By Dan Nonte, University Relations
Dr. Kelly Wester
Assistant professor Kelly Wester in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development has created a DVD and handbook, “Conducting Research Responsibly: Cases for Counseling Professionals.”
These materials will help fill a void in many counselor education programs, Wester said. Textbooks tend to deal with the ethics of counseling itself rather than the ethics of counseling research.
At the same time, counselors are under increasing pressure from consumers, insurers and the government to provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of their services.
Wester worked with the National Board for Certified Counselors to develop the DVD and handbook, which can be used together or separately.
Grants from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Office of Research Integrity supported the 18-month project.
The DVD was recorded in the Curry and Ferguson buildings on the UNCG campus during November 2004. It features counseling graduate students as actors and consists of 11 vignettes ranging from less than two minutes to six minutes.
Two other School of Education professors – Dr. L. DiAnne Borders and Dr. Carl A. Lashley – served as project consultants.
After each vignette, the DVD poses questions for discussion and provides the relevant ethical rules from the NBCC and the American Counseling Association. The 129-page handbook includes a transcript of the DVD and answers to the discussion questions.
The ethical issues explored include deception, confidentiality, informed consent, explanation of risks, precautions to protect participants, working with children and reporting unfavorable results, among other ethical issues.
Wester earned her doctorate at Kent State University and joined the UNCG faculty in 2003.
For more information about the materials, contact Wester.
