Tag
ethics
Articles tagged "ethics".
79 articles
The Ethics of Helping Clients with Weight Loss in Psychotherapy
Clients often present to psychotherapy asking for help with weight loss. In the U.S., weight loss goals are normative in women and very common in men: 57% of women and 40% of men report trying to lose weight within the past year (Yaemsiri, Slining, & Agarwall, 2010). Psychologists and allied clinicians have rarely considered the […]
Margit I. Berman, Ph.D.
April 16, 2017
Public Policy Challenges
Over the past several months I have started many times to write articles for the Bulletin, and each time my thoughts have been hijacked by yet another massive assault on the collective values of our profession. The preamble to the APA Ethics Code (2010, with amendments as of January 1, 2017) makes it clear that […]
Rosemary Adam-Terem, Ph.D.
April 7, 2017
Guidelines for Clinical Supervision in Health Service Psychology
Counseling psychology has demonstrated a long-standing interest and respect for clinical supervision as a unique domain that warrants its own preparation for practice. Counseling psychologists have distinguished themselves in the supervision literature (e.g., Borders et al., 1991; Goodyear et al., 2000), and counseling psychology programs have been much more likely than clinical and school psychology […]
Carol A. Falender, Ph.D. + 8 more
November 7, 2016
Ethical and Safety Considerations for Use of Animals in a Therapeutic Setting
Studies have demonstrated notable benefits of the use of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) with clients (Hart & Yamamoto, 2015; Nimer & Lundahl, 2007). As AAT gains in popularity and becomes more prominently used by psychologists and psychology trainees in mental health settings (Fine, Tedeschi, & Elvove, 2015), it is crucial that the American Psychological Association […]
Kirsten Allen, M.A. + 1 more
October 19, 2016
Toward Mandatory Reporting of Animal Abuse by Psychologists
Mental health professionals in most jurisdictions are obligated to report incidents of abuse or neglect of children (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016) or “at risk” adults (see, e.g., Stiegel & Klem, 2007), but are not required to report disclosures of animal abuse. Based on research supporting the link between pathological behavior and animal abuse, however, some […]
Elizabeth Shum + 3 more
October 12, 2016
What is Ethics Anyway?
Ethics for psychotherapists is a given; it’s a fact of life for mental health clinicians. It is a required course in graduate school, likely included in comprehensive exams, and is addressed to some extent in clinical supervision (at least when problems arise). It also is an area of emphasis on licensure exams, making sure future […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP
September 11, 2016
Take the Confidentiality Practices Quiz
It is a given that confidentiality is essential in the psychotherapy process. Clients share their secrets, embarrassing information, fears, and the like, specifically for the purpose of receiving needed assistance to overcome their stated difficulties. Without the promise of confidentiality, many individuals might not be able to establish the trusting relationship needed for psychotherapy to […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP
January 17, 2016
Sexual Harassment In Supervision
We’re taking this opportunity to raise an issue that’s sorely neglected in our professional dialogue, namely sexual harassment in the context of psychotherapy supervision. As far as we could discover, the topic of “sexual intimacies” (Bartell & Rubin, 1990) or “sexual boundary violations” (Koenig & Spano, 2004) did not appear in the supervision literature until […]
Myrna L. Friedlander, Ph.D. + 1 more
November 22, 2015
The Misuse of Psychology
The American Psychological Association (APA) has been in the press again, and once again it is bad press. The old specter of collusion between psychologists and CIA interrogators and torturers was raised in an article in The New York Times (Risen, April 30, 2015). There really should not be anything controversial about this issue. It […]
Rosemary Adam-Terem, Ph.D.
November 12, 2015
Informed Consent with Children and Adolescents
Informed consent lays the foundation for the psychotherapy relationship and treatment to come in respecting the client’s legal rights and offering her or him the opportunity to make an informed decision about participating in the treatment to be offered. Barnett, Wise, Johnson-Greene, & Bucky (2007) have highlighted the potential benefits of an appropriately implemented informed […]
Caroline Coffman + 1 more
November 8, 2015
Boundaries and Multiple Relationships in Psychotherapy
The process of psychotherapy is relationship based. As such, how psychotherapists conduct themselves in these relationships has significant clinical and ethical implications. The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA Ethics Code, APA, 2010) makes clear the ethical obligations relevant to boundaries and multiple relationships that are likely to be well known by […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP + 1 more
July 19, 2015
Termination and Abandonment
Psychotherapists have numerous obligations to our clients that exist with the intent of ensuring that our clients’ best interests are paramount in our thinking and resulting actions. Jorgenson, Hirsch, and Wahl (1997) describe the responsibilities inherent in the psychotherapy relationship as a fiduciary responsibility to one’s clients. As they explain this relationship and responsibility: Generally, […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP + 1 more
July 5, 2015