National Standards and Codes of Ethical Conduct Flashcards
What are the broad standards that apply to psychologists?
National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce
The Mental Health Act
What are the discipline specific documents that may apply to psychologists
Code of Ethics
Ethical and Practice Guidelines and Procedures
Outline the national practice standard (1) of Rights and responsibilities, safety and privacy
- privacy, dignity and confidentiality are maintained, and safety is actively promoted (caveat - if they are putting themselves or others in harm)
- implementing all the right procedures, legislations and codes relevant to their role in a way that supports people affected by mental health problems and/or mental illness
Outline standard 2: Working with people, families and carers in recovery-focused way
- support people to become decision makers in their own care, implementing the principles of recovery-oriented mental health practice
Outline standard 3: meeting diverse needs
- social, cultural, linguistic, spiritual and gender diversity of people, families and carers are actively and respectfully responded to by mentla health practitioners
standard 4: working with aboriginal and torres strait islander people, families and communities
- actively and respectfully reducing barriers to access
- provide culturally secure systems of care
- improve social and emotional wellbeing
standard 5: access
facilitating timely access to services and provide a high standard of evidence based assessment that meets the needs of people and their families or carers
- but often therapy has waiting lists?
standard 6: individual planning
meet the needs, goals and aspirations of people and their families and carers, mental health practitioners facilitate access to and plan quality, evidence based, values based health and social care interventions
standard 7: treatment and support
meet the needs, goals and aspirations of people and their families and carers
deliver quality evidence informed health and social interventions
Standard 8 - Transitions in care
On exit from a service or transfer of care, people are actively supported by mental health practitioners through a timely, relevant and structured handover, to maximise optimal outcomes and promote wellness
Standard 9: integration and partnership
people, families and carers are recognised by mental health practitioners, as being part of a wider community, and mental health services are viewed as one element in a wider service network
practitioners support provision of coordinated and integrated care across programs, sites and services
Standard 10 : Quality Improvement
in collaboration with people with lived experience, families and team members, mental health practitioners take active steps to improve services and mental health practies using quality improvement frameworks (i.e. you need to have a plan on how to get better)
Standard 11: Communication and informed management
- connection and rapport with people with lived experience and colleagues is established by practitioners
- maintaining high standard of documentation and use information systems and evaluation to ensure data collection meets needs
Standard 12: Health promotion and prevention
Mental heath promotion is an integral part of all mental health work
- primary prevention principles
- seek to build resilience in communities
- reduce the impact of mental illness
Trying to break down stigma
Standard 13: Ethical practice and professional responsibilities
- provision of treatment and care is within the boundaries prescribed by codes of conduct
- practitioners recognise rights, acknowledging and minimizing poewr differentials
- take responsibility for maintaining and extending their professional knowledge and skills
What is the APS code of ethics
Adopted September 2007 - it is now adopted by psychology board of Australia.
Used in conjunction with APS ethical guidelines document
Belonging to APS or becoming a registered psychologist commits and binds that person to the code (inside and outside of work)
Definition of ‘client’
- a party / parties to a psychological service
- could be for teaching, supervision, research, professional practice
- may be individuals, couples, dyads, families, groups of people, organisations, communities, facilitators , sponsors
define conduct
means any at or omission by psychologists
- that others may consider to be a psychological service
- outside their practice which casts doubt on their competence and ability to practice
- outside their practice which harms public trust in the discipline
- in their capacity as members of the society
Multiple relationships
occurs when a psychologist, rendering a psychological service to a client, also is or has been
a) in a non-professional relationship with the same client
b) in a different professional relationship with the same client
c) in a non-professional relationship with an associated party
d) a recipient of a service provided by the same client
psychological service
any service provided by a psychologist to a client
including professoinal activities, psych activities, professiional practice, teaching, supervision, research practice, professional services, psychological procedures
APS: General Principle A: Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples
- regard people as intrinsically valuable and respect their right to autonomy and justice
- conduct which promotes equity and the protection of people’s human, legal and moral rights
- respect the dignity of all people
What does general principle A (Respect for the rights and dignity of people and peoples) include?
A1 - Justice
A2 - Respect
A3 - Informed consent
A4 - Privacy
A5 - Confidentiality
A6 - release of information to clients
A7 - Collection of client information from associated parties
A1 (Justice) and A2 (Respect)
Justice: psychologists should not engage in any form of discrimination
Respect: no coercive or demeaning behaviours, respecting legal and moral rights
- also towards colleagues
A3 (Informed Consent) A4 (privacy) and A5 (confidentiality)
Informed consent: fully inform clients the services they intend to provide, using plain / appropriate language
Privacy: no undue invasion of privacy, collect only relevant information
Confidentiality: take into account legal and organisational requirements
- disclosure: with consent of client, when legally obliged, immediate if they are at risk of harm that can only be averted by disclosure
General Principle B
Propriety!
Principle B Propriety: B1 and B2
Competence- bring and maintain appropriate skills and learning to their areas of professional practice. Practice within boundaries of professional competence and jurisdiction of practice.
Record keeping - adequate records, kept for 7 years (for clients under 18 keep records till they are 25). Clients and former clients have the right to amend inaccurate information in records.
Principle B: Propriety –> B3
Professional Responsibility
- psychologists provide services in a responsible manner
- act with care and skill expected of a competent psychologist
- take responsibility for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of their conduct
- take reasonable steps to prevent harm occurring
- provide psych services only for the period for when those services are necessary
- personally responsible for the professional decisions
Propriety: B4 = Provision of psychological services at the request of a third party
Psychologists who agree to provide psychological services to an individual, group, system, community at the request of a third party, you must explain to all parties:
- the nature of the relationship with each of them
- the psychologists role
- the probable use of information
- the limits to confidentiality
- the financial arrangements
Propriety B5 - Provision of psychological services to multiple clients
a) explain to each client the limits to confidentiality in advance
b) give clients an opportunity to consider limitations
c) explicit acceptance of these limitations
d) no coercion
Propriety B6: Delegation of professoinal tasks and B7: Use of interpreters
B6: delegates must have read code, ensure no multiple relationships, assess risk of harm to clients, oversee delegate
B7: use of interpreters
B8: Collaboration with others for the benefit of clients
cooperate with other professionals when appropriate and necessary to provide effectual service to clients
B11 (termination of services) b12 (conflicting demands between organisation and code) and b13 (psychological assessment)
b11: when client is no longer benefiting from services, or needs greater expertise than you can provide, you ahve to terminate the service
b13: use quality instruments and measures, do not compromise these tests
General Principle C includes
Integrity!
Reputable behaviour
communication
conflict of interest
non-exploiration
integrity
Integrity: Reputable Behaviour, Communication
Reputable behaviour: don’t bring yourself or the profession into disrepute
Communication: honesty, correct misrepresentations, accurately portray professional qualification
Integrity: Conflict of interest and Non-exploitation
Avoid multiple relationship that impair professional practice / lead to exploitation
seek advice from senior psychologist
nonexploitation:
- psych do not exploit people with whom they have/ had a professional relationship, and also tehir assistants , employees, colleagues
General priciple C: Integrity - sexual activity
- do not have sex with client or anybody closely related
- do not engage in sex with former client or anyone closely related within two years after terminating the professional relationship
- need 2 years from termination of service, and talk to supervisor
Sex w clients
Clients who have sex w counsellors often feel
- ambivalence
- guilt
- isolated
- empty
- have thought disturbances, disturbances to cognitive functions
- identity disturbances
- loss of trust
- sexual confusion
- unstable mood
- suppressed rage
- greatly increased suicide risk
Sex w clients perps
male and middle aged
professionally isolated
suffering from personal distress
having marital problems
will typically expose / self-disclose their own problems to younger clients, making themselves vulnerbale and gaining sympathy
principle c integrity: authorship and financial agreements
authorship: discuss early, assigned according to contribution
financial arrangements
- honest, clear, safeguard the best interests of and are clearly understood
- avoid financial arrangements which may adversely influence the psychological services
Integrity - Ethics investigations and concerns
cooperate with any investigations
if you suspect a colleague of misconduct
- draw attention of psychologist whose conduct is in question directly, or through a senior psych to the actions that have been breached by the code
- encourage people directly affected to report the conduct to relevant regulatory body
- report the conduct to a relevant regulatory body
