W12: Ethics Flashcards
What are ethics?
Beliefs about what is right conduct
Ethics represent..
The ideal standards set by a profession
Who enforces ethics?
Professional associations and government boards that regulate them.
Who is the regulatory body for ethics for Australian psychologists
APHRA
Australian health practitioner regulation agency
They regulate several professions there are boards that sit under them that regulate the conduct of each profession- for psychologists this is the psychology board of Australia (PsyBA)
All registered psychologists must abide by…
The health practitioner regulation national law and other legislation amendment act 2019
Basically states that psychologist will conduct themselves professionally and won’t be dodgy
In Australia what are the two professional associations for psychologists
Australian psychological society (APS)
Australian Association of psychologist (AAPi) 
What are some good standards of practice
Professional competence which is assessed all the time
Good relationships with clients and colleagues
Observance of professional ethics so knowing and following the ethical guidelines
Engaging in regular ongoing supervision with a certain number of hours of supervision required per year
Engaging in regular and ongoing professional development should have a personal development plan to increase your competencies
Develop and use good self care practices as if you are not functioning well you do more harm to others
Be aware of professional and personal limits and recommend others who may do a better job for your clients
DO NO HARM needs to be the guiding principle in everything you do
The code of ethics is divided into three sections that govern the behaviour of psychologists what are these
Respect for the rights and dignity of people and people‘s
Propriety
Integrity
Why do we need to have such a strict standards to guide behaviour
Protect clients
Protect clinicians
Protect the profession and reputation
Protect the wider community
They can sometimes big clashes in the code that require
The application of a process of decision-making
Give some rules of the code
Confidentiality
Obtaining informed consent
Safeguarding confidentiality
Avoiding undue invasion of privacy - not seeking information you don’t need
Duty to warn and protect - protecting client and others involved. If it is a child at risk you are required to break confidentiality and report 
What is the ethical decision-making model
Identify the problem or dilemma
Identify the potential issues involved
Apply the code of ethics to the dilemma
Consider possible and probable courses of action (including doing nothing)
Consider the possible consequences of various decisions
Decide on what appears to be the best course of action
Review and evaluate the outcome
Also:
Can chat to colleagues along the way
To evaluate the outcome psychologist can ask themselves these questions - if my decision were to be reported in the media would I still be comfortable with my decision, would I recommend this course of action to a colleague, would I do the same thing with a different client in the same circumstances

How do you make an ethical decision
You need to know the code, ethical guidelines, relevant legislation
Get a good supervision
Self reflective practice and monitor yourself
Assertiveness you need to be assertive because you’re often making tough decisions
use good communication skills and good problem-solving skills
Also good self-care
____ trumps ___
Law trumps code
If the court orders information you need to oblige but it comes back to respect you need to have the communication with your client
What might be a potential clash in the code?
The clients right to autonomy versus the psychologist duty to warn and protect
The client has their right to make their own decisions but it psychologist has to prevent harm so they may have a duty to break confidentiality but which part is more urgent is the question
