EPPP: Ethics Questions and Answers.
Ethics code applies... -
\to psychologists' activities as part of their role and also to conviction of felony (can be
unrelated to psychologist role), expulsion/suspension from a psychological association,
or suspension/loss of licensure
Five general ethical principles -
\-Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (strive to do good and do no harm)
-Fidelity and Responsibility (establish relationships of trust and be aware of
professional/scientific responsibilities to society/community)
-Integrity (promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness)
-Justice (recognize that fairness and justice entitle all people to access and benefit from
contributions of psychology)
-Respect for People's Rights and Dignity (respect dignity and worth of all people and
rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination)
Conflicts between ethics code and legal/organizational demands -
\-psychologists clarify the nature of the conflict, make known their commitment to the
ethics code, and take reasonable steps to resolve the conflict
-under no circumstances may this standard be used to justify violating human rights
-"when reasonable actions taken by psychologists do not resolve the conflict, they are
permitted to make a conscientious decision to comply with the legal or regulatory
authority under circumstances in which their actions cannot be used to justify or defend
violating human rights"
Responding to ethical violations by colleagues -
\-bring it to the psychologist's attention when this seems appropriate
-must report ethical violation to an ethics committee, licensing board, or other
appropriate authority when the ethical violation has caused or is likely to cause
substantial harm, is not appropriate for internal resolution, or was not adequately
resolved informally
-NOTE: this only applies when intervening does not violate confidentiality rights (patient
tells you that her last therapist sexually harassed her but doesn't want you to tell
anyone; you would maintain confidentiality)
Situations where informal resolution is not likely to be helpful -
\-psychologist's violation involves addiction to alcohol/drugs or is related to a serious
mental illness/emotional disturbance
-violation is due to psychologist's general incompetence
-pre-existing bad feelings between psychologists would make an informal approach too
confrontational
,What to do if an ethics committee asks you for information about a current client who
has filed a complaint against her previous therapist -
\-need to make sure the client has signed an ROI before providing information
-when issues of confidentiality are not involved, must comply with
investigations/proceedings of APA and affiliated organizations
Determining whether you are competent enough to see a client -
\-when there's a substantial difference between client's needs and psychologist's
competence and an alternative provider is available, referral is typically the best choice
-in other circumstances, it may be acceptable to see the client while obtaining
consultation and/or training/education
-when alternative services are not available, psychologists can provide services in
emergency situations even if they do not have adequate training, but they should stop
when the emergency ends or appropriate services become available
Practicing when there has not yet been adequate research on something (like delivering
therapy via phone) -
\-can still do it but inform client about lack of empirical evidence and treatment options
Considerations for use of an interpreter -
\-family member should not be asked to be the interpreter
-when possible, psychologists should use professional interpreters who are certified by
a national organization, although not all jurisdictions require this
-obtain client's consent
-discuss the need to maintain client confidentiality with the interpreter
-helpful to have a written contract for interpreters that addresses confidentiality issues
Vicarious liability -
\-being legally responsible for actions of an employee/supervisee to which tasks are
delegated
-for this to occur, you must have the authority to control the employee, the employee's
conduct must have deviated from the ethics code and caused damage, and the
employee's conduct must have been within the scope of their designated responsibilities
Discrimination -
\-obviously not ok to discriminate based on any identity variable
-does not, however, mean psychologists have to accept everyone who seeks their
services
-can turn away clients who cannot pay fee
-may refer to someone else if it seems like client's values/diagnosis/other characteristic
would negatively impact ability to provide competent services
How to determine whether ambiguous comments are sexual harassment -
\-becomes sexual harassment after the individual is told their behavior is
unwelcome/offensive and continues to engage in it
, "Do no harm" does not apply in these situations -
\-giving a student a low grade
-giving an accurate diagnosis to a client that precludes him from receiving disability
insurance
Posttermination relationships -
\-nonsexual relationships are not prohibited after termination, but these relationships
would be unethical if promised during the course of the original relationship or if the
individual was exploited/harmed by the intent to have the posttermination relationship
Multiple relationships -
\-Not all are prohibited, but they are if they ""could reasonably be expected to impair the
psychologist's objectivity, competence, or effectiveness ... or otherwise risks exploitation
or harm to the person with whom the professional relationship exists."
Custody evaluations and multiple relationships -
\-multiple relationships should be avoided in custody evals
-avoid conducting custody evals with current or former psychotherapy clients
-similarly, avoid providing concurrent or sequential forensic and therapeutic services
(when not possible, attempt to minimize negative effects)
Gottlieb's decision making model on multiple relationships: 3 things to consider -
\-power differential between psychologist and client
-expected duration of each relationship
-clarity of termination of each relationship
When a potentially harmful multiple relationship has occurred... -
\take reasonable steps to resolve it, including discussing the situation with the involved
individuals and consulting a colleague to determine best course of action
Conflict of interest example -
\recommending that current clients buy a product or participate in another service when
the psychologist has a financial interest in that product/service
Who is the "client" in evaluations that are court-ordered or requested by an
attorney/agency? -
\The individual/entity requesting the evaluation
What to do when individuals are legally incapable of giving consent -
\-provide them with an appropriate explanation, consider their best interests, seek their
assent, and obtain permission from a legally authorized person when doing so is
permitted/required by law
-this applies to adults who have been found legally incompetent and most youth under
18 (however, some states allow younger adolescents to consent to treatment)
"Doctrine of implied consent" -
Ethics code applies... -
\to psychologists' activities as part of their role and also to conviction of felony (can be
unrelated to psychologist role), expulsion/suspension from a psychological association,
or suspension/loss of licensure
Five general ethical principles -
\-Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (strive to do good and do no harm)
-Fidelity and Responsibility (establish relationships of trust and be aware of
professional/scientific responsibilities to society/community)
-Integrity (promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness)
-Justice (recognize that fairness and justice entitle all people to access and benefit from
contributions of psychology)
-Respect for People's Rights and Dignity (respect dignity and worth of all people and
rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination)
Conflicts between ethics code and legal/organizational demands -
\-psychologists clarify the nature of the conflict, make known their commitment to the
ethics code, and take reasonable steps to resolve the conflict
-under no circumstances may this standard be used to justify violating human rights
-"when reasonable actions taken by psychologists do not resolve the conflict, they are
permitted to make a conscientious decision to comply with the legal or regulatory
authority under circumstances in which their actions cannot be used to justify or defend
violating human rights"
Responding to ethical violations by colleagues -
\-bring it to the psychologist's attention when this seems appropriate
-must report ethical violation to an ethics committee, licensing board, or other
appropriate authority when the ethical violation has caused or is likely to cause
substantial harm, is not appropriate for internal resolution, or was not adequately
resolved informally
-NOTE: this only applies when intervening does not violate confidentiality rights (patient
tells you that her last therapist sexually harassed her but doesn't want you to tell
anyone; you would maintain confidentiality)
Situations where informal resolution is not likely to be helpful -
\-psychologist's violation involves addiction to alcohol/drugs or is related to a serious
mental illness/emotional disturbance
-violation is due to psychologist's general incompetence
-pre-existing bad feelings between psychologists would make an informal approach too
confrontational
,What to do if an ethics committee asks you for information about a current client who
has filed a complaint against her previous therapist -
\-need to make sure the client has signed an ROI before providing information
-when issues of confidentiality are not involved, must comply with
investigations/proceedings of APA and affiliated organizations
Determining whether you are competent enough to see a client -
\-when there's a substantial difference between client's needs and psychologist's
competence and an alternative provider is available, referral is typically the best choice
-in other circumstances, it may be acceptable to see the client while obtaining
consultation and/or training/education
-when alternative services are not available, psychologists can provide services in
emergency situations even if they do not have adequate training, but they should stop
when the emergency ends or appropriate services become available
Practicing when there has not yet been adequate research on something (like delivering
therapy via phone) -
\-can still do it but inform client about lack of empirical evidence and treatment options
Considerations for use of an interpreter -
\-family member should not be asked to be the interpreter
-when possible, psychologists should use professional interpreters who are certified by
a national organization, although not all jurisdictions require this
-obtain client's consent
-discuss the need to maintain client confidentiality with the interpreter
-helpful to have a written contract for interpreters that addresses confidentiality issues
Vicarious liability -
\-being legally responsible for actions of an employee/supervisee to which tasks are
delegated
-for this to occur, you must have the authority to control the employee, the employee's
conduct must have deviated from the ethics code and caused damage, and the
employee's conduct must have been within the scope of their designated responsibilities
Discrimination -
\-obviously not ok to discriminate based on any identity variable
-does not, however, mean psychologists have to accept everyone who seeks their
services
-can turn away clients who cannot pay fee
-may refer to someone else if it seems like client's values/diagnosis/other characteristic
would negatively impact ability to provide competent services
How to determine whether ambiguous comments are sexual harassment -
\-becomes sexual harassment after the individual is told their behavior is
unwelcome/offensive and continues to engage in it
, "Do no harm" does not apply in these situations -
\-giving a student a low grade
-giving an accurate diagnosis to a client that precludes him from receiving disability
insurance
Posttermination relationships -
\-nonsexual relationships are not prohibited after termination, but these relationships
would be unethical if promised during the course of the original relationship or if the
individual was exploited/harmed by the intent to have the posttermination relationship
Multiple relationships -
\-Not all are prohibited, but they are if they ""could reasonably be expected to impair the
psychologist's objectivity, competence, or effectiveness ... or otherwise risks exploitation
or harm to the person with whom the professional relationship exists."
Custody evaluations and multiple relationships -
\-multiple relationships should be avoided in custody evals
-avoid conducting custody evals with current or former psychotherapy clients
-similarly, avoid providing concurrent or sequential forensic and therapeutic services
(when not possible, attempt to minimize negative effects)
Gottlieb's decision making model on multiple relationships: 3 things to consider -
\-power differential between psychologist and client
-expected duration of each relationship
-clarity of termination of each relationship
When a potentially harmful multiple relationship has occurred... -
\take reasonable steps to resolve it, including discussing the situation with the involved
individuals and consulting a colleague to determine best course of action
Conflict of interest example -
\recommending that current clients buy a product or participate in another service when
the psychologist has a financial interest in that product/service
Who is the "client" in evaluations that are court-ordered or requested by an
attorney/agency? -
\The individual/entity requesting the evaluation
What to do when individuals are legally incapable of giving consent -
\-provide them with an appropriate explanation, consider their best interests, seek their
assent, and obtain permission from a legally authorized person when doing so is
permitted/required by law
-this applies to adults who have been found legally incompetent and most youth under
18 (however, some states allow younger adolescents to consent to treatment)
"Doctrine of implied consent" -
