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least two legal issues associated with clinical psychology
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What are at least two legal issues associated with clinical psychology? Provide an example of a situation that could be legal but unethical. Explain your response.
2. What are at least two ethical issues associated with clinical psychology? Provide an example of a situation that could be ethical but illegal. Explain your response.
3. Define professional boundaries, boundary crossings, and boundary violations. What effects do boundaries have on the therapeutic relationship?
4. What are at least two cultural limitations associated with assessment and treatment? In your response, discuss the use or misuse of assessment instruments, therapy techniques, research results, or any other facet of clinical practice that could have potentially harmful, culture-specific implications.
Ethical Standards Chapter ObjectiveTo highlight the ethical principles and ethical conflicts often experienced by clinical psychologists.Chapter OutlineHow Do Professional Ethics Differ from the Law? The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct Highlight of a Contemporary Clinical Psychologist: Thomas G. Plante, PhD, ABPP Why Would a Psychologist Behave in an Unethical Manner? How Are Ethics Enforced? What Is the Process for Solving Ethical Dilemmas? Is Behaving in Accordance with Ethical Principles Always Clear Cut? How should clinical psychologists behave? What are the rules and guidelines for professional behavior among clinical psychologists? Should a psychologist have lunch with his or her patient?Should a psychologist date a current or former patient or student? Should a psychologist tell his or her friends at a cocktail party about a fascinating new patient he or she is treating in psychotherapy? Should a psychologist friend patients on Facebook? Whether a psychologist is a researcher, teacher, therapist, or administrator, he or she is expected to maintain the highest professional ethics in all professional activities at all times. In fact, psychology is one of the few fields that has adopted ethical guidelines that hold members to a much higher standard than the law. The most current version of the Ethics Code published by the American Psychological Association (APA, 2002) is provided in the Appendix. Professional ethics form the cornerstone of professionalism in psychology. The APA formed an ethics committee in the 1930s, and developed its first set of ethical principles in 1953. It is especially important for the field of psychology to focus on professional ethics since psychologists generally have a high degree of responsibility that often significantly impacts the lives of others. For example, clinical psychologists who conduct psychotherapy are entrusted with the emotionaland often physical vulnerabilities, confidences, and wellbeing of the people who seek their guidance. Clinical psychologists who are teachers or professors are called upon to provide objective, state-of-the-art, and unbiased information to and evaluation of their students. Clinical psychologists conducting research must design and conduct high-quality research, protect the
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rights of subjects, and carefully interpret and report their results in order to contribute meaningful information and knowledge about human behavior to the professional community in an unbiased manner. Thus, clinical psychologists must closely and carefully follow ethical principles to ensure that they behave in an appropriate, responsible, and professional manner, protecting the public as well as the profession. Curiously, the preponderance of media portrayals of clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals in films and on television depict these professionals as engaging in highly unethical, unprofessional, self-serving, and often illegal behavior. Numerous feature-length films, such as The Prince of Tides, Final Analysis, Mumford, Anger Management, Analyze This, and Analyze That, as well as television shows such as Frasierand In Treatment, depict psychologists and other mental health professionals behaving inappropriately and unethically. Typically, the psychologists (and psychiatrists) portrayed in the media are involved in unethical dual relationships—rather than maintaining their professional relationships and boundaries, the psychologists fall in love with or befriend their patients. Using patients for personal gain or gratification, practicing outside of one’s area of competence, and breaking confidentiality are also typical depictions. In a review of 207 films that included psychiatrists, 35% suggested that the mental health professional was more troubled than his or her patients, and 22% were involved in manipulative behavior with their patients for the benefit of the professionals themselves (Schneider, 1987). However, some films, such as Ordinary Peopleand Good Will Hunting, provide fairly realistic portrayals of psychologists behaving in an ethical and professional manner. In real life, many of the mental health professionals depicted in the media would lose their license to practice and perhaps be prosecuted for engaging in the behaviors portrayed. Psychologists in real life do commit ethical violations. Psychologists are human and suffer from the same vulnerabilities as the general public. They experience family conflicts, financial hardships, and stress and may behave in unbecoming and even illegal ways. It has been estimated that between 20% and 82% of psychologists experience relationship problems such as marital conflict, between 13% and 57% experience depression, and about 11% experience substance abuse problems (Deutsch, 1985; Norcross, Strausser-Kirtland, & Missar, 1988). It also has been suggested that between 5% and 15% of psychologists are impaired (Laliotis & Grayson,1985). They might, for example, inappropriately break confidentiality, become sexually involvedwith their patient(s), falsify research data, engage in sexual harassment, encourage their patients to do favors for them such as babysit their child or paint their house, provide ineffective or questionable treatment, or engage in financial mismanagement and fraud. They also make honestmistakes due to ignorance, inattention, or vulnerability. For example, a psychologist who is lonely might be tempted to initiate a friendship or romantic relationship with a highly appealing client. A psychologist with significant financial problems might be tempted to invest in a business deal with a wealthy and successful client. Between 2004 and 2008, an average of 283 ethical complaints inquiries were received per year (APA, 2009). Many other ethical violations may not have been reported to the APA or to state ethics and licensing boards. Many of the ethical complaints filed are found to have little or no merit. Most of the complaints that result in action against the psychologist by the APA or local authorities involve breaking confidentiality, sexual misconduct (e.g., sexual relationship with a
least two legal issues associated with clinical psychology
least two legal issues associated with clinical psychology
