Ethical challenges faced by Philippine public secondary school guidance counselors under the new normal

Abstract

This study aims to explore the impact of the ethical challenges faced by guidance counselors in public schools in Nueva Vizcaya in performing their tasks of counseling and providing other related services to the students in an online learning environment brought about by the COVID- 19 pandemic, and how they addressed the same.  By a thorough understanding of the experiences of these public-school guidance counselors, it is hoped that new solutions or strategies to deal more effectively with such challenges can be offered.  Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), this study examines the lived experiences of four (4) public secondary school guidance counselors who cater to the counseling needs of fifty-two public high schools in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. Results reveal that guidance counselors experience challenges, ethical and otherwise, in the delivery of their services to students. The most common ethical dilemmas pointed out by the participants are maintaining confidentiality of personal disclosures and student records, multiple relationships, awareness of a colleague's ethical transgression, and maintaining boundaries. Guidance counselors will always be part of the support group in the holistic formation of the learners, whether in the physical or virtual environment.