American Psychological Association

American Psychological Association

American Psychological Association

Two frequent types of misconducts reported were related to poor communication standards and professional incompetency. Psychologists should strive to promote high levels of competence when undertaking any activity related to their profession. Consequences of poor communication standards are receiving complaints from the public, reprimand while that of professional incompetence is receiving serious misconduct complaints that could lead to deregistration, APA membership termination, censure and referral to other bodies.APA Membership compels members to abide by APA Ethics Code and also to the procedures and rules used in its implementation. The APA has Ethics Code that is applied only to activities that are psychological in nature or that form part of Psychologist’s professional and scientific functions.

The intention of applying the Ethics Code is to offer standards of professional behavior which can then be employed by the APA and other professional bodies that choose to adopt them. Although violation of the Ethics Code by a psychologist does not by itself establish if he or she is legally liable. Psychologists take into consideration this Ethics Code in the decision making process with regards to their professional behavior.

If the standard of conduct set by the Ethics Code is higher than is required by applicable laws, then psychologists must ensure that they meet the set higher ethical standards of conduct. If the law requirements seems to conflict with Ethics Code standard, psychologists should make known their obligation to the Ethics Code and then take necessary steps to find a resolution to the conflict in a sensible manner. If neither the Ethics Code nor law resolves a particular issue, psychologists should consult others.

Psychology professionals’ contemporary role is two-fold in modern society. First, the professionals play a role in producing new and scientifically satisfactory knowledge about human action and thought and second, to employ that knowledge to solving problems in the society (Carroll, 1999).

Almost each Ethics Code standard contains provisions about need for self-care. According to the 2002 APA Ethics Code version, for example, commands psychologists to keep in existence the awareness of the “possible effect of their own physical and mental health on their ability to help those with whom they work” (p. 1062). Psychologists should desist from commencing any activity should they suspect a substantial possibility that their personal challenges will affect their work performance. Knowing one’s limitations is a self-care tip that might prove useful in addressing the issues (Norcross, 2000).

References

Association, A. P. (2002). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. American Psychologists.

Carroll, L. G. (1999). The Moral Imperative: Self-Care for Women Psychotherapists. Women & Therapy.

Norcross, J. C. (2000). Psychotherapist self-care: Practitioner-tested, Research-informed Strategies.