Laws and ethics

Question 1

Question ID #220: When a psychologist believes that her patient’s records will be used in a legal proceeding, she should:
Select one:
A. rewrite them to meet the higher standards of a forensic setting
B. avoid the use of any psychological terminology in favor of legal terminology
C. maintain them in the same kind and quality as all of her patients’ records
D. maintain them in the kind and quality consistent with reasonable scrutiny in an adjudicative forum

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Question ID #169: Which of these studies would be considered most unethical today?
Select one:
A. Milgram's
B. Bandura
C. Zimbardo
D. BF Skinner's study of his own child

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Question ID #151: A psychologist who obtained a Ph.D. in experimental psychology wants to change her specialty to clinical psychology. To meet the requirements set forth by the General Guidelines for Providers, the psychologist must
Select one:
A. complete an internship in clinical psychology under the supervision of a professional clinical psychologist.
B. complete appropriate doctoral-level classes and supervised post-doctoral training.
C. obtain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from an accredited college or university.
D. meet her state’s requirements for licensure in clinical psychology.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Question ID #215: Therapists who become sexually involved with their clients
Select one:
A. usually do so because they believe they are in love with the client as a result of the client’s unique and desirable characteristics.
B. usually do so as a result of a lack of experience and poor judgment.
C. usually do so to fulfill personal needs resulting from events in their own life.
D. do not show any characteristics that distinguish them from therapists who do not become sexually involved with their clients.

Answer 4

C

Question 5

Question ID #229: You receive a letter from the current therapist of a former client. The therapist wants you to forward a copy of the client’s records, and she encloses a signed release from the client. The client still owes you for ten therapy sessions, and you notify the client that you will not release the records until a satisfactory payment arrangement has been made. According to the Ethics Code, this
Select one:
A. is clearly unethical.
B. may be acceptable if the client’s records are not “imminently needed.”
C. may be acceptable if you had informed the client of your policy when he began treatment.
D. may be acceptable if you previously attempted to collect the fees and the client was uncooperative.

Answer 5

B

Question 6

Question ID #164: A client of yours has signed up for the same exercise class you attend. You should:
Select one:
A. Terminate the client
B. Change your health club membership
C. Make a decision depending on whether the class has two or 100 participants
D. Ask the client if he can tell that you are losing weight

Answer 6

C

Question 7

Question ID #223: In which of the following circumstances would a psychologist’s behavior most likely be considered unethical?
Select one:
A. hands out her card to individuals in a tent-city whose homes have been destroyed by a hurricane
B. receives payment for reviewing a new book in her field, which is published in a popular lay magazine
C. has her name and picture featured in a magazine ad in which it is indicated her favorite scotch is Dewars
D. sends out announcements to local businesses that she is available to work as an EAP counselor

Answer 7

A

Question 8

Question ID #168: Which of the following client's rights are protected in a court of law?
Select one:
A. A second opinion
B. Tarasoff 
C. Right of confidentiality
D. Right to receive medication.

Answer 8

C

Question 9

Question ID #190: Which of the following terms refers to the right to refuse to have information released in a legal proceeding?
Select one:
A. privileged communication
B. confidentiality 
C. privacy
D. juris secretas

Answer 9

A

Question 10

Question ID #226: A 16-year-old girl tells her therapist that she wants to kill herself and that she’s been thinking of using her mother’s prescription pain pills to overdose. The therapist then tells her that he will have to tell her parents about her suicide risk. The girl becomes enraged and says that she would not have disclosed the information if she knew that the therapist would tell her parents. The therapist should:
Select one:
A. agree not to tell the parents if the girl agrees to a no-harm contract
B. agree not to tell the parents, but tell them without the girl’s knowledge
C. tell the parents and refer the girl to another therapist because she will probably not be able to trust the therapist again
D. tell the parents and apologize to the girl for having to do so

Answer 10

D

Question 11

Question ID #193: You are hired by a company to evaluate applicants and current employees for the purposes of hiring, promotion, training, and termination. You are told that the company has applicants and employees sign a waiver of confidentiality prior to seeing you. Which of the following best describes your best course of action in this situation?
Select one:
A. You should tell the employer that the company’s policy violates your ethical obligations and refuse to do the evaluations until the policy is changed.
B. You should conduct the evaluations but provide the employer only with information that is directly relevant to the purpose of the evaluation.
C. You should discuss the impact of the waiver with applicants and employees and see if they want to continue with the evaluation process.
D. You should provide the employer with any requested information since applicants and employees have already signed a waiver of confidentiality.

Answer 11

C

Question 12

Question ID #104: You have been asked by your client’s attorney to serve as a fact witness in a court proceeding. Your client, the plaintiff, suffered a serious physical injury in the workplace and has since experienced significant emotional problems as a result of the injury. You have been working with the client for the past several months. During your testimony, you are asked by the plaintiff’s attorney if, in your opinion, the client’s emotional problems are directly related to the injury. You should:
Select one:
A. provide the information as long as you have sufficient data to support your opinion.
B. provide the information only if the plaintiff has waived her right to confidentiality.
C. not provide the information unless ordered to do so by the court.
D. provide the information, but note any possible limitations to your opinion.

Answer 12

C

Question 13

Question ID #120: A new client comes to see you and you find his political views to be distasteful. In this situation, as an ethical psychologist, you should:
Select one:
A. refer the client to someone else.
B. discuss your feelings with the client and assess to determine if his views are reflective of underlying psychopathology.
C. respect the client’s political views and proceed with therapy.
D. seek consultation

Answer 13

C

Question 14

Question ID #136: Your client is terminating your psychological services by mutual agreement after two years. She’s going to be married the following May and would like you to be one of her wedding attendants. You should
Select one:
A. explain to her that the two of you should have no further contact.
B. accept; but under condition that you participate in the wedding only and no other type of friendship can be pursued.
C. explain that you cannot have a friendship with her until two years have passed.
D. decline the invitation; explaining that this would be a multiple relationship.

Answer 14

D

Question 15

Question ID #141: You receive a subpoena for a current client’s therapy records from a process server hired by the court. This means that you must:
Select one:
A. inform the server that you cannot comply with the subpoena because therapy records are privileged.
B. tell the server to wait while you make a copy of the records.
C. appear at a designated place and time with a copy of the records.
D. leave a copy of the records at the courthouse within 48 hours.

Answer 15

C

Question 16

Question ID #124: The difference between the General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services and the Ethical Principles of Psychologists is that the former:
Select one:
A. deals with delivery of services to consumers, and the latter with ethics in general.
B. deals with clinical practice, and the latter with ethics in general.
C. deals with consumers, and the latter with providers of psychological services.
D. is a case analysis of the latter.

Answer 16

A

Question 17

Question ID #100: An attorney contacts you and requests the raw test data which you collected from a former patient of yours last year, along with the testing protocols. The attorney explains that the information is needed in an upcoming court case in which your former client is a plaintiff in a personal injury case. The client has signed an informed consent for release of information. You should:
Select one:
A. release only the information which you believe to be relevant to the case
B. refuse to release the raw test data or test protocols
C. send the attorney the raw data but not the test protocols
D. send the attorney the test protocols but not the raw test data

Answer 17

C

Question 18

Question ID #102: The mother of a 9-year old client of yours asks you to testify at an upcoming custody hearing. Since you have been working with the child for the past 6 months she believes you are best suited to make a recommendation regarding the custody arrangements. You should:
Select one:
A. agree to the request only if both parents sign a consent
B. agree to the request only if you are able to evaluate both parents
C. agree to the request but base your opinion on the best interests of the child
D. refuse to testify

Answer 18

D

Question 19

Question ID #181: Which of the following statements regarding the need to obtain informed consent before releasing client information is most true?
Select one:
A. A psychologist should always obtain informed consent from the client before releasing information.
B. Before consulting with a colleague about a case, a psychologist must always obtain informed consent from the client.
C. A psychologist must obtain informed consent from a client some of the time before releasing information.
D. If a psychologist wants to release information about a case, he or she may do so without obtaining informed consent.

Answer 19

C

Question 20

Question ID #127: The mother of a 3-year old has been told her daughter is very gifted. She wants to encourage the child’s abilities and asks you, a school psychologist, to assess the girl’s IQ score level and suggest a plan for her future education. You should:
Select one:
A. comply with the request.
B. comply with the request, but inform the mother that test results at this age are not very valid as predictors of future performance.
C. suggest that the test not be given, but agree to help the mother in deciding on the future educational plans for her child.
D. inform the mother that there are no standardized valid tests available for children of such a young age.

Answer 20

B

Question 21

Question ID #166: A quality assurance review would likely focus on all of the following except
Select one:
A. treatment effectiveness.
B. access to treatment. 
C. cost of treatment.
D. patient satisfaction.

Answer 21

C

Question 22

Question ID #231: Dr. Bean is a newly licensed clinical psychologist who is practicing in a small rural town. She is the only mental health practitioner in a 150-mile radius. Dr. Bean finds that some of her clients have mental health problems that she has little or no experience treating. Her best course of action is to
Select one:
A. refuse to treat the clients who have problems that she is unfamiliar with.
B. obtain appropriate training before treating the clients who have problems that she is unfamiliar with.
C. inform the clients of her lack of experience and let them decide what to do.
D. see the clients but obtain supervision or consultation by telephone.

Answer 22

D

Question 23

Question ID #195: You are working as a psychologist in a hospital with a patient suffering from head trauma. In your presence, the patient develops Delirium. In this situation, you should:
Select one:
A. bring more people into the room.
B. find a physician for a medication consultation.
C. stay with the person to provide support and help him remain calm.
D. recommend ECT treatment.

Answer 23

C

Question 24

Question ID #116: You are having lunch with a colleague, Dr. O. Timer, who has been a clinical psychologist for over 25 years. You and Dr. Timer start talking about the aspects of your work that are most distressful. Like many psychologists, Dr. Timer mentions that, most often, the ethical dilemmas he encounters in his practice are related to:
Select one:
A. deciding when it is acceptable to breach client confidentiality.
B. dealing with the sexual advances of his female clients.
C. providing accurate information to insurance companies.
D. knowing when to continue versus terminate therapy with a client who doesn’t seem to be improving.

Answer 24

A

Question 25

Question ID #201: You have been treating a client for six months, and the original problem the client sought treatment for is in remission. The client tells you that he wants to terminate. You, however, are reluctant to terminate because you believe that the client can benefit from further psychotherapy. In this situation, you should:
Select one:
A. terminate in line with the client’s wishes, since the client’s presenting problem is solved.
B. seek consultation.
C. discuss the client’s reasons for wanting to terminate.
D. discuss the reasons why you feel he shouldn’t terminate, and, if he still wants to terminate, allow him to do so.

Answer 25

D

Question 26

Question ID #106: A client of yours has recently filed a suit against her employer for sex discrimination. You receive a subpoena from the employer’s attorney requesting you to appear at a deposition and to bring the client’s file. When you contact the client, she tells you she doesn’t want you to provide any information about the things she has talked about in therapy. Your best course of action is to:
Select one:
A. provide the requested information since privilege is waived in this situation.
B. provide only the information you believe is relevant to the case.
C. appear at the deposition as requested but refuse to provide information about the woman.
D. discuss the situation with the employer’s attorney before the date of the deposition.

Answer 26

D

Question 27

Question ID #115: A defendant's ability to take part in and understand the proceedings against him in a criminal trial is an issue of:
Select one:
A. sanity 
B. competence
C. consent
D. testamentary capacity

Answer 27

B

Question 28

Question ID #122: Which of the following infractions accounts for the largest percentage of malpractice costs?
Select one:
A. lack of competence
B. breach of confidentiality 
C. sexual contact with clients
D. improper billing practices

Answer 28

C

Question 29

Question ID #112: You have been treating a 14-year-old female for the past year and during her final termination session she reports suicidal intent with a plan. You should:
Select one:
A. attempt to make a no-suicide contract
B. immediately contact the parent(s)
C. call the police
D. not allow the client to leave your office until the risk has passed

Answer 29

B

Question 30

Question ID #125: Continuing Education Credits (CE Credits) earned through an APA approved sponsor means that the program is:
Select one:
A. sanctioned by APA.
B. endorsed by APA. 
C. approved by APA.
D. the responsibility of the sponsor.

Answer 30

D

Question 31

Question ID #110: The police inform you that they have a warrant out on one of your clients who is suspected of several felony charges of grand theft auto. They want you to provide them with the client’s address and phone number. You should:
Select one:
A. cooperate with the police
B. require them to get a warrant before you release any information
C. refuse to provide them with the information and notify your client
D. inform them when your next scheduled appointment is with your client

Answer 31

C

Question 32

Question ID #160: A new client tells you that she recently had sex with her previous therapist. She wants you to “help her put the experience behind her”. You should:
Select one:
A. Report this situation immediately
B. Not report, but counsel her about the process
C. Call the offending party but not give the client’s name
D. Encourage her to recall the event so she doesn’t suffer from repression later

Answer 32

B