ETHICS: CASE STUDIES - texcpe.com

1 1 Continuing Psychology Education Inc. Box 9659 San Diego, CA 92169 FAX: (858) 272-5809 Phone: 1 800 281-5068 Email: ethics : case STUDIES Presented by CONTINUING PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION INC. 5 CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS What makes an action right is the principle that guides it. T. Remley and B. Herlihy (2007) Course Objective Learning Objectives The purpose of this course is to provide an Upon completion, the participant will be able to: understanding of the concept of ethics as 1.

2 Explain the meaning and purpose of ethical related to therapists. Major topics include: behavior. competence, therapist impairment and burnout, 2. Understand the ethics of therapist competence. client termination, informed consent, client 3. Recognize therapist impairment and burnout. right to refuse treatment, confidentiality, dual 4. Discuss ethical standards pertaining to relationships, common boundary issues, client termination. sexual dual relationships, and legal/ ethics 5.

3 Comprehend the historical development of case STUDIES . informed consent. 6. Expound upon information to be included in Accreditation informed consent material. Continuing Psychology Education Inc. has been 7. Acknowledge the ethical importance of approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing confidentiality.

4 Education Provider, ACEP No. 6084. Programs 8. Describe the importance of managing that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly boundaries and avoiding dual relationships. identified. Continuing Psychology Education Inc. 9. Identify common boundary issues. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 10. Emphasize the hazards of sexual dual Continuing Psychology Education Inc. will award relationships. NBCC-approved continuing education clock hours 11. Interpret various Codes of ethics .

5 For all of its listed programs. 12. Apply ethical standards to case STUDIES . Mission Statement Faculty Continuing Psychology Education Inc. provides the Neil Eddington, PhD, obtained his doctorate from highest quality continuing education designed to the University of California, Berkeley. He was a fulfill the professional needs and interests of mental research associate and assistant professor at Harvard health professionals. Resources are offered to University within the department of psychiatry, improve professional competency, maintain adjunct professor at Tulane University, and knowledge of the latest advancements, and meet co-authored the book, Urbanman: The continuing education requirements mandated by psychology of urban survival.

6 The profession. Richard Shuman, LMFT, is a private practitioner in San Diego, CA and was selected as a court-appointed therapist. He was a psychology professor at Phillips College in New Orleans, LA and currently is the director of Continuing Psychology Education Inc.

7 Copyright 2010 Continuing Psychology Education Inc. ethics : case STUDIES 2 Continuing Psychology Education Inc. INTRODUCTION The ethical considerations of therapists are becoming greater in number and complexity. Managed care requires practitioners to consider issues of confidentiality and delivery of competent treatment while other decisions may involve informed consent, multiple relationships with clients, and breaking confidentiality given clients dangerous behavior. These deliberations are occurring within a changing culture as the populations which counselors treat are increasingly diverse raising questions of competency and availability of mental health services.

8 Further, therapists are operating in a society that is increasingly litigious, hence, the need for codes of ethics by the various mental health professional organizations offering guidance is quite clear. Historically, the concepts of standards of practice and accountability appear to have developed simultaneously with the description of physician duties (and other occupations) in ancient Egypt approximately 2000 , as indicated in the Code of Hammurabi (American College of Physicians, 1984) in which a fee structure and punishments for poor results were recommended.

9 The Hippocratic Oath, written roughly 400 , is a well-known example of a professional code of ethics that was formulated by members of the medical profession and indicated obligations of the professional to the profession and to members of society. This physicians guide of that era professed some outdated doctrines such as forbidding removal of kidney stones but it also highlighted maintaining confidentiality and avoiding sexual relations with patients (patients of both sexes and slaves). The Hippocratic Oath promotes many of the key ethical principles and values inherent in modern codes of ethics (Sinclair et al.)

10 , 1996). The American Psychological Association (APA) began development of a code of ethics following World War II given increased professional activity and public exposure of its members. The profession offered successful war-related services such as creation of group tests to help the armed services ascertain the draft eligibility of young men and delivery of mental health services to hospitalized soldiers upon returning home. The goal was to create a code that would be effective in modifying human specifically, the behavior of psychologists (Hobbs, 1948, p. 82).