American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles Of Psychologists And Code Of Ethics Case Study

According to The American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, psychologists must comply with the standards of the APA Ethics Code as well as the rules and procedures used to carry them out. Having a lack of understanding of the ethical standards is not an acceptable cause to operate in an unethical manner. Furthermore, even though a specific regimen is not mentioned within the APA guidelines this does not exempt an unjust behavior (American Psychological Association [APA], 2010). The same rules apply to Dr. Betsy Jones, a small-town practicing psychologist unsure as to whether her actions would be considered ethical, so she reaches out to a professional colleague for guidance.

Jones was well within the guidelines for working in areas that may have been outside of her competence. While it is the preferred method that mental health specialists do not work outside of their realm of expertise, it is also recognized by the APA that many times that simply is not possible. As the article, Financial and Ethical Considerations for Professionals in Psychology by Hayley Treloar says, many small towns, such as the one Dr. Jones lives in, have limited resources and finding other professionals to step forward to help patients is difficult to find, and even more so, when the possibility arises that medical practices may not get paid. There is a great disservice to both the psychologist and patient when psychologists are forced to work outside of their competency level. Many psychologists who are overworked become burnt out and leave themselves open to the dangers of an oversight (Treloar. 2010). Section 3: Human Relations discusses working in multiple roles and causing harm to the client. Specifically, 3.05 Multiple Relationships notes that if the client is in jeopardy of harm then psychologists should take reasonable steps to resolve the issue while still being compliant to the Ethics Code (not abandonment). Dr. Jones was making every effort to avoid having multiple relationships with Mr. Albertson by referring him to other physicians for further medical treatment and searching for a guardian. To further confirm Dr. Jones is within her rights, author of Competencies in professional psychology. The American Psychologist, N.J. Kaslow reports that psychologists are under a rubric of intervention implementation and have effective skills that include general case-management abilities (Kaslow.