Ethical Practice in Applied Psychology

300 Pages·2014·3.968 MB·English

by  Christopher Boyle, Nicholas Gamble

ETHICAL
PRACTICE
IN
APPLIED
PSYCHOLOGY christopher boyle
nicholas gamble

ETHICAL
PRACTICE
IN
APPLIED
PSYCHOLOGY
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd ii 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd iiii 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM
ETHICAL
PRACTICE
IN
APPLIED
PSYCHOLOGY
CHRISTOPHER BOYLE AND
NICHOLAS GAMBLE
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd iiiiii 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM
1
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research,
scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered
trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other
countries.
Published in Australia by
Oxford University Press
253 Normanby Road, South Melbourne, Victoria 3205, Australia
© Christopher Boyle and Nicholas Gamble 2014
The moral rights of the authors have been asserted.
First published 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of
Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by licence, or under terms agreed
with the appropriate reprographics rights organisation. Enquiries concerning reproduction
outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University
Press, at the address above.
You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition
on any acquirer.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Boyle, Christopher, 1972– author.
Title: Ethical practice in applied psychology / Christopher Boyle, Nicholas Gamble.
ISBN: 9780195523102 (paperback)
Notes: Includes index.
Subjects: P sychology, Applied—Moral and ethical aspects—Textbooks.
Psychologists—Training of—Moral and ethical aspects—Textbooks.
Other Authors/Contributors: Gamble, Nicholas, author.
Dewey Number: 158.0715
Reproduction and communication for educational purposes
The Australian C opyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter
or 10% of the pages of this work, whichever is the greater, to be reproduced
and/or communicated by any educational institution for its educational purposes
provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has
given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact:
Copyright Agency Limited
Level 15, 233 Castlereagh Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Edited by Venetia Somerset
Text design by Eggplant Communications
Typeset by diacriTech, Chennai, India
Proofread by Amanda Morgan
Indexed by Mei Yen Chua

Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only.
Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website
referenced in this work.
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd iivv 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM
‘Primum non nocere’
(First, do no harm)
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd vv 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd vvii 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM
Contents
L ist of Figures and Tables xi
Preface xii
A cknowledgments xiv
Abbreviations xvi
PART 1 CORE ETHICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS IN AUSTRALIA 1
1 Why Bother with Ethics? 3
Introduction 4
General perception of psychologists 4
The APS Code of Ethics 6
Ethics, the law and morality 8
An ethical code in practice 9
Chapter summary 12
References 12
2 The Three Keys to Ethical Practice: Competence, Confidentiality
and Consent 14
Introduction 15
Competence 16
Confi dentiality 24
Informed consent 29
Chapter summary 33
Questions to consider 33
References 33
3 Decision Assistance Model for Australian Psychologists 35
Introduction 36
Ethical decision-making 36
vii
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd vviiii 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM
viii Contents
The Decision Assistance Model for Australian Psychologists 38
Chapter summary 54
Questions to consider 54
References 54
PART 2 MANAGING BOUNDARIES AND WORKING WITH GROUPS 55
4 Managing Professional Boundaries 57
Introduction 58
Multiple and dual relationships 59
Boundary crossings and violations 63
Power imbalance 65
Non-exploitation of a client 67
Chapter summary 70
Questions to consider 70
References 70
5 Working with Clients who Cannot or Do not Give Consent 72
Introduction 73
Clients who cannot give consent 73
Clients who do not consent to services 83
Other issues when working with clients who may not be able to give consent 84
Chapter summary 86
Questions to consider 86
References 86
6 Diverse Clients 88
Introduction 89
Client diversity 89
Competence with diverse client groups 91
Communication 91
Chapter summary 98
Questions to consider 99
References 99
PART 3 CLIENTS WHO POSE A RISK TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS 101
7 Working with Clients who Pose a Risk to Themselves 103
Introduction 104
Clients with suicidal ideation 105
Self-harm and behaviours that place the client at risk 114
Dangerous or risky client behaviour that endangers the client 117
Chapter summary 119
0000__BBOOYY__EEPPAAPP__2233110022__TTXXTT__SSII..iinndddd vviiiiii 1111//0033//1144 99::2244 AAMM