Counselor Education Comprehensive Exam (CECE) Practice Exam

Which ethical principle promotes the welfare of clients and encourages positive outcomes?

1. Justice

2. Beneficence

3. Autonomy

4. Nonmaleficence

The correct answer is: Beneficence

The principle that promotes the welfare of clients and encourages positive outcomes is beneficence. This ethical principle is rooted in the idea of taking positive actions to help others and promote their well-being. In the context of counseling, beneficence involves not only the avoidance of harm but also the proactive efforts to contribute to the client's health, development, and overall happiness. Counselors who adhere to this principle strive to create therapeutic environments that foster growth and positive change for their clients. In essence, beneficence underscores the responsibility of counselors to act in the best interests of their clients, ensuring that their interventions seek to improve clients' situations and facilitate meaningful progress. This contrasts with the other ethical principles, such as justice, which emphasizes fairness and equity, autonomy, which highlights the importance of respecting clients' rights to make their own choices, and nonmaleficence, which focuses on the duty to do no harm. While all these principles are vital in counseling ethics, beneficence directly relates to the promotion of positive outcomes for clients.