PA LESSON 7

• Correcting or minimizing mistakes


  If mistakes were made, they should do something to correct or minimize the mistakes
• Resolving ethical violations by another psychologist

  1. Resolve the issue with informal resolution, as long as it does not violate any confidentiality rights that may be involved

  2. If informal resolution is not enough or appropriate, referral to state or national committees on professional ethics, state licensing boards, or the appropriate institutional authorities can be done

  3. Still, confidentiality rights of the professional in question must be kept
• Failure to cooperate in ethics investigation itself, is an ethics violation, unless they request for deferment of adjudication of an ethics complaint
• Psychologists must file complaints responsibly by checking facts about the allegations
• Psychologists DO NOT deny persons employment, advancement, admissions, tenure or promotion based solely upon their being the subject of an ethics complaint
• Just because they are questioned by the ethics committee or involved in an on-going ethics investigation, they would not be discriminated or denied advancement, unless the outcome of the proceedings are already considered
• Boundaries of competence


  Based on the amount of training, education, experience, or consultation they had
• Providing services when lacking competence


  1. When they are tasked to provide services to clients who are deprived with mental health services, however, they were still not able to obtain the needed competence for the job, they could still provide services AS LONG AS they make reasonable effort to obtain the competence required, just to ensure that the services were not denied to those communities

  2. During emergencies, psychologists provide services to individuals, even though they are yet to complete the competency / training needed just to ensure the services were not denied. However, the services are discontinued once the appropriate services are available
• Discussing limits of confidentiality


  Psychologists should discuss the limits of confidentiality, uses of the information that would be generated from the service to the persons and organizations with whom they establish a scientific or professional relationship
• Obtaining permission for voices or images


  Voices or images, they must obtain permission first from all persons involved or their legal rep
• Discussing confidential information


  Only discuss confidential information with persons clearly concerned / involved with the matters
• Disclosing confidential information


  1. Disclosure is allowed with appropriate consent

  2. No consent is not allowed UNLESS mandated by the law

  3. No disclosure of confidential information that could lead to the identification of a client unless they have obtained prior consent or the disclosure cannot be avoided

  4. Only disclose necessary information
• Exemptions to disclosure


  • If the client is disguised / identity is protected
  • Has consent
  • Legally mandated
• Creating public statements


  1. Psychologists can create public statements as long as they would be responsible for it

  2. They cannot compensate employees of the media in return for publicity in a news item

  3. Paid advertisement must be clearly recognizable

  4. When they are commenting publicly via internet, media, etc., they must ensure that their statement are based on their professional knowledge in accord with appropriate psych literature and practice, consistent with ethics, and do not indicate that a professional relationship has been established with the recipient
• Conducting research


  Must provide accurate information and obtain approval prior to conducting the research
• Informed consent


  • Purpose of the research
  • Duration and procedures
  • Right to decline and withdraw
  • Consequences of declining or withdrawing
  • Potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects
  • Benefits
  • Limits of confidentiality
  • Incentives for participation
  • Researcher's contact information
• Obtaining permission for recording

  1. Permission for recording images or vices are needed unless the research consists of solely naturalistic observations in public places, or research designed includes deception

  2. Consent must be obtained during debriefing
• Dispensing or omitting informed consent

  1. Research would not create distress or harm (e.g. study of normal educational practices conducted in an educational setting, anonymous questionnaires, naturalistic observation, archival research where confidentiality is protected)

  2. Permitted by law
• Avoid offering excessive incentives for research participation that could coerce participation
• DO NOT conduct study that involves deception unless they have justified the use of deceptive techniques in the study
• Debriefing participants


  They must give opportunity to the participants about the nature, results, and conclusions of the research and make sure that there are no misconceptions about the research
• Ensuring safety and minimizing discomfort of animal subjects

  1. Must ensure the safety and minimize the discomfort, infection, illness, and pain of animal subjects

  2. If so, procedures must be justified and be as minimal as possible

  3. During termination, they must do it rapidly and minimize pain
• Must not present portions of another's work or data as their own
• Must take responsibility and credit, including authorship credit, only for work they have actually performed or to which they have substantially contributed
• Faculty advisors discuss publication credit with students as early as possible
• After publishing, they should not withhold data from other competent professionals who intends to reanalyze the data
• Shared data must be used only for the declared purpose
• Relevant laws and regulations

  • RA 9258 Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004
  • RA 9262 Violence Against Women and Children
  • RA 7610 Child Abuse
  • RA 9165 Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002
  • RA 11469 Bayanihan to Heal as One Act
  • RA 7277 Magna Carta for Disabled Persons
  • RA 11210 Expanded Maternity Leave Law
  • RA 11650 Inclusive Education Law
  • RA 10173 Data Privacy Act
  • House Bill 4982 SOGIE Bill
  • Art. 12 of Revised Penal Code Insanity Plea