_______________________________________________________________________ Ethics for Psychologists
and to assert that psychologists do not participate in, facilitate, assist, or otherwise engage in torture [8]. The current Ethics Code consists of an introduction, a preamble, five general principles, and specific ethical standards.
Competence involves knowing all aspects about the services, treatment, evaluation, and decisions made in an area of exper- tise being provided. Clinical practice recommendations and evidence-based approaches provide guidelines regarding what constitutes effective practice. The purpose of the guidelines is to limit idiosyncratic, self-serving methodologies that may cause harm to an individual or to the profession. The 2016 APA Ethics Code addresses competence in standard 2.0 [8]. The following sections are reprinted with permission: 2.01 Boundaries of Competence (a) Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their educa- tion, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience. (b) Where scientific or professional knowledge in the dis- cipline of psychology establishes that an understanding of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status is essential for effective implementation of their services or research, psychologists have or obtain the training, experience, consultation, or supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services, or they make appropriate referrals, except as provided in Standard 2.02, Providing Services in Emergencies. (c) Psychologists planning to provide services, teach, or con- duct research involving populations, areas, techniques, or technologies new to them undertake relevant education, training, supervised experience, consultation, or study. (d) When psychologists are asked to provide services to individuals for whom appropriate mental health services are not available and for which psychologists have not obtained the competence necessary, psychologists with closely related prior training or experience may provide such services in order to ensure that services are not denied if they make a reasonable effort to obtain the competence required by using relevant research, training, consultation, or study. (e) In those emerging areas in which generally recognized standards for preparatory training do not yet exist, psy- chologists nevertheless take reasonable steps to ensure the competence of their work and to protect clients/ patients, students, supervisees, research participants, organizational clients, and others from harm. (f) When assuming forensic roles, psychologists are or become reasonably familiar with the judicial or admin- istrative rules governing their roles.
ETHICAL STANDARDS General ethical principles of psychology stem from a value that psychologists “work to develop a valid and reliable body of scientific knowledge based on research” [9]. The current Ethics Code has a stated goal of ensuring “the welfare and protection of the individuals and groups with whom psycholo- gists work and education of the members, students, and the general public regarding ethical standards of the discipline” [8]. COMPETENCE Competence is a fundamental ethical principle in the health- care professions. Medicine and psychology define competence as, “the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowl- edge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values, and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served” [1; 10]. To be considered adequately or well qualified to practice psychology (i.e., competent) is a process of evaluation of a specific area. Both the individual psychologist and the profession as a whole strive to determine areas of competent practice and the basis on which to form those evaluations. The profession has set forth educational standards for doctoral programs in psychology. This involves accreditation of schools and colleges at a regional level and setting forth standards for accreditation by the APA for graduate school. Internships and postdoctoral fellowships may also be accredited by the APA, the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, or both. Following graduation and completion of internships and post- doctoral fellowships, licensing boards in states with licensure requirements for professional practice set additional minimum standards for competence. Some states require continuing edu- cation following licensure to remain current on the research and developments within the field. The psychology boards often work in conjunction with the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards to set standards for examination or certification and to facilitate mobility of licensure to other states, territories, or provinces. Following licensure, recognition can be obtained from the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, or certification from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board’s Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ). The American Board of Professional Psychology provides an additional examination to document competence in areas of expertise. Additionally, some types of training offer certification documenting training and skill in a particular technique or area.
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