Ethics and Professional Issues

Which of the following best describes ethical guidelines regarding barter as a substitute for the collection of fees for professional psychological services?

Barter may be acceptable when certain conditions are met. when it is clinically contradindicated or exploitative - in other words, in certain circumstances, barter may be acceptable. does not directly address barter but, to be consistent with the "spirit" of the Code, barter should be avoided when it may be harmful to the client.

Which of the following best describes ethical requirements regarding sexual intimacies with supervisees?

Ethical guidelines prohibit sexual relationships with supervisees over whom the psychologist has evaluative authority.

In general, which of the following is considered the "best defense" for a psychologist who is being sued for malpractice?

adequate records Most experts agree that good record-keeping is the best defense for practitioners in cases of litigation. In addition to being familiar with relevant laws and ethical guidelines, the best way to reduce vulnerability to malpractice is maintaining adequate records.

special conservator

carries out the terms of a preliminary protective order

A ___________ is a person appointed by the court to represent and make decisions in a legal proceeding for a minor or other person legally incapable of doing so.

guardian ad litem he description presented in this question best describes a guardian ad litem who is appointed by the court for a specific purpose (e.g., to make decisions for someone who is incapable of doing so).

Sexual harassment:

is explicitly prohibited by ethical guidelines. "psychologists do not engage in sexual harassment"; and Principle I.4 of the Canadian Code of Ethics states that psychologists "abstain from all forms of harassment, including sexual harassment."

conservator of a minor

responsible for managing the minor's finances

As defined in the APA's General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services and the CPA's Practice Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services, "psychological services" include all of the following except?

the conduct of scientific research The APA and CPA guidelines are both very specific about the activities that constitute "psychological services." The conduct of scientific research is not included in the definition of psychological services.

Dr. Ja-Hoon Jang is conducting a research study that involves interviewing junior high school students about their relationships with peers. Prior to beginning the study, Dr. Jang obtained informed consents from the parents of the students as well as assents from the students themselves. During the course of the study, one of the students says he doesn't want to complete the interview. Dr. Jang should:

allow the student to withdraw from the study Ethical guidelines require researchers to allow participants to withdraw at any time from a research study.

"Privilege"

is a legal requirement designed to protect confidential information from being disclosed in a legal proceeding. Privilege is "a legal term describing certain specific types of relationships that enjoy protection from disclosure in legal proceedings" Privilege is a legal term and refers to "privileged communications" that arise in legally designated relationships (e.g., the therapist-client relationship).

You believe that one of your clients is exhibiting symptoms of PTSD. A new test for PTSD has been developed by a psychologist at the local university, and you would like to use the test to evaluate the client. However, the test is currently labeled "For Research Purposes Only." You should:

not use the test. "For research purposes only" implies that this test has not been validated for clinical use and, therefore, should not be used for that purpose. Ethical guidelines require that tests be used only for the purposes for which they have been validated.

A psychologist realizes that one of her therapy clients is a co-owner of a company that just hired her as a consultant. To be consistent with ethical requirements, the psychologist should:

remedy the situation in a way that takes the client's best interests into account. when a multiple relationship occurs, "the psychologist takes reasonable steps to resolve it with due regard for the best interests of the affected person and maximal compliance with the Ethics Code";

Faaris F. terminated therapy with Dr. Pamela Prince several months ago but calls to request an appointment because he is now very lonely and depressed and feels "like he wants to die." In the past two months, Dr. Prince has been reducing her caseload because she is planning to retire. The best course of action in this situation is for Dr. Prince to:

see Faaris in therapy until the crisis has passed and then provide him with appropriate referrals. The situation described in this question is not explicitly addressed by ethical guidelines, so the best strategy is to choose the answer that best addresses the client's welfare. Since the client seems to be experiencing a crisis (he feels "like he wants to die"), this course of action takes his welfare into account and is most consistent with the "spirit" of the ethical guidelines.

Which of the following best describes the provisions of the APA's Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology regarding contingent fees?

Contingent fees should ordinarily be avoided. Contingent fees are fees that depend on the outcome of a case (often a percentage of the money the client receives). "Forensic practitioners seek to avoid undue influence that might result from financial compensation or other gains. Because of the threat to impartiality presented by the acceptance of contingent fees and associated legal prohibitions, forensic practitioners strive to avoid providing professional services on the basis of contingent fees."

Which of the following is true about the use of deception in a research study that may cause participants physical pain?

Deception is prohibited whether the pain is physical or psychological in nature. states that "psychologists do not deceive prospective participants about research that is reasonably expected to cause physical pain or severe emotional distress."

Which of the following best describes ethical guidelines regarding the use of inducements to encourage individuals to participate in a research study?

Financial and other inducements are acceptable only when they do not coerce participation in the research study. "psychologists make reasonable efforts to avoid offering excessive or inappropriate financial or other inducements for research participation when such inducements are likely to coerce participation."

To be consistent with ethical requirements, David DeFoe, a psychology intern, must do which of the following when a supervisor has legal responsibility for his work?

He must tell his clients that he is a psychology intern. consistent with ethical guidelines that require interns (trainees) to inform their clients of their professional status. Note that Standard 10.01(c) of the Ethics Code also requires that Mr. DeFoe provide clients with the name of his supervisor.

A psychology professor at a large university asks a graduate student to assist on a research project in a field of interest to the student. The student will be required to spend about 25 hours a week on the project and will be paid on an hourly basis. With regard to publication credit, the professor should do which of the following when preparing a journal article about the study?

He should acknowledge the student in a manner consistent with her contribution to the project. "principal authorship and other publication credits accurately reflect the relative scientific or professional contributions of the involved, regardless of their relative status."

After three sessions with a therapy client, Dr. Leonard Lykowski realizes that he's feeling somewhat hostile toward the client because she reminds him of his wife who he's currently divorcing. Dr. Lykowski's best course of action would be to:

In the situation described in this question, Dr. Lykowski's personal problems may be affecting his objectivity. consult with another psychologist to determine whether or not to continue seeing the client in therapy. Consultation with another professional is ordinarily the best course of action whenever a therapist is concerned that a personal problem might interfere with his/her ability to provide a client with adequate therapy.

A psychologist receives a phone call from a person whom she had an intimate (including sexual) relationship with for a short period of time over two years ago. The relationship ended amicably, and this person wants to start therapy with the psychologist. With regard to ethical requirements, which of the following is true about this situation?

It would not be ethical to begin therapy with this person. which explicitly prohibits psychologists to accept former sexual partners as therapy clients and Principle III.33, which prohibits multiple relationships that might impair a psychologist's objectivity.

Dr. Delores Del Rio has been seeing Jeff J. in therapy for four months. For the last month, Jeff has complained about the progress he is making in therapy and, Dr. Del Rio has responded by working with him to modify treatment goals. In the last therapy session, however, Jeff again stated that he is not happy with therapy. Dr. Del Rio's best course of action would be to:

Jeff's continued dissatisfaction with him and the possibility of terminating therapy. This question addresses the issue of terminating therapy when a client does not seem to be benefiting from it. his is the best answer of those given because it takes the client's welfare into consideration and is most consistent with ethical guidelines regarding termination of professional services

A psychology intern offers his supervisor a chance to invest in a real estate syndicate that is being arranged by the intern's father as a tax shelter. The supervisor:

Multiple relationships are addressed in Standard 3.05 of the APA's Ethics Code and Principle III.33 of the Canadian Code of Ethics. Standard 3.05 states that "a psychologist refrains from entering into a multiple relationship if the multiple relationship could reasonably be expected to impair the psychologist's objectivity, competence, or effectiveness in performing his or her functions as a psychologist, or otherwise risks exploitation or harm to the person with whom the professional relationship exists."

Which of the following best describes the status of professional (therapy) records?

The physical record belongs to the therapist, but the information contained therein belongs to the client. While the actual physical record is the property of the therapist, laws require therapists to make the information contained in them available to the client in most situations. This does not mean that a therapist must release the physical record to a client but, instead, that the therapist may be required to show the client the record or provide the client with a summary or copy of it.

Which of the following best describes the requirements of the privacy rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?

The privacy rule is superceded by state laws when those laws provide greater privacy protection. The privacy rule provides minimum standards for access to and use of patient information and is superceded by other laws that provide patients with greater control over their health records.

Which of the following is not a condition for a claim of malpractice against a psychologist?

There must be evidence that the psychologists actions were not in the best interests of the client. A claim of malpractice requires that four conditions be met: a duty to the client; a breach of that duty; harm to the patient; a causal relationship between the breach of duty and harm to the patient.

testamentary guardian

a person who is appointed in a deed or will to serve as guardian of a minor or disabled person.

Within the context of sexual harassment, "quid pro quo" refers to:

a situation in which an employees response to sexual demands impacts his/her job Quid pro quo sexual harassment occurs when a person's submission to or rejection of sexual advances affects his/her employment status. (Hostile environment sexual harassment is the other legally recognized type of sexual harassment.)

When evaluating a defendant's competence to stand trial, the focus of the evaluation is on the defendant's:

ability to comprehend the charges against him/her. An evaluation for competence to stand trial focuses on the defendant's ability to comprehend the charges against him/her, to understand the trial process, to cooperate with his/her attorney, etc. The focus of an evaluation to determine a defendant's competence to stand trial focuses on his/her current psycholegal abilities and impairments.

Alice A., who has a master's degree in clinical psychology but is not licensed, is hired by a community mental health clinic to, among other things, administer several standard psychological tests to adult clients. According to ethical guidelines, this is:

acceptable as long as a professional clinical psychologist supervises Alice's activities. This answer is most consistent with ethical and legal guidelines. Alice may administer some psychological tests as long as she has been adequately trained and is supervised by a professional clinical psychologist. Ethical (and legal) guidelines do not prohibit the provision of all psychological services by individuals who are not licensed clinical psychologists. However, they do require that such persons be supervised by a professional clinical psychologist.

You are hired as an adjunct professor to teach a course at a graduate school of professional psychology. In terms of ethical requirements, you are required to ensure that:

accurate information about the course content is available for all interested parties. Ethical guidelines explicitly require psychologists to provide interested parties (in this case, the school administration and the students) with accurate and complete information about course content.

Dr. Julian Jones is given a research idea by a colleague during the course of a casual conversation and decides to design and conduct a study to follow-up on the idea. When publishing the results of the study, it would be best for Dr. Jones to:

acknowledge his colleague's contribution in a footnote or introductory statement. states that publication credit must "accurately reflect the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their relative status"; and Principle III.7 states that psychologists "give credit for work done or ideas contributed by others ... in proportion to their contribution." While the idea for the study came from the colleague, she did not participate in designing or carrying out the study and it would be acceptable to acknowledge her contribution in an introductory statement or footnote.

You receive a request from a psychologist working at a mental health crisis unit for information about a former client of yours who left three months ago with an unpaid bill of over $500. The client has been admitted as an inpatient and has signed a release. You tell the psychologist that you will provide her with the information she has requested only after the client has made arrangements for paying you the money he owes. You have:

acted unethically In this situation, the former client's records are needed for an emergency situation (i.e., the client has been admitted as an inpatient to a mental health crisis unit). The ethical guidelines prohibit "holding a client's records hostage" because the client has not paid his or her bill when these records are requested and needed for emergency treatment.

Miranda M., age 32, makes an appointment with you at the recommendation of her physician who has diagnosed her recurrent headaches as the result of stress. The woman tells you that a friend of hers was trained in self-hypnosis for tension headaches and says that she also wants training in self-hypnosis. You took a weekend workshop on hypnosis in graduate school but have not used it in your clinical practice. As an ethical psychologist, you should:

admit your lack of expertise in the use of self-hypnosis and refer the woman to another therapist. Of the responses given, this one is most consistent with the requirement to provide services that are within the boundaries of your professional competence. Note that, while it is up to you to determine your competence with regard to a particular service or technique, a weekend workshop in self-hypnosis is clearly inadequate.

A psychologist is hired by a court to evaluate a defendant during the course of a criminal proceeding. The psychologist can subsequently include information about the defendant in a textbook that she is writing on forensic psychology:

as long as the information included in the book is included in the public record of the case and she disguises all personally identifiable information. "Forensic practitioners using case materials for purposes of teaching, training, or research strive to present such information in a fair, balanced, and respectful manner. They attempt to protect the privacy of persons by disguising the confidential, personally identifiable information of all persons and entities who would reasonably claim a privacy interest; using only those aspects of the case available in the public domain; or obtaining consent from the relevant clients, parties, participants, and organizations to use the materials for such purposes."

You are subpoenaed to appear at a deposition to testify about a former client of yours. During the deposition, the attorney for the opposing party asks you to provide confidential client information. You should:

assert the privilege unless the client has signed a waiver Confidential client information should be revealed in a legal proceeding only when the client has signed a waiver or when the court has issued an order indicating that privilege is waived.

To serve as an expert witness in a court case, a psychologist must:

be qualified by the court to offer opinions and conclusions about the case. An expert witness is a person who, because of his/her special training, knowledge, or experience, is qualified to offer an opinion as testimony in a court proceeding.

A psychologist is writing a book for popular distribution and illustrates the section on projective personality tests with a number of the pictures used in the Hand Test. This use of test materials in this way is:

clearly unethical because it compromises the usefulness of the test. that "psychologists make reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity and security of test materials and other assessment techniques"; and Principle IV.11 states that psychologists "protect the skills, knowledge, and interpretations of psychology from being misused, used incompetently, or made useless (e.g., loss of security of assessment techniques) by others."

Dr. Melba Morrison, a licensed psychologist, conducts research and teaches several classes at a large university. In her social psychology classes, she usually covers only material that is consistent with the results of her own research. In terms of the ethical guidelines, this practice is:

clearly unethical. To be consistent with ethical requirements when acting as an instructor or trainer, psychologists must present information accurately and in an unbiased way. Therefore, Dr. Morrison is acting unethically by presenting only information that is consistent with the results of her own research.

A psychologist decides to use a computerized test service to facilitate scoring and interpretation of the MMPI-2, which he frequently administers to his clients. The psychologist should be aware that:

computerized interpretations should always be supplemented with other information obtained by the psychologist. The information in a computerized interpretation is limited and, therefore, the best policy is to always supplement computerized interpretations with information from other tests, interviews, observations, etc.

Psychologists are most likely to identify which of the following as the most frequently "ethically troubling issue" that they encounter in their professional practice?

confidentiality ethically troubling issues cited by psychologists in the Pope and Vetter study, the largest number (128) were related to confidentiality. In contrast, conduct of colleagues, treatment termination, and sexual issues were cited,

You receive an e-mail from Dr. Brenda Browne, a licensed psychologist, who is currently seeing one of your former clients for a substance use disorder. Dr. Browne asks you to forward the client's file to her and states that the client has signed a release authorizing you to do so. You should:

contact the client to discuss the release of information Even though the person requesting the client's record is a licensed psychologist, Dr. Browne would not want to breach confidentiality by providing confidential client information to her without knowing specifically what the client has consented to. Dr. Browne would want to verify that the client has, in fact, signed a release and discuss the release and its potential consequences with the client before providing the psychologist with the requested information.

Ethical standards for varying professions differ with regard to their emphasis and perspective. As a psychologist working in a multidisciplinary setting, you should:

cooperate with other professionals when developing professional and ethical standards for psychological services. Psychologists frequently consult with other professionals, such as medical doctors, lawyers, and teachers. It is imperative that they be aware that every profession has professional and ethical standards that must be maintained. General Principle B of APA's Ethics Code states that "psychologists consult with, refer to, or cooperate with other professionals and institutions to the extent needed to serve the best interests of those with whom they work";

Which of the following techniques would be most useful for evaluating the impact of an intervention on patients' quality of life?

cost-utility analysis A cost-utility analysis is conducted to compare the costs and patient outcomes of an intervention, with outcomes including patients' duration and quality of life

Which of the following is not an element of informed consent?

credibility In order for a consent to be informed, the individual must have adequate information (knowledge) and be able to comprehend that information, must give consent voluntarily (without coercion), and must have the competence (capacity) to make rational decisions. Credibility is not one of the conditions for consent.

A psychologist who already has an established therapeutic relationship with a child is asked to act as an expert witness in a divorce proceeding involving custody of the child. The psychologist's best course of action would be to:

decline the request to testify. The psychologist already has an established relationship with the child, which changes the situation in an important way. Since the psychologist has a therapeutic relationship with the child, it would be in the child's best interests for the psychologist to refrain from testifying. Instead, the psychologist's role should be to provide the child with continued support.

A colleague, a licensed psychologist, confides in you that he has just ended a sexual relationship with one of his clients. As he describes the client, you realize that she is someone you referred to him about 18 months ago. As an ethical psychologist, you should:

discuss the matter further with the colleague to see what course of action he plans to take. Ethical guidelines require psychologists to address ethical violations by other psychologists but to do so in a way that does not violate the confidentiality of the involved client. Therefore, this is the best course of action of those presented in the answers to this question.

A client that Dr. William Wong has been seeing in therapy for six months is currently the defendant in a court case. The client's attorney contacts Dr. Wong, requesting that he provide her with information about the client's diagnosis and treatment progress since this information will be helpful in preparing the client's defense. Dr. Wong should:

discuss the release with the client before taking any additional action. The release of confidential client information ordinarily requires a waiver of confidentiality from the client.

At the end of her third therapy session with Dr. Beatrice Bramwell, a client reveals that he is also in therapy with another psychologist. As an ethical psychologist, Dr. Bramwell should:

discuss the treatment issues relevant to this situation with the client during the next session. In this situation, Dr. Bramwell would want to consider the client's welfare and avoid duplicating services or working at cross purposes with the other psychologist.

After a year in private practice, you hire a newly-licensed psychologist whom you will provide with an office and secretarial services. You will also refer clients to the psychologist and pay him 50% of the fees he collects from those clients. This arrangement is:

ethical as long as the psychologist is being compensated in an equitable way. Of the responses given, this one is the best. Referral fees are not entirely prohibited by ethical guidelines, which rules out responses a and b; and response d is not an accurate description of an employer's ethical responsibilities. This issue is addressed in Standard 6.07 of the Ethics Code and is discussed in the Ethics Manual of the written study materials.

a licensed psychologist, is preparing a brochure for her weekend workshop on "Effective Parenting Strategies for Single Parents." Included in the brochure are several testimonials from former workshop participants. According to ethical guidelines, this use of testimonials is:

ethical if certain conditions are met. psychologists do not solicit testimonials "from current therapy clients/patients or other persons who because of their particular circumstances are vulnerable to undue influence"; and Principle III.31 prohibits psychologists from exploiting clients. Therefore, of the answers given, this one is most consistent with ethical guidelines.

Dr. Calvin Claymore, a licensed psychologist, regularly waives the co-payment for low-income clients whose therapy fees are covered by insurance. This practice is:

ethical only if the insurance company has agreed to this arrangement. The practice described in this question represents insurance fraud, which is both unethical and illegal. Most insurance companies agree to pay a specific percentage of a psychologist's fee but, when the co-payment is waived, this means the insurance company is paying the entire fee. Consequently, regularly waiving the co-payment without the permission of the insurance company represents insurance fraud.

A psychotherapist in private practice includes the following information on her business card: sliding scale fees, first session free, APA member. This is:

ethical. It is not unethical to charge clients on a sliding scale, and it would only be unethical to provide the first session free if there was some underlying coercion involved. It is also acceptable to list oneself as an APA member as long as it is not done in a way that is misleading.

If a psychologist acts as both a fact witness for the plaintiff and an expert witness for the court in a criminal trial, she has acted:

ethically as long as she clarifies her roles with all parties. According to ethical guidelines, accepting multiple roles may be acceptable as long as certain conditions are met - e.g., as long as the psychologist considers the risks and benefits of doing so for all involved parties and clarifies the nature of the multiples roles with all involved parties.

Sally S., age 14, tells her therapist that she wants to die and that she has access to her mother's sleeping pills. The therapist believes that Sally's threat is serious and tells Sally that he'll have to contact her parents. Sally says she thought they had agreed when she started therapy that everything she told the therapist would be confidential. If the therapist contacts Sally's parents, he has acted:

ethically since a breach of confidentiality is justified when a client is suicidal. Psychologists are legally and ethically obligated to breach confidentiality whenever a client is believed to be a danger to him/herself. psychologists must take appropriate action whenever a client is suicidal. Because Sally is a minor, contacting her parents would be an appropriate action.

During the course of treatment, a women reports to her therapist, Dr. Emil Emerson, that her husband hit somebody, causing the victim a mild concussion. If Dr. Emerson maintains the client's confidentiality, he has acted:

ethically since confidentiality in this situation should not be breached. A breach of client confidentiality is acceptable and, in some cases, mandated by law. However, this situation involves a past incident involving the client's husband, and a breach of confidentiality is not acceptable or required. See, for example, Standard 4.05(b) of the APA's Ethics Code, which states that exceptions to client confidentiality are permitted only when a breach is necessary to avoid violating the law, or when breaching confidentiality would "protect the client/patient, psychologist, or others from harm."

In a research study in which it is necessary to use deception, participants are not told the exact nature of the study prior to their participation. In terms of ethical requirements, in this situation, the investigator is obligated to:

explain the true nature of the study to all participants as soon as possible. When deception is necessary, participants must be provided with an explanation of the purpose of the study as soon as possible. The use of deception is not prohibited by ethical guidelines but, when it is used, it must be accompanied by certain actions.

A 24-year-old woman calls Dr. Sylvia Silby for an appointment but refuses to discuss her problem on the phone. During the first therapy session, Dr. Silby finds the client to be an attractive woman, dressed in a somewhat flashy manner. The young woman discusses her difficulties in a vague, guarded manner, indicating that, for the past few months, she has had increasing difficulty sleeping and has felt anxious and irritable. Ten minutes before the end of the session, the young woman tells Dr. Silby that she has been seeing another therapist for six months and that, about four weeks ago, she started having a sexual relationship with him. As an ethical psychologist, Dr. Silby should:

explain to her the seriousness of her allegations and advise her of her rights and alternative courses of action If the woman's allegations are true, the original therapist has violated ethical guidelines and may have violated the law. Dr. Silby cannot contact the therapist or make a report herself (answers c and d) without the client's consent since to do so would represent a breach of confidentiality. Therefore, of the actions listed in the answers, the best one is to discuss the matter with the client and advise her of her option

During a discussion with a 4th grade teacher, the teacher tells a school psychologist that one of her students is constantly disrupting the class. After evaluating the child and obtaining more information about the situation, the psychologist concludes that the teacher's approach with the child is part of the problem. Consequently, the psychologist should:

explain to the teacher how her approach may be exacerbating the problem. Ethics require psychologists to cooperate with other professionals. that "psychologists consult with, refer to, or cooperate with other professionals and institutions to the extent needed to serve the best interests of those with whom they work." School psychologists must often act as a coordinator to bring together a variety of people and resources to resolve problems.

A woman comes to family therapy with her three daughters, ages 10, 13, and 19, all of whom live at home with the woman and their father. During the third therapy session, the 19-year-old tells you that her father began sexually molesting her when she was 13. When you ask the younger girls if their father has ever abused them, they are reluctant to say anything about their father, and the mother adamantly denies any knowledge of abuse. In this situation, you should:

file a report with the appropriate authorities yourself. Whenever you acquire a reasonable suspicion in your professional capacity that a minor is being abused, you have a legal obligation to report the abuse. Although psychologists are not usually required to make a report when the individual is over the age of 18, in the situation described in the question, you would have reasonable suspicion that the younger sisters are also victims of abuse. Therefore, you would be legally required to file a report with the appropriate authorities.

Dr. Harry Holliday, a clinical psychologist, is planning to take a three-week cruise. In terms of his clinical practice, Dr. Holliday's best course of action would be to:

give his clients the phone number of a colleague who has agreed to accept phone calls in emergencies. this one makes the most sense in terms of the client's welfare and Dr. Holliday's interests. Ethically, Dr. Holliday would not be required to be available by phone to his clients during his vacation or to provide alternative ongoing services but would be required to provide the clients with a contact for emergency situations.

Dr. Bettina Browne, a licensed psychologist, undertakes a child custody evaluation at the request of the child's mother. The father agrees to be evaluated also, and Dr. Browne obtains signed informed consents from both parents before beginning her assessment. Dr. Browne administers the MMPI and Rorschach tests to both parents. The mother obtains significantly elevated scores on the MMPI's K and L scales, suggesting that she tends to lie and to be excessively defensive, and these tendencies are confirmed by her Rorschach responses. No significant abnormality is suggested by the father's MMPI and Rorschach results. On the basis of these test results, Dr. Browne recommends that the mother not be awarded custody of the child. Dr. Browne:

has acted unethically because of her use of the MMPI and Rorschach tests as methods of evaluating the mothers parental suitability. Based on the information given, it appears that Dr. Browne has acted unethically by basing her custody recommendation on MMPI and Rorschach test results since these tests have not been validated for this purpose. Also, even if the tests had been validated for this purpose, Dr. Browne's recommendation should have been based on more than the results of only two tests.

Dr. Brian Bertram, a licensed psychologist, is hired by the owner of a company to evaluate employees who are not doing well on the job to determine if they would benefit from counseling or additional training. In this situation, Dr. Bertram should:

inform each employee prior to the evaluation of the potential limits on confidentiality. "when psychologists agree to provide services to a person or entity at the request of a third party, psychologists attempt to clarify at the outset of the service the nature of the relationship with all individuals or organizations involved. This clarification includes ... the fact that there may be limits to confidentiality."

Dr. Nancy Noonan plans to conduct a study that will involve testing and interviewing psychiatric inpatients. Before beginning the study, she must obtain:

informed consents from the patients legal guardians and assent from the patients. The answers given to this question imply that the patients are unable to give informed consent to their participation in the study since this option is not provided in any of the answers. Therefore, this is the best answer of those given. In most cases, whenever a person is unable to provide an informed consent for participation in research (i.e., because he/she is incapable of doing so), a psychologist must obtain consent from the person's legal guardian and assent (agreement) from the person.

Dr. Sam Stone has been hired by a consulting firm to assist with an ongoing research project being conducted at a large company. Dr. Stone is to work directly under the project director, Dr. Thompson, a licensed organizational psychologist. Dr. Thompson asks Dr. Stone to review the preliminary report she has prepared for the project; and, in doing so, Dr. Stone discovers that some of the reported data is misleading and may be inaccurate. Dr. Stone expresses his concerns to Dr. Thompson and is told that "it will be taken care of." Subsequently, Dr. Stone learns that the report was submitted to the company without any changes. Dr. Stone reviews the ethical guidelines and decides that pursuing the matter further isn't necessary. Dr. Stone's conclusion:

is incorrect because he has a responsibility to ensure that the company is provided with complete and accurate data. "if psychologists learn of misuse or misinterpretation of their work, they take reasonable steps to correct or minimize the misuse or misrepresentation"; and with Principle II.5 of the Canadian Code of Ethics, which states that psychologists "make every reasonable effort to ensure that psychological knowledge is not misused, intentionally or unintentionally, to harm others."

A psychologist should be aware that information contained in client records:

is not free from disclosure all of the time, regardless of the wishes of the client or the psychologist. There are some situations when client information must be released, despite the wishes of the client or the psychologist.

The term "insanity" is a:

legal, nonpsychiatric term for certain types of mental disorders. Insanity is a legal term that varies somewhat in terms of its definition from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The term "insanity" is used in the legal arena and is not a psychiatric term. Generally, a defendant who pleads not guilty by reason of insanity is contending that he was precluded by a mental disease or defect from understanding the difference between right and wrong.

An insurance company requests that you fax the company confidential client information. Assuming that the client has signed a release for this information, you should:

make sure that all identifying information is removed or coded. You would not have control over who sees the documents once they've been transmitted, and this course of action would ensure that client information is kept confidential.

An "informed consent" from a client:

may be either verbal or in writing but must be documented. states that consents must be "appropriately documented," and Principle I.22 of the Canadian Code of Ethics states that it is acceptable to "accept and document oral consents" when there is a good reason not to obtain a signed written consent. Therefore, this is the best answer of those given.

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is best described as a:

measure of basic knowledge of psychology. a measure of "the knowledge that should have been acquired by any candidate who is seeking licensure to practice psychology."

The research has found that therapists who have had sexual relations with their therapy clients are:

more likely than those who have not had sexual relations with clients to have had other non-sexual dual relationships with their clients. 1998 survey, Lamb and Catanzaro found that psychologists who reported sexual relations with clients were also more likely to report having been involved in non-sexual dual relationships than were psychologists who had not had sexual relations with clients. Therapists who become sexually involved with clients tend to be older than those who have not, and professional experience has not been linked to sexual involvement with clients. there was no statistically significant association between having a sexual relationship with a client and having had a sexual relationship with a supervisor, instructor, or therapist

Malpractice is a tort involving which of the following?

negligence Malpractice is a civil tort involving a negligent breach of duty that results in harm to the client. Being familiar with the conditions for a claim of malpractice would have helped you identify this as the correct answer (see the Ethics Manual in the written study materials). Although a tort involves a breach of duty, it is not necessarily related to the duty to protect

Dr. Beatrice Bowen, a licensed psychologist, has been contacted by a company to evaluate job applicants. The job will involve administering projective tests to determine if applicants for an accountant job have a "homosexual orientation." Dr. Bowen should:

not accept the job because the evaluation she is being requested to conduct represents an invasion of privacy. A "homosexual orientation" is not relevant to the ability to perform an accountant job successfully and to seek such information as part of a job-related assessment is clearly an invasion of privacy. that "psychologists may refrain from releasing test data to protect a client/patient or others from substantial harm or misuse or misrepresentation of the data or the test"; and Principle I.38 of the Canadian Code of Ethics states that psychologists "take care not to infringe ... on the personally, developmentally, or culturally defined private space of individuals or groups, unless clear permission is granted to do so."

Dr. Mansfield Mayhem receives a subpoena requiring him to testify about a current therapy client at a trial. Dr. Mayhem contacts the client who states that she does not want him to release any confidential information to the court. Dr. Mayhem should:

notify the attorney who issued the subpoena that the client has asserted the privilege and request that he be released from subpoena. A subpoena is a legal document that requires a psychologist to appear at a designated time at a legal proceeding. If the client invokes the privilege (says she does not want the therapist to release confidential information to the court), the subpoena is still valid and the psychologist must appear unless he/she has been released from it. When the client invokes the privilege in this type of situation, the psychologist should contact the client's attorney or his/her own attorney to discuss the matter. The psychologist can also contact the attorney who issued the subpoena to request to be released from it. Unless the psychologist receives a written release, he/she must appear as requested but would not reveal confidential (privileged) information without the client's consent or without an order from the court to do so.

When conducting research with human participants, a psychologist should be aware that:

participants must be debriefed as soon as possible after their participation in the study, especially when the study has involved deception. requires psychologists to inform participants promptly following their participation in the study about its nature, results, and conclusions; and Principle III.26 of the Canadian Code of Ethics requires psychologists to debrief participants as soon as possible after their involvement in a study when there has been incomplete disclosure about the study's purpose

You have been seeing Malcolm M. for several months and believe that the original issues that Malcolm came to therapy for have been successfully resolved. When you bring up the topic of termination with Malcolm, he says that he wants to continue therapy. In subsequent sessions, you and Malcolm are unable to come up with additional treatment goals. As an ethical psychologist, your best course of action would be to:

provide Malcolm with a brief period of pretermination counseling and discuss the reasons why termination is appropriate. requires psychologists to terminate therapy when it is "reasonably clear that the client/patient no longer needs the service" but to do so only after providing the appropriate pretermination counseling.

A psychologist is hired by the court to evaluate the two young children of a couple who are seeking a divorce. The psychologist's job will be to evaluate both children and report his findings to the court along with any recommendations regarding custody he can make on the basis of his findings. Through her attorney, the mother learns that the children have both revealed information to the psychologist that presents her in an unfavorable light. The mother contacts the psychologist and says that, since her children are both minors, she is the holder of the privilege and is, therefore, instructing the psychologist not to report the unfavorable information to the court. The psychologist should:

provide the court with the information he feels is in the best interests of the children. he concept of privilege "specifies that the parents" right must yield to the best interest of the child" regardless of who requested the evaluation in a custody case. In other words, parents cannot claim privilege or refrain from waiving privilege in legal matters pertaining to custody.

Dr. La-Keysha Leonard, a licensed psychologist, has been seeing a prison inmate in group therapy for several months and is asked by the parole board to evaluate the inmate to assist with their decision regarding his parole. As an ethical psychologist, Dr. Leonard should:

refuse to evaluate the inmate for the purpose of parole. prohibit psychologists from becoming involved in multiple relationships that might impair their objectivity and the APA's Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology which warns psychologists about the need for caution in dual relationships and roles in forensic settings

You receive a letter from Mrs. Bisque's attorney asking you to testify that Mrs. Bisque, who is in the process of a divorce settlement, should have sole custody of her children. You are aware that Mr. Bisque was recently admitted to a psychiatric hospital in another city. You should:

refuse to make a specific recommendation about custody unless you can evaluate the entire family. Although it is not unethical to provide information (e.g., test results) about a single party in a custody dispute, it would be unethical to make a recommendation about custody based on incomplete information. An accepted standard of practice in custody situations is that a psychologist should not make a recommendation for custody unless the psychologist has evaluated all parties. This is consistent with the requirements

Dr. Wanda Weim, a licensed psychologist, receives a request to testify in a custody proceeding on behalf of a man that she had been seeing in conjoint marital therapy until six months ago. The man wants Dr. Weim to provide the court with information about his parenting skills and his relationship with his wife and children. Dr. Weim contacts the man's wife, who refuses to give the psychologist permission to testify. Dr. Weim should:

refuse to testify. In this situation, both clients (the husband and wife) must give their permission before Dr. Weim can release confidential information. Therefore, he should refuse to testify (unless, of course, he is ordered to do so by the court). Multi-client situations create special considerations and concerns about confidentiality since it is not often possible to release information about one client without also revealing confidential information about another client.

A 26-year-old client you have been seeing for two months unexpectedly admits to you that he had sexual relations with the 15-year old daughter of his neighbor six months ago. He says that he knows what he did was wrong and that he'll never do it again. You should:

report the client to the appropriate authorities. In cases of known and suspected child abuse, a psychologist is legally and ethically required to make a report to the appropriate authorities. You would want to contact the appropriate authorities in this situation, but contacting the parents of the victim (answers c and d) would represent a breach of the client's confidentiality.

At the beginning of therapy with Mark M., you discussed the possible duration of treatment and estimated that therapy would not extend beyond his insurance coverage of your fee. You also informed Mark that you would be unable to reduce your fee when his therapy was no longer covered by insurance. Unfortunately, that time has arrived: Mark's insurance will cover only the next three sessions, many of Mark's problems are still unresolved, and he cannot afford your full fee. In terms of ethical responsibilities, you are:

required to discuss the matter with Mark and make a referral at the end of the three sessions if necessary. You are not required to continue seeing a client if the client cannot pay your fee. However, to avoid abandoning the client when insurance coverage has ended, you should either offer services at a reduced or deferred fee or, if that is not feasible, make appropriate referrals.

You receive a call from Mrs. Wang who is very upset because her 14-year-old daughter witnessed the assault of her best friend three days ago and is very distraught. The girl hasn't slept, won't eat, and can't stop crying. You have limited experience working with adolescents and in providing crisis intervention services. However, there is no one else in the community who is more experienced than you are. As an ethical psychologist, you will:

see Mrs. Wang's daughter in therapy only until the crisis has ended or until you locate alternative services "in emergencies, when psychologists provide services to individuals for whom other mental health services are not available and for which psychologists have not obtained the necessary training, psychologists may provide such services in order to ensure that services are not denied. The services are discontinued as soon as the emergency has ended or appropriate services are available."

Following the retirement of his business partner, Dr. Sheldon Smythe is the only psychologist in a small town, and the next closest mental health professional works in a town that is over 100 miles away. Several of Dr. Smythe's new clients have problems for which he has limited training and experience. Dr. Smythe should:

see the clients and obtain supervision or consultation by telephone. It is acceptable and desirable for psychologists to acquire new skills and to treat new problems - but only when appropriate supervision or consultation is obtained.

A psychologist in private practice is going through a difficult divorce and, as a result, has started drinking and is often depressed. He should:

seek professional consultation and consider temporarily suspending his practice. Psychologists do not necessarily have to abandon their professional practice when experiencing a period of personal distress. However, when personal problems may be adversely affecting the welfare of their clients, psychologists must take appropriate action. This often includes "obtaining professional consultation or assistance ... to determine whether they should limit, suspend, or terminate their work-related duties

You have just started seeing a client who is from a different cultural background than you are from who is having difficulty coping with the recent death of her mother. You have frequently worked with clients who are coping with loss, but you have never worked with a client from this background. You'd like to continue seeing this client in therapy, however, because you want to broaden your experience to include clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Your best course of action would be to:

seek supervision or consultation and continue to work with the client. It is acceptable (and desirable) for psychologists to acquire new skills and to treat new problems - but only when appropriate supervision or consultation is obtained. "where scientific or professional knowledge in the discipline of psychology establishes that an understanding of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status is essential for effective implementation of their services or research, psychologists have or obtain the training, experience, consultation, or supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services, or they make appropriate referrals." This answer is consistent with this requirement and makes the most sense, given the fact that there is no indication that a referral is necessary (i.e., the question indicates that you have previously worked with clients who have experienced a loss).

Of the following, which is responsible for the largest proportion of complaints filed with the APA's Ethics Committee?

sexual misconduct 2009 Report of the Ethics Committee, for example, identifies sexual misconduct of an adult as being the behavior most commonly cited in cases opened by the Ethics Committee, which is consistent with previous reports

Dr. Karen Kempfer, a licensed psychologist who specializes in couple and marriage therapy, has tested positive for HIV. In terms of ethical requirements, Dr. Kempfer:

should refrain from participating in any professional activities that might be adversely affected by her medical condition. "refrain from initiating an activity when they know or should know there is a substantial likelihood that their personal problems will prevent them from performing their work-related activities in a competent manner"; and Principle II.11 similarly requires psychologists to obtain appropriate help and/or discontinue professional activities when "a physical or psychological condition reduces their ability to benefit and not harm others."

A client is in therapy with you as part of the requirements for her probation. During the third therapy session, she tells you that she wants to quit therapy. You should:

tell her that she can quit but that she needs to consider the legal ramifications of doing so. which address a psychologist's responsibilities when providing services at the request of a third party. In this situation, the psychologist must ensure that the client understands what legal sanctions she may face if she does not stay in therapy.

The mother of a 31-year-old client that you have been seeing for six months calls to check on her son's progress. She says that she is very concerned about her son and wants to know if there is anything she can do to help him. As an ethical psychologist, you:

tell her that you cannot discuss her son's condition with her. Giving the mother any information about her adult son would represent a breach of his confidentiality. Therefore, this is the best answer of those given.

You are contacted by a defendant's attorney to evaluate the defendant to determine if there are grounds for the insanity defense. Who is the "holder of the privilege" in this situation?

the defendant The defendant would still be the "holder of the privilege" even if privilege is waived. (Note that, in the situation described in this question, privilege would be waived only if the defendant actually claims insanity as his/her defense during the trial.)

A psychology intern who has been working at a mental health clinic for the past six months tells you that his internship was suddenly terminated by his supervisor for "incompetence." He also says that he had not been given any warning that his performance was inadequate before being terminated. You tell the intern that:

the supervisor's behavior may have violated ethical guidelines regarding supervisee performance evaluations. most consistent with ethical guidelines regarding evaluation and feedback as well as with more general provisions regarding the avoidance of harm

Dr. Vic Vasquez, the director of a private counseling center, prepares and distributes a brochure describing the center's services. The brochure is available to potential clients and other interested people, and its text includes a list of the center's staff members and their credentials. Specifically, it indicates that five of the six members have doctoral degrees from accredited universities and that the staff member who does not have a degree is a "Ph.D. candidate." The designation of the nondegreed staff member is:

unacceptable because it is potentially misleading. Ethical guidelines caution against presenting one's credentials in a way that could be misleading. Dr. Vasquez should not have listed the staff member as a "Ph.D. candidate" because it is possible that many people will not understand what this means.

Kameko K., a psychology intern, administers psychological tests to the clients of a community mental health clinic, but her supervisor always scores the tests and interprets their results. When preparing the psychological report for these clients, the supervisor does not indicate that the intern administered the tests. This is:

unethical because the intern should be listed as the examiner in the report. This response is most consistent with ethical guidelines. For example, Standard 5.01(b) of the APA's Ethics Code prohibits psychologists from making misleading statements and Standard 6.06 requires psychologists to provide accurate information to payors and funding sources.

A client Dr. Amanda Alto has been seeing in therapy for three months is suddenly fired from her job and can no longer afford Dr. Alto's fee. The client suggests that she babysit for Dr. Alto's children in exchange for therapy. In terms of ethical guidelines, this exchange would be:

unethical. The situation described in this question violates ethical guidelines regarding multiple relationships and therapy fees. With regard to multiple relationships, if Dr. Alto agrees to the arrangement, she will be acting as both therapist and employer, which may impair her ability to provide effective therapy to the client. In addition, the arrangement represents a form of barter (which is explicitly addressed by Standard 6.05 of the APA's Ethics Code and indirectly addressed by Principles II.1 and 2 of the Canadian Code of Ethics) that could also interfere with her objectivity.

A client whom Dr. Oliver Olivetti has been seeing for several months has recently changed jobs, and the client has learned that her new insurance plan does not begin covering pre-existing conditions for 12 months. The client asks Dr. Olivetti if he could write his bills so that it appears that she has just started therapy. If Dr. Olivetti complies with the client's request, he is acting:

unethically As noted above, complying with the client's request would represent insurance fraud, which would be both unethical and illegal. The client in this situation is asking Dr. Olivetti to commit insurance fraud and, if Dr. Olivetti does so, he will be acting both unethically and illegally.

Dr. Donald Dreadmire is starting a therapy group for recently divorced men. He tells the editor of the local newspaper (who has just divorced his wife) that he can attend the group for free if the editor includes an article about the program in the newspaper. Dr. Dreadmire has acted:

unethically because his request is exploitative and violates ethical guidelines. prohibits psychologists from compensating "employees of press, radio, television, or other communication media in return for publicity in a news item"; and Principle III.31 of the Canadian Code of Ethics prohibits psychologists from exploiting "any relationship established as a psychologist to further personal, political, or business interests at the expense of the best interests of their clients."

A psychologist is the supervisor of several interns at a community hospital in a small town and notices that one of the interns seems unenthusiastic and depressed. When he talks to her, she tells him that she's been very unhappy lately and feels she has no one to turn to. The intern asks the psychologist to see her in therapy, and he agrees to do so. The psychologist has acted:

unethically by agreeing to get involved in a dual relationship. of the Ethics Code states that "a psychologist refrains from entering into a multiple relationship if the multiple relationship could reasonably be expected to impair the psychologist's objectivity, competence, or effectiveness in performing his or her functions as a psychologist, or otherwise risks exploitation or harm to the person with whom the professional relationship exists." The psychologist in the situation described in this question is entering into a multiple relationship that may threaten his objectivity and effectiveness as a supervisor and therapist.

Dr. Molly Mendez, a well-known behavioral psychologist, is asked by her secretary if she would be willing to provide him with therapy to help him overcome a gambling addiction. If Dr. Mendez agrees to do so, she will be acting:

unethically since doing so is likely to create an unacceptable multiple relationship. A potentially harmful multiple relationship is the primary problem in the situation described in this question. Multiple relationships are addressed in Standard 3.05 of the APA's Ethics Code and Principle III.33 of the Canadian Code of Ethics. These guidelines prohibit multiple relationships that could be expected to impair a psychologist's objectivity, which is a potential problem in this situation since both roles (employer and therapist) would continue simultaneously over an extended period of time.

Which of the following is most likely a violation of ethical guidelines?

uninvited in-person solicitations for therapy of individuals whose homes were destroyed several months ago by a hurricane In-person solicitation of individuals who are vulnerable to undue influence is explicitly prohibited Testimonials are acceptable as long as they are not solicited from clients who are susceptible to undue influence Free initial sessions are not prohibited by ethical guidelines

You have been hired to assist with a research project on process variables in group psychotherapy. The psychologist who is the principal investigator tells you to discourage participants from leaving the group prior to the end of the study because, if too many participants drop out, the study's potential usefulness will be seriously compromised. As an ethical psychologist, you should:

write a letter to the psychologist, indicating the relevant ethical standards and offering to discuss the matter with him. By offering to discuss the matter with the psychologist, you are attempting to resolve the matter informally, which is consistent with the requirements of the ethical guidelines.