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Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Department of Health
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ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND
CODE OF CONDUCT
Adopted August 21, 2002
Effective June 1, 2003
INTRODUCTION AND APPLICABILITY 4.02 Discussing the Limits of 8.04 Client/Patient, Student, and
Confidentiality Subordinate Research Participants
PREAMBLE
4.03 Recording 8.05 Dispensing With Informed Consent
GENERAL PRINCIPLES 4.04 Minimizing Intrusions on Privacy for Research
Principle A: Beneficence 4.05 Disclosures 8.06 Offering In ducements for Research
and Non maleficence 4.06 Consultations Participation
Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility 4.07 Use of Confidential Information 8.07 Deception in Research
Principle C: Integrity for Didactic or Other Purposes 8.08 Debriefing
PrincipleD: Justice 8.09 Humane Care and Use of Animals
5. A.tverl:i sing a11d Otll£r Public
Principle E: Respect for People's Rights in Research
Statements
and Dignity 8.10 Reporting Research Results
5.01 Avoidance of False or Deceptive
8.11 Plagiarism
ETHICAL STANDARDS Statements
8.12 Publication Credit
1. Resolving Ethimllssues 5.02 Statements by Others
Misuse of Psychologists' Work 8.13 Duplicate Publication of Data
1.01 5.03 Descriptions ofWorksbops and
8.14 Sharing Research Data for Verification
1.02 Conflicts Between Etl1ics and Law, No n-Degree-Gran ting Educational
8.15 Reviewers
Regulations, or Other Governing Programs
Legal Authority 5.04 Media Presentations 9. Assessment
1.03 Confl icts Between Ethics and 5.05 Testimonials 9.0 1 Bases for Assessments
Organizational Demands 5.06 In-Person Solicitation 9.02 Use of Assessments
1.04 Informal Resolution of Ethical 9.03 Informed Consent in Assessments
6. Record Keeping and Fees
Violations 9.04 Release of Test Data
6.01 Documentation of Professional
1.05 Reporting Ethical Violations 9.05 Test Constmction
and Scientific Work and
1.06 Cooperating With Ethics Committees 9.06 Interpreting Assessment Results
Maintenance of Records
l.07 Improper Complaints 9.07 Assessment by Unqualified Persons
6.02 Maintenance, Dissemination,
LOS Unfair Discrimination Against 9.08 Obsolete Tests and Outdated Test
and Disposal of Confidential Records
Complainants and Respondents Results
of Profess ional and Scientific Work
2. Competence 9.09 1est Scoring and Interpretation
6.03 Withholding Records for
2.01 Boundaries of Competence Services
Nonpayment
2.02 Providing Serv ices in Emergencies 9.10 Exp laining Assessment Results
6.04 Fees and Financial Arrangements
2.03 Maintaining Competence 9.11 Mai ntaining Test Security
6.05 Barter With Clients/Patients
2.04 Bases for Scientific and Professional 6.06 Accuracy in Reports to Payors aad 10. Iher''PY
Judgments Funding Sources lO.Ol Informed Consent to Therapy
2.05 Delegation of Work to Others 6.07 Referrals and Fees 10.02 Therapy lnvolving Couples or
2.06 Personal Problems and Conflicts Families
7. £ducat.ion and Training
.1. Human Relatio11s 10.03 Gro up 1l1erapy
7.0 1 Design of Education and Training
3.01 Unfair Discrimination
10.04 Providlllg Therapy to Those ·erved
Programs
3.02 by Others
Sexual Harassment 7.02 Descriptions of Education and
3.03 Other Harassment lO.OS Sexuallntimacies Witl1 Current
Training Programs
3.04 Avoiding Harm Therapy Clients/Patients
7.03 Accuracy in Teaching
305 Multiple Relationships 10.06 Sexual Intimacies With Relatives
7.04 Student Disclosure of Personal
3.06 Conflict oflnterest or Significant Others of Current
Information
11H~rapy C lients/ Patients
3.07 Third -Party Requests for Services 7.05 Man datory Indi,ridual or Group
Exploitative Relationships 10.07 Therapy With Fonner Sexual Partners
3.08 Therapy
3.09 Cooperation With Other 10.08 Sexual intimacies With Former
7.06 Assessing Student and Supervisee
Professionals Therapy Clients/Patients
Performance
3. 10 Informed Consent 10.09 In terruption of Therapy
7.07 Sexual Relationships With
Psychological Services Delivered to 10.10 Terminating Therapy
3.11 Students and Supervisees
or Through Organizations 2010 AMENDMENTS TO THE
8. Research and Publication
3.12 Interruption of Psychological Services 2002 "ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF
S.Ol Institutional Approval
4. Privacy and Confidentiality PSYCHOLOGISTS Al"'ID CODE OF
8.02 Informed Consent to Research
4.01 Maintaining Confidentiality CONDUCT"
8.03 Informed Consent for Recording
Voices and Images in Research
Lack of awareness or misunderstandlng of an Ethical Standard American Psychological Association. ( 1953) . Etllical standards of p>ycholo-
is not itself a defense to a charge of unethical conduct. gists. Washington, DC: Author.
The procedures for filing, investigating, and resolving American Psychological Association. ( 1959 ). Ethical standard., of p sych olo-
gists. American Psychologist, 14,279- 282.
complaints of unethical conduct are described in the current American Psych ological Association. ( 1963 ). Ethical stan dards of p sycholo-
Rules and Procedures of the APA Ethics Committee. APA may gists. American Psychologist, 18, 56-60.
impose sanctions on its members for violations of the stan- American Psychological Association. ( 1968 ). Ethical standard s of psych olo-
dards of the Ethics Code, including termination of APA mem- gists. American Psychologist, 23, 357-36 1.
American Psychological Association. ( 1977. March). Ethical standards of
bership, and may notify other bodies and individuals of its psychologists. APA M omlofi 21- 23.
actions. Actions that violate the standards of the Ethics Code American Psychologkal Association. ( 1979). Etll ical star:da rds of psycholo-
may also lead to the imposition of sanctions on psychologists gists. Washington, D C: Author.
American Psychological Association. ( 1981). Ethical principles ofpsycholo·
or students whether or not they are APA members by bodies
gists. American Psychologist; 36, 633-638.
other than APA, including state psychological associations, American Psychological Association. ( 1990) . Ethical principles of psycho lo-
other professional groups, psychology boards, other state or gists (Amended J une 2, 1989). American Psychologist, 45, 390-395 .
federal agencies, and payors for health services. In addition, Am erican Psychological Association. (I 991) . Ethical principles of p sycholo-
gists and code of conduct. America!! Psychologist, 47, I 597-16 11 .
APA may take action against a member after his or her convic-
American Psychological Associat ion. ( 2002). Ethical principles of psycholo·
tion of a felony, expulsion or suspension from an affiliated state gi sts and code of conduct. America!! Psychologist, 5 7, 1060-1073.
psychological association, or suspension or loss of licensure. Request copi es of the APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologi sts and Code
When the sanction to be imposed by APA is less than expul- of Conduct from theAPA Order Department, 750 First Street, r E, Wash ing-
sion, the 2001 Rules and Procedures do not guarantee an op- ton, DC 20002-4242, o r ph on ~ (202) 336-SS IO .
7.05 Mandatory Individual or Group Therapy Dispensing With informed Consent for Research; and 8.07,
(a) "\.Yhen individual or group therapy is a program or Deception in Research.) ·
course requirement, psychologists responsible for that pro- (b) Psychologists conducting intervention research
gram allow students in undergraduate and graduate programs involving the use of experimental treatments clarify to par-
the option of selecting such therapy from practitioners unaf- ticipants at the outset of the research ( l) the experimental
filiated with the program. (See also Standard 7.02, Descrip- nature of the treatment; (2 ) the services that will or will not
ti ons of Education and Training Programs.) be available to the control group(s) if appropriate; (3) the
(b) Faculty who are or are likely to be responsible means by which assigmnent to treatment and control groups
for evaluating students' academic performance do not them- will be made; ( 4) available treatment alternatives if an indi-
selves provide that therapy. (See also Standard 3.05, Multiple vidual does not wish to participate in the research or wishes to
Relationships.) withdraw once a study has begun; and ( 5) compensation for
or monetary costs of participating including, if appropriate,
7.06 Assessing Student and Supervisee whether reimbursement from the participant or a third-par-
Performance ty payor will be sought. (See also Standard 8.02a, Informed
Consent to Research.)
(a) In academic and supervisory relationships, psy-
chologists establish a timely and specific process for provid-
8.03 Informed Consent for Recording Voices and
ing feedback to students and supervisees. [nformation regard-
Images in Research
ing the process is provided to the student at the beginning of
supervision. Psychologists obtain informed consent from research
(b) Psychologists evaluate students and sup ervisees participants prior to recording their voices or images for d<)ta
on the basis of their actual performance on relevant and es - collection unless ( 1) the research consists solely of natural-
tablished program requirements. isti c observations in public places, and it is not anticipated
that the recording will be used in a manner that could cause
7.07 Sexual Relationships With Students and personal identification or harm, or ( 2) the research design in-
Supervisees cludes deception, and consent for the use of the recording is
obtained during debriefing. (See also Standard 8.07, Decep-
Psychologists do not engage in sexual relationships
tion in Research.)
with students or supervisees who are in their department,
agency, or training center or over whom p sychologists have
8.04 Client/ Patient, Student, and Subordinate
or are likely to have evaluative authority. (See also Standard
Research Participants
3.05, Multiple Relationships.)
(a) When psychologists conduct research with cli-
8. Research and Pu}?lication ents/ patients, students, or subordinates as participants, psy-
chologists take steps to protect the prospective participants
8.01 Institutional Approval
from adverse consequences of declining or withdrawing from
When institutional approval is required, psychologists participation.
provide accurate information about their research proposals (b) When research participation is a course require-
and obtain approval prior to conducting the research. They ment or an opportunity for extra credit, the prospective par-
conduct the research in accordance with the approved re- ticipant is given the choice of equitable alternative activities.
search protocol.
8.05 Dispensing 'Vith Informed Consent for
8.02 Informed Consent to Research Research
(a) When obtaining informed consent as required Psychologists may dispense with informed consent
in Standard 3.10, informed Consent, psychologists inform only ( 1) where research would not reasonably be assumed to
participants about ( 1) the purpose of the research, expected create distress or harm and involves (a) th e study of no rmal
duration, and procedures; (2) their right to decline to par- educational practices, curricula, or classroom management
ticipate and to withdraw from the research once participation methods conducted in educational settings; ( b) only anony-
has begun; ( 3) the fo reseeable consequences of declining or mous questionnaires, naturalistic observations, or archival
withdrawir1g; ( 4) reasonably foreseeable factors that may be research for which disclosure of responses would not place
expected to influence their willingness to participate such as participants at risk of criminal or civil liability or damage their
potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects; ( S) any prospec- financial standing, employability1 or reputation, and confi-
tive research benefits; ( 6) limits of confidentiality; (7) incen- dentiality is protected; or (c) the study of factors related to
tives for participation; and ( 8) whom to contact for questions job or organization effectiveness conducted in organizational
about the research and research participants' rights. TI1ey pro - settings for which there is no risk to participants' employabil-
vide opportunity for the prospective parti cipants to ask ques - ity, and confidentiality is protected or (2) where otherwise
tions and receive answers. (See also Stand ards 8.03, [nfonned permitted by law or federal or institutional regulations.
Consent for Recording Voices and Images in Resea rch; 8.05,
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Effective June l, 2003, as amended 2010 2010 Amendments to the 2002 "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct'' 15