Discussion 1 - Legal and Ethical Issues
What would you do if your family was starving and you could discretely steal a loaf of bread to feed them? This is a legal and ethical dilemma. As you saw in the Learning Resources this week, legal and ethical dilemmas do occur in diagnosis and assessment, and they are intimately related; however, they do not always rest comfortably together. Although there may not always be clear answers to ethical and legal dilemmas, your ability to address them is a key factor in providing clients with the best possible care.
To prepare:
- Review this week's Learning Resources.
- Focus on the APA ethics codes and the AP-LS specialty guidelines for forensic psychologists'.
- Go to your state website and review its legal and ethical guidelines.
- Consider any legal guidelines that may be in conflict with the ethical guidelines.
- If you noted differences between legal, ethical, and specialty guidelines, think about how would you reconcile them.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post thoughts about how various legal guidelines, ethics codes, and specialty guidelines influence diagnosis and assessment in general. Reference at least one potential conflict between laws in your state, ethical guidelines, or specialty guidelines and explain how you might address the conflict.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Discussion 2 - Codes of Conduct
Various associations including APA and AP-LS have their own legal and ethical guidelines. In addition, states have their specific codes of conduct for counselors and other mental health professionals. In this Discussion, you will examine the guidelines in your own state and consider how they align with those put forth by associations.
To prepare:
- Review your state's legal and ethical guidelines for psychologists.
- Compare these guidelines to the codes of ethics set forth by the APA and the AP-LS.
- Consider which specific guidelines within the codes of conduct seem most important or encompassing to you.
- Think about which guidelines might present the most challenge in your practice.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a description of a specific guideline within a code of conduct that you regard as crucial in relating to clients, and a description of a guideline that you think might present the biggest challenge in conducting assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Explain why you selected each of the guidelines. Select one guideline from your state and one from AP-LS, or two guidelines from the APA Code of Conduct.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Attachment:- Assignment.rar