Philippine E-Journals

Lights and Shadows: Lived Experiences of Guidance Advocates in the Practice of Ethical Bracketing

Aileen Joy B. Decena | Deborah Natalia E. Singson

 

Abstract:

Due to the limited number of registered guidance counselors (RGCs) in the Philippines, public high schools are compelled to appoint class- room teachers as guidance advocates and perform the duties and re- sponsibilities of an RGC, specifically facilitating counseling to learn- ers. With their lack of training and fundamental knowledge, differing orientations, and demanding and overlapping work as classroom teachers and at the same time as guidance advocates, the participants are having difficulty practicing one of the ethical codes in the coun- seling profession – ethical bracketing; thus, its delivery is put to jeop- ardy. This study used descriptive phenomenological analysis to ex- plore the lived experiences of guidance advocates on their practice of ethical bracketing in facilitating counseling services. Data were col- lected via unstructured in-depth interviews and analyzed using Licht- man’s three (3) C’s of Data Analysis, retaining only relevant themes: predicaments in ethical bracketing, factors for good ethical bracket- ing, transformation through counseling experiences, and counseling practice as a calling. The participants did not just overcome the chal- lenges they had faced in practice but experienced transformations that significantly impacted their perspective about themselves, their counselees, and the counseling profession. The findings of this study serve as baseline information in creating a training program that can address the concerns of the guidance advocates on their practice of ethical bracketing in facilitating counseling services.