Ethics & Professional Issues Flashcards
Although the specific laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, all jurisdictions require psychologists to report known or suspected cases of child abuse to the appropriate authorities.
Child Abuse Reporting
Client access to records is determined by law but, in general, the psychologist is the owner of the physical record while the client has the right to inspect the contents of the record.
Client Access To Records
Standard 5.05 states that “psychologists do not solicit testimonials from current therapy clients/patients or other persons who because of their particular circumstances are vulnerable to undue influence.”
Client Testimonials
Standard 3.04 addresses ____ ____ in a general way and states that psychologists “take reasonable steps” to avoid and minimize harm to clients, students, research participants, and others with whom they work.
Client Welfare
Standard 10.04 states that “in deciding whether to offer or provide services to those already receiving mental health services elsewhere, psychologists carefully consider the treatment issues and the potential client’s/patient’s welfare. Psychologists discuss these issues with the client/patient … and proceed with caution.”
Clients Receiving Services From Another Professional
Standard 6.04 states that “if the recipient of services does not pay for services as agreed, and if psychologists intend to use collection agencies or legal measures to collect the fees, psychologists first inform the person that such measures will be taken and provide that person an opportunity to make prompt payment.”
Collection Agencies
Standard 2.01 requires psychologists to “provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience.”
Competence
Laws related to competence to stand trial were derived from the standard set forth in Dusky v. United States (1960), which defines a defendant as incompetent if, as the result of mental defect or illness, the defendant lacks “sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding, and … a rational as well as a factual understanding of the proceedings against him.”
Competence To Stand Trial
Standard 1.08 states that “psychologists do not deny persons employment, advancement, admissions to academic or other programs, tenure, or promotion, based solely upon their having made or their being the subject of an ethics complaint. This does not preclude taking action based upon the outcome of such proceedings or considering other appropriate information.”
Complainants And Respondents
refers to the obligation of psychologists to protect clients from unauthorized disclosure of information revealed in the context of the professional relationship. Confidentiality is an ethical principle and, in some situations, a legal requirement.
Confidentiality
Standard 4.06 states that “when consulting with colleagues, (1) psychologists do not disclose confidential information that reasonably could lead to the identification of a client/patient, research participant, or other person or organization with whom they have a confidential relationship unless they have obtained the prior consent of the person or organization or the disclosure cannot be avoided, and (2) they disclose information only to the extent necessary to achieve the purposes of the consultation.”
Consultation
refers to techniques that are used to assess the costs of an intervention in order to facilitate decision-making about the intervention. Methods of cost analysis include cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-feasibility, cost-minimization analysis, and cost-offset analysis
Cost Analysis
Standard 8.07 states that deception is acceptable only when the following conditions are met: (a) The use of deception is justified by the “study’s significant prospective scientific, educational, or applied value and … effective nondeceptive alternative procedures are not feasible”; (b) prospective participants are not deceived about conditions that can be “reasonably expected to cause physical pain or severe emotional distress”; and (c) participants will be debriefed “preferably at the conclusion of their participation, but no later than at the conclusion of the data collection.”
Deception In Research
Standards 7.01 through 7.06 address education and supervision and require psychologists to act competently and responsibly when teaching, supervising, and designing education and training programs and to avoid misrepresenting themselves or their work when performing these functions.
Education And Supervision
is a requirement for licensure in the United States and Canada. It is prepared by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) and is designed to assist the boards “in their evaluation of the qualifications of applicants for licensure and certification” by assessing “the knowledge that the most recent practice analysis has determined as foundational to the competent practice of psychology” (ASPPB, 2010).
EPPP
Standard 1.04 encourages psychologists to handle ethical violations informally by discussing the matter with the offender when an “informal resolution appears appropriate”; while Standard 1.05 states that psychologists make a formal report to the Ethics Committee, state licensing board, or other appropriate authority when the problem involves “substantial harm” and is not appropriate for an informal resolution or has not been resolved satisfactorily by an attempt at an informal resolution. These Standards also require that, before psychologists take any action, they must consider the issue of client confidentiality.
Ethical Violations By Colleagues
A fact witness is a person “who testifies as to what he/she has seen, heard, or otherwise observed regarding a circumstance, event or occurrence as it actually took place…. Fact witnesses are generally not allowed to offer an opinion, address issues that they do not have personal knowledge of or respond to hypothetical situations” (APA, 1998, p. 7). An expert witness is a person “who by reason of education or specialized experience possesses superior knowledge respecting a subject about which persons having no particular training are incapable of forming an accurate opinion or deducing correct conclusions” (Nolan & Nolan-Haley, 1990, p. 578). A person who has been qualified as an expert witness by the court is allowed to offer opinions and provide testimony based on hypothetical scenarios.
Fact Versus Expert Witness
were adopted “as a means of self-regulation in the public interest,” and its provisions are general and aspirational. It delineates basic guiding principles for all providers of psychological services (except for those who teach psychology, conduct research, or write and edit scientific manuscripts), and its goal is to “improve the quality, effectiveness, and accessibility of psychological services.”
General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services
The goal of the _______ ____ ____ ____ _____ is “to promote proficiency” in the conduct of child custody evaluations, and it provides aspirational guidelines that are intended to “facilitate the continued systematic development of the profession and help facilitate a high level of practice by psychologists.” It states that determining the “psychological best interests” of the child is the primary purpose of a child custody evaluation and that the child’s welfare is always of paramount importance.
Guidelines For Child Custody Evaluations In Family Law Proceedings
these guidelines presents aspirational principles and guidelines for psychologists working with members of ethnic, linguistic, and culturally diverse populations. It emphasizes the importance of competence and presents recommendations for incorporating cultural issues and knowledge into practice.
Guidelines For Providers Of Psychological Services To Ethnic, Linguistic, And Culturally Diverse Populations
Standard 5.06 states that “psychologists do not engage, directly or through agents, in uninvited in-person solicitation of business from actual or potential therapy clients/patients or other persons who because of their particular circumstances are vulnerable to undue influence.” It also identifies two exceptions to this prohibition - i.e., making “collateral contacts for the purpose of benefiting an already engaged therapy client/patient … [and] providing disaster or community outreach services.”
In-Person Solicitation
Standard 3.10 states that “when psychologists conduct research or provide assessment, therapy, counseling, or consulting services in person or via electronic transmission or other forms of communication, they obtain the informed consent of the individual or individuals using language that is reasonably understandable to that person or persons.” It also states that “for persons who are legally incapable of giving informed consent, psychologists nevertheless (1) provide an appropriate explanation, (2) seek the individual’s assent, (3) consider such persons’ preferences and best interests, and (4) obtain appropriate permission from a legally authorized person.”
Informed Consent And Assent
Standard 8.02 states: “(a) When obtaining informed consent …, psychologists inform participants about (1) the purpose of the research, expected duration, and procedures; (2) their right to decline to participate and to withdraw from the research once participation has begun; (3) the foreseeable consequences of declining or withdrawing; (4) reasonably foreseeable factors that may be expected to influence their willingness to participate such as potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects; (5) any prospective research benefits; (6) limits of confidentiality; (7) incentives for participation; and (8) whom to contact for questions about the research and research participants’ rights.”
Informed Consent For Research
Standard 10.01 states: “(a) When obtaining informed consent to therapy …, psychologists inform clients/patients as early as is feasible in the therapeutic relationship about the nature and anticipated course of therapy, fees, involvement of third parties, and limits of confidentiality and provide sufficient opportunity for the client/patient to ask questions and receive answers.”
Informed Consent For Therapy