L10: APS Code Of Ethical Conduct Flashcards
General principle A: respect for the rights and dignity of ppl and ppls
- psychologists regard ppl as intrinsically valuable and respect their rights, including the right to autonomy and justice
- psychs engage in conduct which promotes equity and the protection of ppls human rights, legal rights and moral rights
- they respect the dignity of ppl and ppls
A1 - justice
A2 - respect
A3 - informed consent
A4 - privacy
A5 - confidentiality
A5.2 - disclosure
A6 - release of info to clients
A7 - collection of client info from associate parties
Definition of multiple relationships
Occur when a psych, rendering a psych service to a client, also is or has been:
- in a non-prof rship with the same client;
- in a diff prof rship with the same client
- on a non-prof rship with an associated party; or
- a recipient of a service provided by the same client
A1 justice
Psychs should not engage in any form of disc.
A2 respect
- for clients: no behaviors that could be perceived as coercive or demeaning
- respect legal and moral rights of others
- towards other colleagues: respectful, professional, confidential, respect proprietary rights
A3 - informed consent
- fully inform clients regarding psych services they intend to provide
- use plain language
- provides practical guidelines for how a psych can ensure consent is informed
- guidelines for when clients do not have the capacity to consent
A4 privacy
- no undue invasion of privacy
- collect only relevant info
- no personal info from supervises or trainees
A5 confidentiality
- take into account legal and organizational requirements
A) make provisions for maintaining confidentiality in the collection, recording, accessing, storage, dissemination, and disposal of information; and
B) take reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality of info after they leave a specific work setting, or cease to provide psych services
A5.2 Disclosure
- with consent, when legally obliged
- immediate, specified risk of harm to an identifiediable person that fan only be averted by disclosure
- when consulting colleagues etc but must conceal identity of client or get consent. Recipients of knowledge must agree to confidentiality
-Psychs inform clients at the outset of the prof rship, and as regularly as is reasonably necessary, of the:
A) limits to confidentiality
B) foreseeable uses of re info generated in the course of the rship - when a standard of this code allows psychs to disclose info obtained in the course of the provision of psych services, only disclose the info necessary to achieve the purpose of disc, and them only to ppl required to have that information
A6 - release of information to clients
- psychs, with consideration of legislative exceptions and their organisational requirements, do not refuse any reasonable request from clients, or former clients to access client information for which the psychs have prof resp.
A7 - collection of client info from associated parties
- consent of client or their legal rep
- psychs who work with clients whose capacity to give informed consent is, or may be, impaired or limited, obtain the informed consent of ppl with legal authority to act on behalf of the client, and attempt to obtain the clients consent as far as practically possible
General Principle B: Propriety
B1 competence
B2 record keeping
B3 professional responsibility
B4 provision of psych services at the request of a third party
B5 provision of psych services to multiple clients
B6 delegation of prof tasks
B7 use of interpreters
B8 collaborating with others for the benefits of clients
B9 accepting clients of other profs
B10 suspension of psych services
B11 termination of psych services
B12 conflicting demands b/w organisation and code
B13 psych assessment
B14 research
B1 competence
B1.1- psych bring and maintain appropriate skills and learning to their areas of prof practices
B1.2 - practice within boundaries of prof competence and jurisdiction of practice
B1.3 - prof supervision and consultation
B1.4 - self-monitor prof functioning
B2 - record keeping
- adequate records
- keep for 7 yrs
- for clients under 18 keep records till they are 25
- clients and former clients have the right to amend inaccurate info in their records
B3 - Prof responsibility
Psychs provide psych services in a responsible manner. Having regard to the nature on the psych services they are providing, psychs:
a) act with care and skills expected of a competent psych
b) take responsibility for the reasonable foreseeable consequences of their conduct
c) take reasonable steps to prevent harm occurring as a result of their conduct
d) provide a psych service only for the period when those services are necessary to the client
e) are personally responsible for the prof decisions they make
B4 - provision of psych services at the request of a third party
Psychs who agree to provide psych services to an ind. etc at the request of a third party, at the outset explain to all parties concerned:
a) the nature of rship with each of them;
b) the psychs role
c) the probable uses of the info obtained
d) the limits to confidentiality; and
e) the financial arrangements relating to the provision of the service where relevant
B5 - provision of psych services to multiple clients
a) explain to each client the limits to confidentiality in advance;
b) give clients an opportunity to consider the limitations of the situation;
c) obtain clients’ explicit acceptance of these limitations; and
d) ensure as far as possible, that no client is coerced to accept these limitations
B6 - delegation of prof tasks
- delegates must have read code
- ensure no multiple rship b/w delegates and clients
- access risk harm to client by delegation
- delegate must be competent
- oversee delegates to ensure that they perform tasks competently
B8 - collaborating with others for the benefit of clients
- cooperate with other prof where appropriate and necessary to provide effectual services to clients
- offer second opinion
B11 - termination of psych services
- client no longer benefiting from services
- well-being of client is paramount
- reasonable arrangements for the continuity of service provision when no longer able to deliver the psych service
- when client needs greater expertise than you can provide
B13 - psych assessment
- use quality instruments/measures
- understand and make clear to clients the limitations of the measures/techniques
- score and report accurately
- do not compromise tests or make public
B14 - Research
- comply with codes
- make data available on request
- report data accurately
- state previous publication of any data clearly
General Principle C: integrity
C1 reputable behaviour C2 communication C3 conflict of interest C4 non-exploitation C5 authorship C6 financial arrangements
C2 communication
- honesty
- correct any misrepresentations/misconceptions
- guidelines for advertising
- accurately portray prof qualification
C3 conflict of interest
- avoid multiple rships that impair prof practice, could harm clients of lead to their exploitation;
- seek advice from senior psych if unsure
- if multiple rships are unavoidable, carefully follow all informed consent guidelines at A3
- declare to clients any vested interests in the psych services they deliver
APS on sexual contact w clients
a) do not engage in sexual activity w a client or anybody who is closely related to one of their clients
b) do not engage in sexual activity w a former client, anybody who is closely related to one of their clients within 2 yrs of terminating the prof rship
c) psychs who wish to engage in sexual activity w former clients after 2 yrs, first explore w a senior psych the poss that the former client may be vulnerable and at risk of exploitation, and encourage the former client to seek independent counseling on the matter
d) do not accept as a client a perish with whom they have engaged in sexual activity
Effects of sexual contact as an extreme boundary violation
- most damaging boundary violation
- is never permissible in the client’s life time for psychotherapists
- as with APS may be permissible 2 yrs after the termination of treatment by some of other standards
- clients who are having sexual relations with counsellor often feel/experience:
• ambivalence towards their counsellor, guilt, isolated, empty, have thought and other cognitive disturbances, identity disturbances, loss of trust, sexual confusion, unstable mood, suppressed rage, are at greatly increased suicide risk
A counsellor who has a sexual boundary violation with a client tends to:
- male and middle aged
- prof isolating
- suffering from personal distress or having a ‘mid-life crisis’
- having marital problems
- typically expose/self-disclose their own problems to younger, fem clients, making themselves vulnerable and gaining the sympathy of the client
C5 authorship
- discuss early
- assigned according to contribution
- students rights
- consent of contributors
C6 financial arrangements
- honest
- clear
- safeguard the best interests of, and are clearly understood, by all parties
- avoid financial arrangements which may adversely influence the psych services provided
- no money charged for referrals
Ethics investigations and concerns
If you suspect colleague of misconduct
a) where appropriate, draw the attention of the psych whose conduct is in question directly, or indirectly through a senior psych, to the actions that are brought to be in breach of the Code and cite the section of the Code which may have been breached
b) encourage ppl directly affected by such behaviour to report the conduct to a relevant regulatory body or the ethics committee of the society; or
c) report the conduct to a relevant regulatory body or ethics committee of the society
