OPEN UNIVERSITY FOR ADULTS

(UAPA)

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CAREER

SUBJECT:
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS OF THE PSYCHOLOGIST

ISSUE:
Ethical dilemmas

PRESENTED BY:
Leidy Miguelina Espaillat Polanco

TUITION:
17-1619

FACILITATOR:
ANNERY HIRALDO

DATE:
11-10-2019
 INTRODUCTION

Psychology must be at the service and not for the use of the human community;
This demands from the psychologist an attitude of honesty and respect with
oneself and with others. Rodríguez (1979) points out that every task is influenced
by the particular philosophy regarding the nature of man and the position adopted
towards it depends, to a large extent, on the way of seeing and valuing things, the
ideological position and the conceptual model with which you identify.

Psychologists must be governed by a code of ethics that allows them to make the
correct decisions in the exercise of their profession. For them, there are
organizations that are responsible for establishing these controls, such as the
American Psychology Association (APA), which establishes the principles and the
ethical standards of the psychologist.
In the following report we will address a case where ethical standards have been
violated in the practice of psychology. In addition, the analysis of the risk therapy
film where an ethical dilemma is revealed.
After consulting the indicated bibliography and other sources of scientific
interest for the topic under study, it is recommended that you carry out the
following activities:

1. Investigate a real-life case where ethical standards have been violated in

the practice of psychology and prepare a report that includes the following
elements:
Description of the case.
People involved.
Articles according to the APA ethical code that have been violated.
Possible solutions to the case.
Case description
In 2017, a clinical psychologist named Julio Alberto Santos, a graduate of the
UASD and with a master's degree in couples therapy, opened the first office in
Sabana Iglesia, DR. Many people from surrounding communities were very happy
because it was the first time in this community. They would have a type of service
like this.
About four months later, a young woman who was seeking help for problems with
her spouse consulted a psychologist. The woman informs the professional that she
wants her consultations to be as discreet as possible because she does not want
her partner to find out, since he does not agree with her seeking help. About two
months later the clinical psychologist is arrested.
It turns out that during the consultations or sessions with the young woman the
professional committed sexual harassment. According to her, he intimidated her
and demanded that she call him to have sexual relations with her in exchange for
her silence and also manipulated her that he would not charge anything for her
consultations.

People involved
Among the people involved in the case were the young woman, the same
psychologist, the psychologist's assistant because according to the authorities, and
the young woman, she knew and knew what was happening.
Articles according to the APA ethical code that have been violated.
According to the APA ethical code, the ethical standard of human relations, article
3.02 sexual harassment, is violated, which states that no psychologist should be
involved in situations of sexual harassment.
Possible solutions to the case.
In this case, the solution was firstly that the young woman reported the case to the
corresponding authorities and secondly that the psychologist was punished for said
sexual harassment and his diploma and ability to pursue his career as a
psychologist was withdrawn.

2- Watch the film Risk Therapy https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=r4OD8rloJh8 and do the following:
-Main idea
The film superficially explores the ethical problems of pharmaceutical
manufacturers and the responsibility between the doctor and the patient in the
treatment of profound disorders. It is interesting how the film exposes the behavior
of unscrupulous doctors whose dominant interest is to make money regardless of
who is destroyed in the process and, on the other hand, patients who, given the
lack of meaning to live, abuse medications, hoping to fill the emptiness of an
excessive life. The performances of Rooney Mara and Jude Law are credible and
the development of the narrative is absorbing, although the final outcome feels
rushed and the inclusion of some scenes of intense sexual content, including
lesbianism, make it uncomfortable for most.
-Important characters
Rooney Mara and Jude Law
-Synthesis
Psychological intrigue in which Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara), a woman who, after
marrying Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum), a rich and attractive man, loses
everything when he goes to prison for illegal use of inside information. While her
husband is incarcerated she falls into a severe depression and after a suicide
attempt she goes to a psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Banks, (Jude Law), who
prescribes antidepressants. At the young woman's insistence, the doctor replaces
the medication with another that she suggests based on an advertising campaign
that promotes that new drug. The side effects have to do with sleepwalking and
unconscious actions that will bring a serious problem to both doctor and patient,
which puts Dr. Banks' professional career at risk and involves Emily in a judicial
process .
-Problem or situation:
The treatment of a woman suffering from depression involves her psychiatrist in an
ethical problem that threatens to ruin her career and destroy her marriage.
-Possible suggestions from you
In this case I suggest that the psychologist must be very careful with the law, since
for any carelessness or rather for wanting to make money he can go to jail. The
correct medications must be applied and not take suggestions from a family
member since they are not mental health professionals and therefore do not know
the risks that this bad practice entails.

CONCLUSION
The purpose of the Code of Ethics is to provide guidance for psychologists and
rules of professional conduct that can be applied by the APA and by other
institutions that choose to adopt them. The Code of Ethics is not intended to be the
basis for civil liability. The fact that a psychologist has violated the rules of the
Code of Ethics does not in itself determine that the psychologist is legally
responsible in a judicial process, that a contract is enforceable or that other legal
consequences follow.

The psychologist is a scientist, a technician, a professional in the promotion of

behavior, but he is above all a man, a person, who grows and develops in a
country rich in human reserves and natural resources, but a victim of tensions.