Working on ASPECT’s AI policy recently brought me back to a now-familiar question: how do we make good use of new tools while maintaining a reverence for the human relationships at the heart of our work?

In August, Dr. Roberta Borgen and Cassie Taylor of Life Strategies joined us for a rapid-fire ethics refresher. “Rapid-fire” felt fitting for the range of questions our members encounter in a working day: when a program rule does not quite fit the person in front of us, when privacy and safety pull in different directions, or when someone needs support beyond our expertise. These situations rarely arrive neatly labelled as ethical dilemmas, but each calls for care and professional judgment.

Culture, community and lived experience shape these decisions too. Understandings of family, collective responsibility, privacy and choice can differ. Responding well means remaining curious, examining our assumptions and listening to what matters to the person seeking support.

ASPECT’s Code of Ethics reflects our members' commitments to fairness, honesty, dignity and client choice. The national Code of Ethics for Career Development Professionals, developed through collaboration including the Canadian Career Development Foundation and Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, offers practical guidance. We support this learning through our CDP Bootcamp partnership with Life Strategies, our work with the Standards Council for Canadian Career Development and our wider partner network.

Thank you to our members and partners for the integrity and professionalism we see across the province. Behind each employment outcome are thoughtful decisions, trusted relationships and careful work that reports cannot fully capture. Supporting that work means making room for the time, learning and professional judgment it requires.

Jennifer Nichol
Interim CEO
ASPECT BC