Ethical and Legal Issues in Abnormal Psychology

Summary

This video explores key ethical and legal issues in abnormal psychology, focusing on the ethical standards set by the American Psychological Association (APA). It covers essential topics like competence, informed consent, confidentiality, and mandated reporting, emphasizing the importance of ethical practice in psychological assessments, interventions, and therapy. Special attention is given to the role of psychologists in the legal system, including forensic psychology, child protection, and cases involving abuse. The video also discusses challenges related to multiple relationships and maintaining boundaries between personal and professional roles in psychological practice.

Takeaways

• 😀 The APA (American Psychological Association) creates ethical standards that all psychologists must follow to ensure competence and professionalism.
• 😀 Ethical standards cover various areas such as resolving ethical issues, competence, human relations, confidentiality, advertising, and research.
• 😀 Psychologists must have the necessary skills to assess, conceptualize, and intervene appropriately with clients, ensuring competence in all aspects of treatment.
• 😀 Informed consent is crucial, where clients are made aware of treatment goals, risks, confidentiality, and their rights before therapy begins.
• 😀 Confidentiality is a core aspect of therapy, and information shared between client and therapist is private unless the client provides written consent for release.
• 😀 There are exceptions to confidentiality, including situations involving abuse, mental disability defense in court, and when a client poses a threat to others.
• 😀 Mandated reporting requires psychologists and other professionals to report suspected child abuse to authorities to protect vulnerable children.
• 😀 The concept of privileged communication in therapy ensures that psychologists cannot disclose client information without permission, except in specific legal cases.
• 😀 Psychologists must maintain professional boundaries and avoid multiple relationships that could lead to conflicts of interest or exploitation (e.g., being both a therapist and a client's daycare provider).
• 😀 Duty to warn: If a client expresses an intent to harm themselves or others, psychologists are ethically required to break confidentiality and warn the intended victim or authorities.

Q & A

What is the role of the American Psychological Association (APA) in ethics for psychologists?

The APA establishes the code of ethics that all psychologists must follow. This code outlines various ethical standards and guidelines to ensure professionalism and protect both the psychologist and client.

What does the 'competence' standard in the APA ethics code refer to?

Competence refers to a psychologist's ability to assess, conceptualize, and provide interventions for clients. Psychologists must have the necessary skills and training for their specific areas of work, such as forensic psychology, where additional training is required for roles like expert witness.

What is informed consent in the context of therapy?

Informed consent is a document provided by therapists to clients before treatment begins. It includes the goals, process, risks, and fees associated with therapy, along with client rights, such as confidentiality and the ability to leave therapy at any time.

What is the importance of confidentiality in psychotherapy?

Confidentiality is crucial in therapy to create a safe and trusting environment. Clients' personal information and discussions with therapists are kept private unless the client gives written permission to disclose it or in special legal circumstances, such as abuse cases or threats of harm.

What is the concept of privileged communication in the legal system?

Privileged communication refers to the confidentiality between a therapist and their client. It means that information shared during therapy cannot be disclosed in court without the client's permission, except in certain situations like custody cases or when the client is using a mental disability defense.

What are 'mandated reporters' in the context of child protection?

Mandated reporters are professionals who work with minors and are legally required to report any suspected child abuse to authorities, such as social workers or child protection services. This includes psychologists, therapists, teachers, and others who work with children under 18.

What is the duty to warn or protect in psychology?

The duty to warn is an ethical standard that requires psychologists to break confidentiality if a client expresses specific harmful intentions, such as threatening to harm another person. The psychologist must warn the potential victim and contact authorities if necessary.

What are multiple relationships in the context of psychological ethics?

Multiple relationships occur when a psychologist has more than one role with the same person. For example, if a psychologist is both a therapist to a client and a parent of a child in the same daycare. These relationships can create conflicts of interest or ethical concerns about exploitation.

Why is it problematic for a psychologist to have a multiple relationship with a client?

Multiple relationships can lead to conflicts of interest, exploitation, or harm, as they blur the boundaries between professional and personal roles. This can affect the objectivity and effectiveness of therapy, and the psychologist's power could be exploited.

What is the significance of boundary setting in a psychologist's professional and personal life?

Boundary setting is crucial for maintaining a clear separation between a psychologist's professional and personal lives. Psychologists must establish and enforce these boundaries to prevent potential ethical violations, such as exploiting a client's trust or encountering conflicts of interest.