The legal issue I chose was the Moms Matter Act (S. 1602/H.R. 3312) because it is of current professional interest. I intern in a family services agency and work with parents and children experiencing mental health challenges in the family environment. It is professionally meaningful to me that families have every chance to succeed.
There are ethical concerns related to this legal issue. The 2014 ACA Code of Ethics begins in A.1.a. by asserting that the “primary responsibility of counselors is…promot[ing] the welfare of clients” (p. 4). Additionally, A.7.a. calls counselors to advocacy efforts in order to “address potential barriers and obstacles” for clients (ACA, 2014, p. 5). As professionals, it is our prerogative to know the welfare of our clients, and it is our duty to advocate for that. We increase beneficence to our clients by creating such change.
To create change, I wrote a letter to my legislators using the tool embedded in the webpage describing the Moms Matter Act (ACA, n.d.). I chose this action because it addressed the Act itself and because it allowed me to begin building relationships. As the American Counseling Association (2024) says, building relationships can “amplify your message” and “build momentum.” With the separate stock-text and the personalized message sections of the tool, it is my hope that the legislators will receive many standard messages that build momentum for the Act itself and that the legislators are engaged with me individually in a way that I can amplify on other topics over time.
My main take-away from this project is that beneficence is multi-layered. Counselors can promote the welfare of clients through advocacy with legislators on specific topics. By remaining engaged with the legislators on other topics, counselors can also build ongoing relationships that continually promote the welfare of their clients over time.