The ethical guidelines for the profession of psychology come from
the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) Code of Ethics (2007). And in 2010, when the Psychology Board of Australia began to exist, they adopted the APS Code of Ethics for the profession of psychology.
In practice what does “ General Principle A – Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples” of ethics relate to:
- Justice
- Respect
- Informed consent (before we engage in work with clients or test them)
- Privacy
- Confidentiality
- Release of information to (/about) clients
- Collection of client information from associated parties
What is the definition of General Principle A – Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples:
- “Psychologists regard people as intrinsically valuable and respect their rights, including the right to autonomy and justice. Psychologists engage in conduct which promotes equity and the protection of people’s human rights, legal rights, and moral rights. They respect the dignity of all people and peoples” (APS Code of Ethics, 2007).
In practice, what does “General Principle B – Propriety” relate to? (many points)
- Competence
- Record keeping (relates to confidentiality)
- Professional responsibility (how to best provide services without conflict of interest)
- Provision of psychological services at the request of a third party
- Provision of psychological services to multiple clients
- Delegation of professional tasks
- Use of interpreters
- Collaborating with others for the benefit of clients
- Accepting clients of other professionals
- Suspension of psychological services
- Termination of psychological services
- Conflicting demands
- Psychological assessments
- Research
What is the definition given by the APS for General Principle B – Propriety?
- “Psychologist ensure that they are competent to deliver the psychological services they provide. They provide psychological services to benefit, and not to harm. Psychologists seek to protect the interests of the people and peoples with whom they work. The welfare of clients and the public, the standing of the profession, take precedence over a psychologist’s self-interest” (APS Code of Ethics, 2007).
In practice, what does “General Principle C – Integrity” relate to?
- Reputable behaviour
- Communication (good, helpful, appropriate)
- Conflict of interest (look at and declare)
- Non-exploitation
- Authorship
- Financial arrangements
- Ethics investigations and concerns
How does the APS define General Principle C – Integrity?
- “Psychologists recognise that their knowledge of the discipline of psychology, their professionals standing, and the information they gather place them in a position of power and trust. They exercise their power appropriately and honour this position of trust. Psychologists keep faith with the nature and intentions of their professional relationships. Psychologists act with probity and honesty in their conduct” (APS Code of Ethics, 2007).
The APS provides additional guidelines for specific types of topics that warrant extra information, what are some examples of these?
working with older adults, record keeping ,suicide
Allan (2018) proposes two strategies to help improve our moral (and therefore ethical) decision making
- Develop heuristics to be able to identify and choose among the best option(s). This includes focusing on the relevant information and analysing the available “data”.
- Develop protocols specifically aimed at guiding conscious and nonconscious decision making.
What are the potential consequences of breaching codes of ethics?
- A complaint can be raised against you (by anyone in the community or another clinician) with the Office of the Health Ombudsman (in Qld, note that other states might have different processes, different people to contact).
- Such complaints can result in a range of things, including losing registration, and possible legal/criminal proceedings or they explore the situation and decide it wasn’t really a breach of ethics and it’s okay
In what kind of situations do you submit a complaint to a health complaints organisation?
when you want:
- an explanation
- an apology
- a refund or compensation
- access to your health records or to amend them
- change in policy or practice at a hospital , medical/dental practice, pharmacy, ambulance, community health service
In what kind of situations do you submit a complaint to AHPRA?
- a practitioners behaviour is placing the public at risk
- a practitioner is practising their profession in an unsafe way
- a practitioners ability to make safe judgements about their patients might be impaired because of their health
What are the circumstances under which it is mandatory to report the behaviour of a health practitioner:
- Impairment
- Intoxication while practising
- Significant departure from accepted professional standards
- Sexual misconduct
- And while these aren’t specifically referencing the Code of Ethics, they nonetheless relate to the principles upon which the Code is formed.
