks
Location Online

Please be advised that this program is a non-licensure program. It is not

designed to lead to licensure in any state. Completion of this program does
not qualify you for licensure. It is the student's responsibility to verify
licensing requirements for any profession in their state.

Instructor and Course Schedule

See the course shell in Canvas for the current instructor information and dates and
times for this class.

Course Description
HSC 505 Professional Ethics in the Human Service Fields (3) provides an
overview of professional ethics for human services fields. A brief survey of the
professional codes in the mental health fields and other relevant guidance in
applied ethics pertinent to human services work and roles. Cross-listed with PAC
505.

Required and Supplemental Resources

Required Textbook:
Daniel, D. (2020). Counseling principles and Christian beliefs: An integrated
approach. Kendall Hunt Publishing. (ISBN: 9781792411298).
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Supplemental Textbook:
American Psychological Association (2019). Publication manual of the
American psychological association (7 ed.). Author. (ISBN:
th

9781433805615).

To order books, please go to the Regent University Online Bookstore. Textbooks

are available via the Regent student portal to access, or you may utilize other
purchase options.

Required Software:
The current computer and software requirements for students can be found
on Regent University’s IT Department website.
Recommended Resources:
Regent Library is a great resource for conducting research (e.g., databases
for articles, e-books, streaming video), finding research guides, asking
questions of the librarian, finding learning materials, and student resources.
In addition, a link to the writing lab can be found on the library’s website.

Program Outcomes
1. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to evaluate theories
and concepts related to affective, cognitive, behavioral, and social aspects of
human services.
2. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to apply and adhere
to the ethical and professional standards in human services settings.
3. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to describe how
culture influences human behavior in human service settings.
4. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to integrate a
Christian worldview into the study of human services.

SECTION 2: COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Method of Evaluating Student Performance

All assignments are always due on Saturdays at 11:59 pm (EST) during the week
assigned, unless otherwise specified.

1. Syllabus Quiz

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Students must complete the Syllabus Quiz during the first week of class. It is due
on Week 1, Friday at 11:59 pm EST. If the syllabus quiz is not completed, the
student is at risk of being dropped from the class (Required).

2. Participation
Students are expected to attend all synchronous class meetings via Zoom, as
students are responsible for all material covered in the live sessions and if the
student is unable to attend, they are expected to view the recorded session. There
will be a Class Session quiz for each class session that students will take to confirm
their attendance or that they watched the recording.

3. Online Discussions
Students must participate in all Discussions. Please note that posting and being an
active part of the discussion is expected throughout the duration of an online
discussion week. All Discussions will be graded by the instructor on record and/or
a TA.
Your initial posting: Initial postings are always due on Wednesdays at 11:59 pm
during the week assigned. Stay within 225-275 words. Post on time. Discussions
only have value if they are posted on time. When late, other students cannot benefit
from your contributions and the class moves on to the next assignment.

APA requirements for initial posting: Each initial discussion posting must meet
the following basic four APA-requirements:

● 12 pt. Times New Roman

● Include one scripture
● Cite a minimum of two relevant academic sources using APA-style
in–text citations.
● Do not use non-academic sources. Cite sources appropriately with an
APA- formatted references section.

Your response post: Response postings are always due on Saturdays at 11:59 pm
during the week assigned. Post two video responses (see tutorial video in “Course
Resources”). Your recorded video response must be between 3-5 minutes long.
Study the Discussion prompt and the rubric before engaging in your Discussion
activities. Content is key. All assignments are due Eastern Standard Time (EST).

IMPORTANT: If any reference to current or past clients is made

during Discussion postings, students must ensure that client/participant
identities are always kept confidential.

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4. Applied Ethical Scenarios/Case Studies
Students will write reports that will apply one of the ethical decision-making
models to an ethical dilemma provided by the instructor. This assignment will
provide students the opportunity to think through the ethical dilemma and apply the
model to create possible solutions to the dilemma. This paper does not have to be
APA style, but students must demonstrate a clear application of each step in the
model and need to write out full paragraphs, not bullet points.

5. Midterm and Final Exam

Students will complete an open book, open-note mid-term, and final exam over the
course materials covered. Each exam will be open for an extended period during
week #4 (mid-term) and week #7 (final), but each exam will need to be taken in
one sitting. Once submitted no further changes can be made. Although these are
open-book exams, students are to work independently and no outside collaboration
during the exam may occur. The academic honor code applies.

Assignments Weight
Syllabus Quiz 1%
Discussions & Participation 30%
Applied Ethical Scenarios/Case Studies 30%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%
TOTAL 101%

Grading Scale

The programs in the Department of Counseling Ministries (i.e., M.A. in Human

Services, M.A. in Pastoral Counseling, and Ph.D. in Counseling and
Psychological Studies) follow this grading system:

M.A. (HS/PC) Crosslisted

(i.e., Ph.D. in CPS)

Grade Percentage Quality Meaning of Grade Meaning of Grade

Points
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 A 93-100 4.00 Superior Superior

A- 90-92 3.67 Excellent Excellent

B+ 87-89 3.33 Good Good

B 83-86 3.00 Passing Sufficient/Passing

B- 80-82 2.67 Sufficient/Passing Failing

C+ 77-79 2.33 Failing Failing

C 73-76 2.00 Failing Failing

C- 70-72 1.67 Failing Failing

D+ 67-69 1.33 Failing Failing

D 63-66 1.00 Failing Failing

D- 60-62 0.67 Failing Failing

F 0-59 0.00 Failing Failing

Grade
Meaning of Grade

I
Incomplete

IP
In Progress

W
Withdrawn

WF
Withdrawn Failing

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 P
Pass (for Pass/Fail course)

NP
No Pass (for Pass/Fail course)

A
Audit (no credit)

FX
Failed to finish an incomplete

Grading: To remain in good academic standing in the Department of Counseling

Ministries, a student must maintain a 3.00 grade point average and earn a grade of
B or better in each course (to avoid repeating that course).

Withdrawal from Course Grades: Students may withdraw from a course prior to
the last official day of the semester. Refunds of tuition fall under the current Regent
University guidelines to add/drop refund rules. A withdrawal will be recorded as a
"WP” or "WF" depending on the student's grades at the time of the withdrawal.

Course Outline
Module Readings/Resources Used Activities/Assignments
1 Syllabus Quiz due by Friday
● Read and review the entire at 11:59 pm
National Organization for Human
Services ethics code. Introduction video Due by
● Read Daniel, Chapters 1 & 2 Wednesday at 11:59 pm
● Read and review the attached
PowerPoint on Paraprofessional Discussion #1 Initial post are
Roles and the emergence of always due on Wednesdays,
ethical codes. 11:59 pm EST; response
Lecture 8.1 Paraprofessional posts are always due by
Roles & Ethics.pptx Saturday 11:59 pm of the
● Understand the history of human same week
services ethical codes

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 development. Read the Preamble
to the NOHS code of ethics.

2 ● Read Daniel, Chapter 3. Discussion #2

● Study Week 2 Ethics 505
Multicultural Perspectives in
Human Services Counseling.pptx
● Understand the difference
between a legal standard
(statute/law) and standards or
ethical codes. Watch this, please,
but do not pay!
● Understand the ethical issues in an
increasingly diverse world
● Understand that there are many
ethics codes out there. What
ethical code do we choose and
why? Check out these Codes of
Ethics from various organizations:
ACA, AAMFT, AACC, and
NASW.
● Understand the issues surrounding
ethical codes and ethics and the
law.

3 Applied Ethical Case

● Read Daniel, Chapter 4. Scenario #1 Paper Due
● Read: From the NOHS Ethics
Code - STANDARD 3 Human
service professionals protect the
client's right to privacy and
confidentiality except when such
confidentiality would cause
serious harm to the client or
others when agency guidelines
state otherwise, or under other
stated conditions (e.g., local,
state, or federal laws). Human
services professionals inform
clients of the limits of
confidentiality prior to the onset

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 of the helping relationship
(informed consent). The resources
noted below are specific to
various human services
professions but discuss the issues
of confidentiality that generally
apply to human service
professions as a whole. Keep in
mind that where you work or
volunteer, the organizational
policy may also influence how
confidentiality is addressed.
● Read: The Complexities of Client
Privacy, Confidentiality, and
Privileged Communication Client
Rights
● Read: 10 Ways Practitioners Can
Void Frequent Ethical Pitfalls
(Read items #2 and #3)

4 Discussion #3
● Read Daniel, Chapter 5. Midterm Exam
● Hyde_2012_Ethical Dilemmas in
HSM Identifying and Resolving
the Challenges.pdf

5
● Read Daniel, Chapter 6 Applied Ethical Case
● Listen to this mini audio lecture Scenario #2
by Corey (not our textbook) on
being a helper in a community and
maintaining one's original values
(why you chose to help people in
the first place): on Canvas

6 ● Read Daniel, Chapter 7 Discussion #4

7
● Read Daniel, Chapter 8 Applied Ethical Case
Scenario #3
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 8
Complete Course Evaluation

Final exam is due no later

than Wednesday, 11:59 pm
EST

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Identify basic ethical standards related to the helping profession
2. Distinguish between values and ethical standards in the mental health field.
3. Apply biblical standards to the helper/client relationship.
4. Examine the differences between helper’s values and from global client’s
values.

Course Objectives
Course Learning
Outcomes
Assignments CLO CL CL CL
1 O2 O3 O4
Discussions & Participation X
Applied Ethical Scenarios/Case Studies X
Midterm Exam X
Final Exam X

Description of How Faith and Learning Will be Integrated in the Course

This course reflects an intentional and explicit Christian engagement of the
contemporary discipline of counseling and psychology through critical reflections
on relevant worldview issues between the two domains, areas of historical
influence, reflections on relevant integrative scholarship, and guided student
exploration and discussion of integrative themes.

Relationship of Course to Regent’s Mission

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Mission: Regent University serves as a center of Christian thought and action to
provide excellent education through a Biblical perspective and global context
equipping Christian leaders to change the world.
1. Biblical Perspective: This course requires students to use biblical concepts
in the examination of ethical standards and personal values in the helping
profession.
2. Global Context: In this course, students can identify what makes them
different from others and what they share with others in terms of ethics and
values. In addition, it can help students identify specific ethical situations
and circumstances to help foster learning.

SECTION 3: POLICIES & PROCEDURES

This section covers policies related to academic integrity, accommodations, and
University policies and procedures. Please refer to the Ph.D. in Counseling and
Psychological Studies program handbook for more information on policies and
procedures.
Communications Policy
Course communication occurs through (1) Regent email system (2) online
synchronous sessions (3) Discussion forums in Canvas (4) online comments to
graded content in Canvas, and (5) Telephonic communication. Responses to emails
and telephone calls to the course instructor normally will be generated within 1-2
business days of their receipt. Students are expected to review emails at their email
address listed in their Canvas profile in a timely manner. Students are expected to
check their Regent email address at least once a day.

Participation
Participation is an important part of learning. Note that failure to attend class does
not constitute an official withdrawal from that class. Students are expected to
attend all synchronous class meetings via Zoom, as students are responsible for all
material covered in the live sessions and if the student is unable to attend, they are
expected to view the recorded session. There will be a Class Session quiz for each
class session that students will take to confirm their attendance or that they
watched the recording.

Late Assignment Penalties

Students are to notify the professor by email of their desire to submit an
assignment late before the submission due date (i.e., at least 24 hours before). The
email to the professor should include at minimum the student’s name and course,
name of the assignment, the due date listed in the course (e.g., virtual platform or
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syllabus), reason for the delay request and when the student plans to submit the
assignment (i.e., date and time). Students must receive written permission (e.g., via
email) from the professor to submit assignments late. In addition, late papers,
presentations, and assignments may result in a reduction of 10% of maximum
points possible for each day late. After seven days without a submission, the
assignment is scored as a zero. It is understood that life presents true emergencies
and justifiable reasons for missing deadlines. A student’s medical emergency or
dealing with natural disasters will be met with understanding, academic grace, and
prayer support on the side of the professor. A student, however, must submit
documentation of the medical emergency and offer a realistic plan of resubmitting
late assignments by email. Early and regular communication with the professor is
key and is expected. In the world of work, professionals must meet deadlines on a
regular basis. Thus, we expect the same of our students.

Class Participation and Student Conduct Expectations

Students in the Department of Counseling Ministries are expected to exhibit a
Christian character of professionalism. Specifically, verbal and written
communication should be carefully thought out and come from a place of
compassion and respect to the intended audience. Therefore, all communications
should be polite, courteous, respectful, and lend itself to grace (e.g., meetings, class
sessions, emails, phone calls). Entitlement and disrespect will not be tolerated.
Violations of this will be addressed as outlined in the Note of Concern (see
program handbook). We care about you and are here to support your academic
achievements.

Your professor expects all students to:

• be punctual
• be prepared
• be respectful
• be fully dressed
• be in a distraction-free, quiet location
Students are expected to treat the online classroom experience the same way one
would treat an on-campus class.

Scholarly Writing
The Counseling Ministries Department uses the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (most recent edition) as the standard for all
writing projects. The APA manual is available for purchase online through a
variety of online book websites, or at local book merchants. Unless otherwise
noted by the professor (e.g., in cases of journaling or opinion papers), each course

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paper is expected to be typed according to APA guidelines. Unless otherwise
specified, each paper should have a title page, introduction, body of text,
conclusion and references. Items such as tables of contents, abstracts, and lists of
tables are not needed for course papers unless specified by the professor. A suitable
website to reference regarding APA style is http://www.apastyle.org/.

A student’s writing style should be consistent with that found in graduate level
work. Graduate level writing exhibits good organization, appropriate spelling and
grammar, and a scholarly quality. There are several resources available to assist
students in their academic writing, students are encouraged to use resources such
as Grammerly, OneNote, and/or Recite Works to assist them in their writing.
Regent University offers writing support to all students though the Writing Lab
(https://www.regent.edu/community-spiritual-life/center-for-student-happiness/#tab
-writing-lab). Faculty and advisors may require students who struggle in this area
to pursue such support to assist in developing writing skills appropriate to graduate
level work.

Academic Integrity
A Christian academic community recognizes the principles of truth and honesty as
essential. It is assumed that academic honesty will prevail throughout graduate
study. Problems of integrity will be expedited with an equal concern for love and
justice. Students respect the honor system when completing academic tests,
projects or papers as their own.

Students typically study and generate course materials, assignments and

assessments such as examinations while in their home environment, rather than in
a classroom. When students participate in online class activities and submit any
materials designated as assignments, postings and/or submissions for coursework
(including materials related to internship and the dissertation), students are
affirming that they did generate the work and the content on their own and
acknowledging if any assistance was received it was only assistance provided was
solely for grammatical help and not content. For tests and quizzes, no aids are
allowed. When submitting tests and quizzes, students are affirming that they did
not generate the submitted work with any aid such as help from another person
unless the instructor expressly indicates forms of aids that can be used (e.g., texts
for open book tests). If an instructor is uncertain about whether a student merits a
favorable evaluation, the onus of proof remains with the student. This is
particularly true in any circumstance where the instructor suspects questionable
ethical conduct (e.g., inappropriate collaboration, plagiarism, cheating, etc.).
Students will only receive positive evaluations when the instructor is satisfied that
the work is of commensurate graduate level quality and has been produced in the
manner expected by the instructor. Students retain full responsibility for ensuring
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that they correctly understand performance expectations required for positive
evaluations.

Self-plagiarism means reusing work that you have already submitted for a class. It
can involve re-submitting a discussion entry, reusing parts of an assignment,
copying or paraphrasing passages from your previous work. Self-plagiarism
misleads by presenting previously submitted work as completely new. If you want
to include any text, ideas, or data that already appeared in a previous paper, you
should always inform the reader of this by citing your own work. To avoid this, do
not reuse your old assignments. You might be assigned a topic that you have
already written a paper on. Never submit the same paper again, even in a
completely different course. If you want to cover some of the same ideas in your
new paper, then talk to your instructor. Your instructor can tell you whether it is
acceptable to reuse or rework parts of old assignments. University departments will
often allow some reuse of work under certain conditions, but make sure you fully
understand the policy to avoid these consequences.
For a detailed description of University policies regarding Academic Integrity,
Academic Honor Code, and Disciplinary Procedures please see The Regent
Graduate Catalog and the Student Handbook.

Incomplete Policy
An Incomplete grade will be given in a regular course only for legitimate
deficiencies due to illness, emergencies or extraordinary reasons acceptable to the
instructor and with the Program Director’s approval, including equipment
breakdown or shortages. Student neglect is not an acceptable reason. It is the
responsibility of the student to initiate the Incomplete, providing the instructor and
Program Director with ample time for approval. To qualify to apply for an
incomplete, the student must have completed over 70% of the weighted total
of work for the entire course. The Incomplete Request Form can be accessed on
the Registrar’s Graduate Student Forms page. Incomplete Grades do not apply to
the Dissertation courses. Please see the Dissertation Handbook for more
information on these courses.

Students who receive two or more course incompletes (either core or elective)
within one academic year and have subsequently not completed the necessary
course requirements to remove them by the end of the standard remedial time
period (one semester per incomplete) will not be allowed to enroll in any further
courses in the program until this work is completed and a grade of B or above is
earned for each course.

Note: Students on academic probation are ineligible to request an incomplete for

courses taken while on probation.
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Required Work Hours
As per Regent University’s Credit Hour policy, 45 hours of total student work are
minimally required for each credit hour earned in a course; therefore, you should
calculate the average number of work hours per week required by this course (e.g.,
a 3-credit course lasting 15 weeks requires at least 9 hours per week of student
work) in order to give you an approximate understanding of the amount of time
you should devote to its requirements. For online, 8-week classes, the student work
effort per week is in effect doubled to about 17 hours per week (vs. 9 hours per
week for 15-week courses).
Christian Foundations of Academic Integrity
Biblical. Regent University affirms the Biblical commandment of “thou shalt not
steal” (Ex. 20:15). In the context of academic integrity, this must be understood in
the larger framework of “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:39) as well as
“render therefore unto Caesar what are Caesar’s; and unto God what are God’s”
(Matt. 22:21). Paul writes from this framework of love and respect when he says,
“Pay to all what is owed them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom
revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed”
(Rom. 13:7). Each of these passages conveys the social obligation to respect the
dignity of both the personhood and the property of those in society. Paul thus
prescribes the biblical standard of honest, hard work as a key to respecting each
other’s personhood and property. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul even provides
counsel to those who have committed theft, stating, “Let him labor, doing honest
work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in
need” (4:28). As such, the God of the Bible mandates a higher life than the world
requires, a life in which Christians participate in the love and dignity God holds for
himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. Indeed, even as Christ honors and acknowledges
the will of his Father and the works of his Spirit, so should Christians honor and
acknowledge the wills and works of those that provide opportunities to edify their
minds and hearts with the knowledge and wisdom of sound scholarship. In doing
so, Christians follow the biblical precept of integrity that is founded on love and
respect and enables them to learn both from one another and those outside the
faith.
Philosophical. Regent University also affirms the necessity of recognizing the
classical virtues when deriving a foundation for academic integrity, particularly the
virtue of diligence. The virtues dictate that researchers should consider morality
first. In other words, one’s sense of expediency must always follow from that
which is right, not from that which is convenient. Cicero comments that, in order to
act morally, individuals must act in a manner that prevents themselves from being
placed in a position where they must choose between convenience and morality, or,
stated differently, into a position where they “consider one thing to be right but not
expedient, and another to be expedient but not right” (102). The virtues, therefore,
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require diligence in order to act morally upright—diligence to plan ahead,
diligence to rationally consider the context of the moral situation, and diligence to
act biblically not just ethically. For that which is ethical to the world is never
necessarily moral before Christ. (Cicero, Marcus Tullius. On Moral Obligations.
Trans. John Higginbotham. London: Faber and Faber LTD, 1967. Print.)
Legal. Finally, Regent University affirms the necessity of equipping students for
the reality of functioning within a society bound by laws, including copyright laws.
Paul speaks clearly about a Christian’s responsibility to abide by the laws of the
land. He concludes that authority is ultimately from God, so believers must work
within that God-ordained system (Rom. 13). Thus, in mastering the art and science
of proper attribution of sources, students are participating in the Biblical tradition
of exhibiting reverence for the divine institute of law as well as giving honor where
honor is due.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
The policy and intent of Regent University is to fully and completely comply with
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, to the extent
that they apply to the university. Regent University will not discriminate against an
otherwise qualified student with a disability in the admissions process, or any
academic activity or program, including student-oriented services. Regent
University will provide reasonable accommodation to the known physical and
mental limitations of a qualified individual with a disability, unless to do so would
impose an undue hardship on the operation of the university, or unless it would
fundamentally alter a degree or course requirement. Qualified students must
request reasonable accommodations for disabilities through the Disability Services
Coordinator in Student Services.
http://www.regent.edu/admin/stusrv/student_life/disabilities.cfm
Student Success
Students that are having difficulties with the course and a course assignment can
seek assistance from the Center for Student Happiness. Students can select the
Academic Coaching request tab to get help.

University Policies and Procedures

For information about student records, privacy, and other University policies and
procedures, students are directed to the most recent version of the Student
Handbook located at
http://www.regent.edu/admin/stusrv/docs/StudentHandbook.pdf

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