Professional practice and ethics expectations include understanding ethical responsibilities when counselors participate in or conduct research. In a collaborative research project, while all researchers share ethical obligations, the primary responsibility for ensuring the protection of participants’ legal and ethical rights lies with the principal investigator (PI).

The PI is responsible for:

Ensuring informed consent procedures

Safeguarding confidentiality and data security

Complying with institutional and legal requirements

Overseeing the ethical conduct of all aspects of the project

Option B (author of the proposal) does not necessarily have ongoing responsibility if they are not the PI.

Option C (the counselor who agrees to accept responsibility) is too vague; specific responsibility lies with designated roles and typically centers on the PI.

Option D (state licensure board) regulates professional conduct broadly but does not manage the day-to-day ethical implementation of a specific research project.

Therefore, the correct answer is A, the principal investigator.