9-2 Final Project
2
5-2 Milestone Three: Applying the APA Code of Ethics
Student's Name
Name of the Institution
Course Number and Name
Professor
Due Date
Applying the APA Code of Ethics
Case Study Abstract
The identified case study is Dahlia Dicord, MSW. The case involves a psychotherapist, Ms. Discord, and her patient, Melissa Malfunction, who was involved in an automobile accident that left her with anxiety and mild depression. Ms. Malfunction wants Ms. Discord to testify for her before an administrative judge so that she can receive disability insurance payments. Ms. Discord cannot be an independent evaluator and witness in her client's case, so she should recommend an independent counselor to interview Ms. Malfuction and make recommendations for her before the judge.
Case Study Description
The case involves a psychotherapist, Ms. Discord, and her patient, Melissa Malfunction, who was involved in an automobile accident that left her with anxiety and mild depression. Ms. Malfunction wants Ms. Discord to testify for her before an administrative judge so that she can receive disability insurance payments. In this way, Ms. Malfunction wants Ms. Discord to simultaneously be her therapist and evaluator, complicating their working relationship. The important people in the case scenario include the therapist, Ms. Malfunction, the client Ms. Malfunction, the judge, and another stakeholder.
Applying the APA Code of Ethics Principles
The APA Code of Ethics provides five basic principles that psychologists and other therapists use to manage different cases of clients. The principles are justice, respect for people s rights and dignity, integrity, fidelity and responsibility, and beneficence and nonmaleficence (APA, 2017).
The principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence require that psychologists balance the benefits accrued from the causation of harm. Psychologists should make conscious efforts to ensure that their activities and decisions are in the client's best interest, thereby ensuring that no harm is caused to the patient (APA, 2016). Professionals in this realm are expected to be cautious not to cause harm to all stakeholders involved in the case and resolve conflict in the best professional way. The second principle is that that ensures fidelity and responsibility. These principles call on professionals to develop and sustain trusting relationships with clients and coworkers. They must know their professional duties and responsibilities to clients, society, and communities (APA, 2017). They are required to minimize any form of conflict of interest by observing professional standards and consulting with others when there is a need.
The third principle of APA Ethics is the principle of integrity. Psychologists are required by the principle of integrity to support actions and practices that promote accurate reporting of findings and align with colleagues that do the same (APA, 2017). Professionals in the realm are expected to adhere to developing a trusting relationship when forms of mistrust crop up. The principles call on professionals in the field to ensure they can be trusted by the clients and other stakeholders impacted by the case. The fourth principle is that of justice. All clients and people affected by the case should be treated fairly and justly. Therefore, psychologists are expected to be fair when dispensing their mandate to ensure justice is served. Professionals should ensure that their professionalism is upheld and that no forms of bias compromise their practices (APA, 2016). They have to operate and practice within their boundaries of competence. Finally, respect for people's rights and dignity is a fundamental APA Code of Ethics principle. Psychologists must respect their clients' dignity and rights to establish a strong and trustworthy work relationship. This should be done regardless of the client’s demographics.
Analysis of the principles reveals that all principles apply to the case of Ms. Discord and her patient, Melissa Malfunction. Firstly, Mr. Discord must ensure that her client receives treatment and avoid her as expected by the principle of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2016). Therefore, Dr. Discord must do what is in her patient's best interest, which testifying in this case is not. Mr. Discord is responsible for providing the best care to the client. However, it is not her responsibility to testify in court on her behalf because it may compromise her trust in the client for giving false testimony, interfering with the requirements of fidelity and responsibility. By testifying in court and following the conditions that Ms. Malfunction wants, Dr. Discord will have violated the principle of integrity because she will have gone against her professional ethics and standards (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2016). The principle of fairness and justice will also be violated as she will not be telling the truth based on her client's evaluation. She will likely be unfair, unjust, and biased when she chooses to testify for Ms. Malfunction as her therapist.
APA Code of Ethics: Standards
There are also ten Standards that APA therapists should adhere to in practice. The standards include (1) Resolving Ethical Issues- which implies that etiquette must be the foundation of practice. (2) Competence requires the client to be referred to another therapist who can handle the client's needs in emergencies. (3) Human Relations- therapists are not expected to involve in multiple-role relations or harassing or discriminative (APA, 2016). (4) Privacy and Confidentiality- information and data about clients cannot be displayed publicly or discussed with other people or clients. (5) Advertising and Other Public Statements- all adverts done by professionals or on their behalf should be accurate since they are held accountable. (6) Record keeping and Fees- files of clients should be kept orderly, and fees should never be misrepresented. (7) Education and Training- Psychologists who educate or train others must provide effective training sessions that provide accurate and verifiable benefits, programs, and requirements (APA, 2017). (8) Research and Publication- professionals can conduct research and publish findings accurately after getting approval from relevant institutions. (9) Assessment- professionals should conduct assessments and report accurate outcomes using established procedures and standards. (10) Therapy- emphasizes the kind of relationships a therapist must NOT involve in during practice.
Statement of Culture and Social Orientations in the Case Study
Although there may be no cultural consideration for Ms. Discord and her patient, Melissa Malfunction's case, several elements of social considerations must be addressed. The issue of client confidentiality will be violated if Ms. Discord decides to testify on behalf of the client. Professional psychologists should ensure that they handle client information with high confidentiality and ethical and legal standards (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2016). Suppose Ms. Discord chooses to testify for the client, and the case comes out negative. In that case, the client's trust regarding her competency and capability will decline, damaging the working relationship between the psychiatrist and the client. The client will feel that the therapist did not do much to help her and will be ashamed to deal with the patient going forward. The client may not also be willing to continue working with Ms. Discord if they lose the case hence compromising the professionalism of the therapist.
References
American Psychological Association. (2016).Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct.Retrieved from www.apa.org/ethics/code/
American Psychological Association. (2017).Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services to Ethnic, Linguistic, and Culturally Diverse Populations.Retrieved fromhttp://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/policy/provider-guidelines.aspx
Koocher, G. P., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2016).Ethics in psychology and the mental health professions: Standards and cases(4thed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.