Integrity and

Professional
Ethics
Week 3
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA)
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Learning outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to

• Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA) and Code of Ethics and
Deontology (Professional Association of Psychologist of Perú)
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Introduction to APA Code of Ethics

• Serves as an aspirational guide to achieve the highest ideals of psychology and its practice.

• This Code applies only to psychologists’ activities that are part of their scientific, educational, or
professional roles as psychologists.

• Provides guidance for psychologists and standards of professional conduct that can be applied by the
APA and by other bodies that choose to adopt them.

• Sirve como una guía aspiracional para alcanzar los más altos ideales de la psicología y su práctica.

• Este Código se aplica únicamente a las actividades de los psicólogos que forman parte de sus funciones
científicas, educativas o profesionales como psicólogos.

• Proporciona orientación para psicólogos y estándares de conducta profesional que pueden ser aplicados
por la APA y por otros organismos que decidan adoptarlos.
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General Principles
• Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
• Fidelity and Responsibility
• Integrity
• Justice
• Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity
• Beneficencia y no maleficencia
• Fidelidad y Responsabilidad
• Integridad
• Justicia
• Respeto por los derechos y la dignidad de
las personas
What makes a psychologist competent?
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Psychologist’s competence in APA

Take into account: age, gender, gender
identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national
Psychologists provide origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability,
language, or socioeconomic status of his/her
services, teach, and conduct
patient or client.
research with populations and
in areas only within the To provide services, teach, or conduct research
involving populations, areas, techniques, or
boundaries of their
technologies new to them undertake relevant
competence. education, training, supervised experience,
consultation or study.
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Delegation

To persons who have a See that such persons

multiple relationship with perform these services
those being served that competently.
would likely lead to
exploitation or loss of
objectivity Be expected to perform
competently on the basis of their
education, training, or experience,
either independently or with the
level of supervision being
provided
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Informed Consent
• Talking about research or providing assessment, therapy, counseling, or consulting services in person or via
electronic transmission or other forms of communication, they obtain the informed consent of the individual
or individuals using language that is reasonably understandable to that person or persons.

• For persons who are legally incapable of giving informed consent, psychologists nevertheless:

• Provide an appropriate explanation

• Seek the individual’s assent
• Consider such persons’ preferences and best interests.
• Obtain appropriate permission from a legally authorized person, if such substitute consent is permitted or
required by law.
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Informed Consent
• When psychological services are court ordered or otherwise mandated, psychologists inform the individual of
the nature of the anticipated services, including whether the services are court ordered or mandated and any
limits of confidentiality, before proceeding.

• Psychologists appropriately document written or oral consent, permission, and assent.

• On the other hand, Mumford (2018) points that the best way to get the patient to understand the informed
consent is to make sure the patient is actively processing the information provided.
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Maintaining and Discussing Confidentiality

• Psychologists have a primary obligation and take reasonable precautions to protect confidential information
obtained through or stored in any medium, recognizing that the extent and limits of confidentiality may be
regulated by law or established by institutional rules or professional or scientific relationship.
• Los psicólogos tienen la obligación primordial y tomar precauciones razonables para
proteger la información confidencial obtenida o almacenada en cualquier medio,
reconociendo que el alcance y los límites de la confidencialidad pueden estar regulados
por ley o establecidos por reglas institucionales o relaciones profesionales o científicas.
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Maintaining and Discussing

•Confidentiality
(a) Psychologists discuss with persons and organizations with whom they
establish a scientific or professional relationship (1) the relevant limits of
confidentiality and (2) the foreseeable uses of the information generated
through their psychological activities.

• (b) Unless it is not feasible or is contraindicated, the discussion of

confidentiality occurs at the outset of the relationship and thereafter as new
circumstances may warrant.

• (c) Psychologists who offer services, products, or information via

electronic transmission inform clients/patients of the risks to privacy and
limits of confidentiality. Source: Google images
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Interruption of Psychological Services

• Unless otherwise covered by contract, psychologists make reasonable efforts to plan for facilitating services
in the event that psychological services are interrupted by factors such as the psychologist’s illness, death,
unavailability, relocation, or retirement or by the client’s/patient’s relocation or financial limitations.

• A menos que el contrato establezca lo contrario, los psicólogos hacen esfuerzos razonables para
planificar la prestación de servicios en caso de que los servicios psicológicos se vean
interrumpidos por factores como la enfermedad, muerte, indisponibilidad, reubicación o jubilación
del psicólogo o por la reubicación o limitaciones financieras del cliente/paciente.
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If there are limitations in

financing, this is discussed Psychologists’ fee
with the recipient of practices are consistent
services as early as is with law.
feasible.

Fees and Financial

Arrangements

If the recipient of services

does not pay for services Psychologists do not
as agreed the psychologist misrepresent their fees.
will give a warning before
taking legal actions
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Si existen limitaciones en Las prácticas de

el financiamiento, esto se honorarios de los
discute con el destinatario psicólogos son
de los servicios lo antes consistentes con la ley.
posible.

Tarifas y arreglos financieros

Si el destinatario de los
servicios no paga por los
servicios
Según lo acordado el psicólogo Las psicólogas no
dará un aviso antes de tergiversan sus
emprender acciones legales. honorarios.