Laws, Regulations, and Ethics for Florida Psychologists, 2nd Edition _ ________________________________
organizations that may be notified include state licensing boards, diplomate certifying agencies, and payors of health care services. Rule violations may lead to penalties from these other agencies if they choose to impose them, whether or not the psychologist is a member of the APA. The Ethical Standards section is divided into 10 standards, each with subsections detailing specific rules. These rules are designed to guide expectations for the ethical practice of psychology. Psychologists are strongly encouraged to review these standards and rules in their entirety, as a lack of aware- ness or misunderstanding of an ethical standard or rule is not a defense against a licensing board complaint. The 10 broad standards and their rules are as follows: 1. Resolving ethical issues —Rules 1.01–1.08 address responsibilities when dealing with conflicts between ethics, law, regulations, and organizations. Steps to take for informal resolution of potential violations by another psychologist, how to report violations, and the need to cooperate with ethics committee investigations are outlined. 2. Competence —Rules 2.01–2.06 discuss working within the boundaries of competence based on education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience; providing services in emergency situations and the need to discontinue when the emergency ends or appropriate services can be arranged; maintaining competence; delegating work only to others that are competent and not having a multiple relationship with those being served; and staying aware of personal conflicts that may impact professional work. 3. Human relations —Rules 3.01–3.12 detail multiple rules for psychologists in their daily practice with others. Psychologists do not engage in unfair discrimination based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status; they do not engage in harassment or sexual harassment; they take all reasonable steps to avoid doing harm and minimize harm when it is unavoidable; they do not engage in a multiple relationship if doing so could impair the psychologist’s objectivity and effectiveness or if doing so risks exploitation or harm to the client; they avoid conflicts of interest in professional roles; when there are third-party requests for services, they clarify roles (i.e., who the client is) and limits of confidentiality; they do not exploit persons over whom they have some authority; they obtain and document informed consent from the service user by using language
that is reasonably understandable; they provide information about services when they are provided through an organization; and they make plans for handling interruptions in service. 4. Privacy and confidentiality —Rules 4.01–4.07 state that psychologists address confidentiality and its limits with clients at the onset of service; they protect confidential information obtained through any medium; they obtain permission before recording individuals; they limit disclosure of confidential information to the minimum needed; and they maintain client confidentiality when consulting with others. These rules also address when confidential information can be disclosed with and without client consent. 5. Advertising and other public statements — Rules 5.01–5.06 define what constitutes public statements and rules related to media presentations and educational programs. Psychologists do not solicit testimonials from current clients or solicit business from actual or potential clients. 6. Record keeping and fees —Rules 6.01–6.07 discuss the control, dissemination, and disposal of confidential records, and that records may not be withheld for reasons of nonpayment if needed for emergency treatment. Financial arrangements must be consistent with the law, fees must not be misrepresented, limitations in financing must be addressed, and, if a collection agency might be used, the client must be notified first. Bartering may be used only if not clinically contraindicated or exploitive. Reports to payors must be accurate. When fees are divided with another professional, the division must be based on services provided, not the referral itself. 7. Education and training —Rules 7.01–7.07 cover the design and content of education and training programs. Limits and boundaries for requiring students to disclose personal information are discussed. If individual or group therapy is mandatory, the student must be allowed to receive services from a provider outside of the program. Assessment of student/trainee performance must be timely and specific, and sexual relationships with students are prohibited. 8. Research and publication —Rules 8.01–8.15 discuss obtaining informed consent in research and when it may not be required, use of inducements for research participation, boundaries on the use of deception, debriefing, the humane use of animals in research, reporting results that are not fabricated or deceptive, avoiding plagiarism, accuracy in publication credit, and the need to share data for verification.
38
EliteLearning.com/Psychology
Powered by FlippingBook