Ethical Decisions in School Psychology

SchoolPsychologyProgram Department of Educational Psychology

Ethical Decisions in School Psychology

AnnieHansen-Burke,PhD,ElyseM.Farnsworth,PhD,&AmandaSullivan,PhD

Department of Educational Psychology

Learning Objectives •  IdentifyanddeEineethicsandNASPethicalobligations

•  Explainwhyethicsarefoundationaltoschoolpsychologicalpractices

•  Identifycommonethicalpitfallsandstrategiestopreventthesemissteps

•  Articulateandapplythe8-stepethicalproblem-solvingmodeltoaddressethicaldilemmas


WHAT ARE ETHICS?


Think – Pair – Share Whatareethicsandwhyaretheyimportant?

Ethics Broadly

A system of principles that guide behavior •  Acceptable social and

personal behaviors

Distinct from morals, which are fundamental

Applied Professional Ethics

A system of principles and rules for professional

practice

Guide conduct in professional interactions

Protect the clients of the profession


Basis of Our Practice

Public trust

Sensitivity to ethics

Awareness of law

Proactive conduct


Practical Definition of Ethics

Moral Judgment

Common Sense

Ethical Behavior

Application of moral values to daily decision making


Professional Ethics

Prescribe how professionals in a given field pursue their common ideals

Describe obligations to the profession, consumers, and the public

Contextualize our professional work

Are dynamic


Group Discussion

Whyareethicalcodesimperfectguidesforourbehaviorasschoolpsychologists?


Ethical Competence

Aware

Informed Proactive

and Positive

Analytic

Reflective

Flexible

Committed


NASP ETHICS CODE REVIEW


NASP Ethics Code = School-focused Code

School psychologists as state actors

Obligation to protect all students

Balancing parent and school authority

Multidisciplinary problem-solving and intervention


What is enforceable?

Principles Standards


Which theme?

RESPECTING THE DIGNITY AND RIGHTS OF ALL PERSONS • School psychologists engage only in professional

practices that maintain the dignity of all individuals. In their words and actions, school psychologists demonstrate respect for the autonomy of persons and their right to self-determination, respect for privacy, and a commitment to just and fair treatment of all persons.


Which theme?

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY IN PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS • To foster and maintain trust, school psychologists

must be faithful to the truth and adhere to their professional promises. They are forthright about their qualifications, competencies, and roles; work in full cooperation with other professional disciplines to meet the needs of students and families; and avoid multiple relationships that diminish their professional effectiveness.


Which theme?

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY •  Beneficence, or responsible caring, means that

the school psychologist acts to benefit others. To do this, school psychologists must practice within the boundaries of their competence, use scientific knowledge from psychology and education to help clients and others make informed choices, and accept responsibility for their work.


Which theme(s)?

RESPECTING THE DIGNITY AND RIGHTS OF ALL PERSONS

•  School psychologists engage only in professional practices that maintain the dignity of all individuals. In their words and actions, school psychologists demonstrate a commitment to just and fair treatment of all persons.

RESPONSIBILITY TO SCHOOLS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES, THE PROFESSION, AND SOCIETY

•  School psychologists promote healthy school, family, and community environments. They maintain the public trust in school psychologists by respecting law and encouraging ethical conduct. School psychologists advance professional excellence by mentoring less experienced practitioners and contributing to the school psychology knowledge base.


Respect for Dignity •  Promoteimprovementinqualityoflife•  Protectdignityandrights

–  Autonomy–  Self-determination–  Privacy–  ConEidentiality–  Fairness–  Justice

•  Children’sinterestsandrightsasthehighestpriority


Privacy & Confidentiality

Establish boundaries of confidentiality at the outset of the relationship.

Do not seek or store information not needed for the provision of services.

Discuss confidential info only with people with legitimate need to know.

Where confidentiality is promised/implied, seek permission for disclosure

Whencaninformationbereleasedwithouttheclient/parent’spermission?•  Dangertoself•  Dangertoothers•  Abuse/Neglect


Fairness & Justice

Cultivate safe and welcoming school climates for all.

Do not engage in or condone discriminatory practices or

policies.

Work to correct discriminatory practices.


Responsibility to Society Promote healthy

environments

Speak up for the needs and rights of children

Know and respect federal and state laws and

policies

Contribute to teaching, mentoring, supervision,

and research


Honesty & Integrity

Be truthful

and open.

Explain competence and services clearly.

Engage in cooperative,

respectful relationships.

Avoid harmful relationships and

conflicts of interest.

Do not exploit others.

Do not take credit for others’ work.


Accurate Presentation of Qualifications & Services

Accurately identify qualifications

Correctly identify misrepresentations

Do not misrepresent affiliations

Don’t use affiliations to imply competence

Accurately represent the scope and nature of services

Explain services

Establish clear roles

Explain commitment to children as clients

Make priorities and commitments known


Example: Goodtown Wellness Clinic

•  JamesDean,MA,LMFT,CouplesandFamilyTherapy,(123)456-0789

•  CharlieBrown,RN,MA,LifeCoach,(123)456-9078•  JaneDoe,PhD,ABD,LicensedSchoolPsychologist,ChildPsychology,(123)456-7890

•  KimScott,CMT,TherapeuticMassage,(123)456-8907


Example: Goodtown Charter •  JamesDean,MA,SchoolPsychology,(123)456-0789•  CharlieBrown,BA,SchoolPsychologist,(123)456-9078

•  MeredithGrey,PhD-ABD,LicensedSchoolPsychologist(123)456-7890

•  StevenTyler,EdS,NCSP,Psychologist,(123)456-8907


Competence & Responsibility

Engage in practices

that will benefit or

at least do no harm.

•  Practice within bounds of competence.

• Use scientific knowledge to help clients

•  Accept responsibility for work.


SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS BEHAVING BADLY – COMMON MISSTEPS


Common Ethical Violations: State Boards 1.  Dualrelationships(sexualand/ornonsexual)2.  Unprofessionalornegligentpractice3.  Fraud4.  Convictionofcrimes5.  Inadequateorimpropersupervision6.  Impairment7.  ConEidentiality8.  Recordsanddocumentation9.  Usingfalseinformationinapplyingforalicense

Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. T. (1998). Ethics in Therapy & Counseling, Second Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.


Common Malpractice Claims 1.  Sexualviolations2.  Incompetenceindevelopingorimplementingatreatmentplan3.  Lossfromevaluation4.  BreachofconEidentialityorprivacy5.  Improperdiagnosis6.  Other(amysteriouscategoryofindividualclaimsnotfalling

intoanyothercategory)7.  Suicide8.  Defamation9.  Countersuitforfeecollection10.  Violationofcivilrights11.  Lossofchildcustodyorvisitation12.  Failuretosuperviseproperly13.  Improperdeathofpatientorthirdparty14.  Violationoflegalregulations15.  Licensingorpeerreviewissues16. Breachofcontract


Ethical Transgressions Witnessed by School Psychologists •  Assessment–conditions,out-of-datetests,notprovidinginterpretations,unsubstantiatedrecommendations,inappropriatetestselection,blindlysigningoffoncomputergeneratedreports,allowingunqualiEiedpeopletoadministertests(86%)

•  Intervention–failingtomonitorinterventions,makingnon-research-basedrecommendations,makingpunitiverecommendations(79%)

•  Yieldingtoadministrativepressureagainstbestinterestsofchild(76%)

•  Yieldingtoparentpressureagainstbestinterestsofchild(48%)Dailor, A. N., & Jacob, S. (2011). Ethically challenging situations reported by school psychologists: Implications or training. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 619-631.


Ethical Transgressions Witnessed by School Psychologists •  Recordkeeping–transmittingdocumentsunsecured,withholding/destroyingrecordsbeforeparentreview(38%)

•  Competence–failingtomaintain,practiceoutsideboundsof,misrepresenting(36%)

•  ConEidentiality–disclosingtootherswithoutneedtoknow(33%)

•  Dualrelationships–providingservicestofriends/family;solicitingschoolclientstoprivatepractice,enteringrelationshipwithstudent(20%)


Ethical Transgressions among School Psychology Trainees 1.  Servicesoutsideofcompetence2.  Sexualharassment3.  Academicmisconduct–e.g.,forgery,fabricationofassignments

orhours,cheating,gradechanging4.  ConEidentiality–e.g.,leavingEilesunattended,gossipingabout

client5.  Researchmisconduct–plagiarism6.  Impropercomplaints7.  MisrepresentationofqualiEications8.  Failuretoobtaininformedconsent

Tryon, G. S. (2000). Ethical transgressions of school psychology graduate students: A critical incidents survey. Ethics & Behavior, 10, 271-279.


It’s Not Unethical If…

•  Thecodenevermentionsit•  Nolawisbroken•  Wedidn’t/couldn’tanticipatetheconsequences•  Itwouldhavebeenreallyhardtodoitanotherway•  Anadministratorsuggestedit•  Aconsultantsuggestedit•  Ireadsomethingsuggestingit•  Othersaredoingit•  Wedidn’tmeantohurtanyone•  Wegotsomethingreallygoodoutofit•  Wearevictimsofsomethingtoo

Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. (2011). Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: A practical guide (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Common Ethical Fallacies

(Well, actually it is.)



•  Wecansayanyofthefollowing:–  "WhatelsecouldIdo?"–  "Anyoneelsewould'vedonethesamething."–  "Itcamefromtheheart."–  "Ilistenedtomysoul."–  "Iwentwithmygut."–  "Itwasthesmartthingtodo."–  "Itwasjustcommonsense."–  "Ijustknewthat'swhattheclientneeded."–  "Look,Iwasjuststuckbetweenarockandahardplace."–  "I'ddothesamethingagainifIhadittodoover."–  "Itworkedbefore."–  "I'monlyhuman,youknow!"–  "What'sthebigdeal? (Yep, still

unethical.)



•  Wepassivelyacknowledgeitandmoveon•  Weacknowledgetheimportanceofjudgment,consistently,andcontext

•  Theaffectedpersonwasn’tthatgreat•  Theaffectedpersondidn’tcomplain•  Thereisn’tdeEinitivescientiEicproofthatwhatwedidwasthecauseofharm

•  We’rean“expert”init•  Weknowpeoplehighup (Still

unethical...)


Think – Pair - Share

•  Whatfactorscancontributetovulnerabilitytoethicalmissteps?•  Howcanwebolsterourresilience?


What Interferes with ethics? •  Time•  Peerpressure•  Administratorpressure•  Cost•  Avoidance•  Arrogance•  ConElictingrules,standards,guidelines•  Ignorance


Non-rational Processes

Processes Example

Why should we attend to these processes?

How can we reduce the effects of these processes?


Continuum of Affected Functioning

Stress Distress Impairment Improper behavior

Intervention/ Sanction


Potential Dilemmas

Competing ethical principles

Ethics-law conflict

Conflicting interests

Dual role conflicts Poor practices

Applying broad principles to

specific situations

➢ Think of an example of each.


ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING


3 Approaches to RESOLVING ETHCIAL PROBLEMS

Common sense • Common situations • Minimal risks • Often addressed without conscious deliberation

Simple resolution strategies

• Minimal conflict • Relatively obvious solutions that are easy to implement

Systematic problem solving

• Significant conflict • High stakes outcome

• Few clear-cut options for resolution


Ethical Decision-making

• Principled

• Reasoned

• Universalized

Ethical aspirations

Contextual

considerations

Actions should be:


So What Informs Ethical Decision-Making?

•  Professionalknowledge–  Professionalethics–  Reasoning

•  Personalvalues


Think – Pair - Share

Whatareyourcorevaluesasaschoolpsychologistorschool

psychologisttrainee?


When In Doubt, Consult •  Colleagues•  APAEthicsCommitteeMembers•  NASPEthicsandProfessionalPracticeCommittee

•  StateAssociationEthicsCommitteeMembers•  UniversityCommittees•  IRB


Map Your Network

Inacrisisordilemma,whoorwhatwouldyouconsult?


Simple Problem Solving Steps •  Whatistheproblem?•  Whataremyoptions?•  Decision&action•  Howdiditwork?



8-Step Problem-Solving Model 1.  Identifytheproblem2.  Identifypotentialethicalissues3.  Identifylegal,caselaw,policyissues4.  Namepotentialresourcesandconsultations5.  Identifyrightsandresponsibilitiesofallparties6.  Generateseveralpotentialsolutions7.  Identifypotentialpositiveandnegativeconsequencesof

eachsolution8.  Chooseasolutionandexplainwhyitisthebestcourseof

action


Other Resources •  http://nasponline.org/standards/index.aspx•  http://idea.ed.gov•  http://wrightslaw.com/•  http://www.pacer.org/•  http://www.apa.org/topics/ethics/index.aspx•  http://www.apa.org/topics/law/index.aspx•  http://kspope.com•  http://ori.hhs.gov


PROBLEM-SOLVING APPLICATION

Ingroups,applythe8-stepethicalproblem-solvingmodeltoacommonethicalscenario.


PROACTIVE ETHICAL PRACTICES


Continuous Ethical Development

Seek new information

Think critically Be aware of vulnerabilities

Always question


NASP Essential Ethics: Developing Ethical Practice

•  Developapositiveapproachtoethics–striveforexcellence

•  Beethicallyproactive•  Keepuptodateinethicsandlaw.•  Useasystemicdecision-makingprocess•  DiscussconEidentialitywitheveryclientattheoutsetanddoaspromised

NASP. (2011). Essential ethics for early career school psychologists. Bethesda, MA: Author.


NASP Essential Ethics: Developing Ethical Practice

•  DeEineyourroletoencompassadvocacyforevidence-basedpracticeandadherencetoethics

•  Whenadvocatingforchanges,emphasizepositives•  Worktobuildsystemcapacitytosupportbetteroutcomes

•  Beclearaboutyourrolewhenspeakingaboutpoliciesandpractices

•  Berespectfulofothersatalltimes.

NASP. (2011). Essential ethics for early career school psychologists. Bethesda, MA: Author.


10 Ways to Avoid Ethical Pitfalls 1.  Knowwhatconstitutesmultiplerelationships,howtoanalyzerisks,andhowtoresolveissues

2.  ProtectconEidentiality–discussthelimits,ensureappropriatestorage,knowthelaws,obeymandatoryreporting

3.  Respectautonomy–striveforinformedconsent

Smith, D. (2003). 10 ways practitioners can avoid frequent ethical pitfalls. Monitor on Psychology, 34(1), 50.


10 Ways to Avoid Ethical Pitfalls 4.  Knowsupervisoryresponsibilities–establish

proceduresforfeedback,detailnatureofrelationshipatoutset,betransparentwithclients,ensureappropriatedelegation

5.  Clearlyidentifyclientandroles–strivefortransparency

6.  Document,document,document



10 Ways to Avoid Ethical Pitfalls 7.  Onlyengageinworkforwhichyouhaveexpertise8.  Knowthedifferencebetweenabandonmentandtermination9.  Sticktotheevidence–baseevaluations(inassessment,

expertopinion,testimony)ontheavailabledata.Knowthereferralquestion,selectappropriatetests,dothoroughassessments,recognizelimitations

10. Billaccurately–services,dates,diagnoses



Self-Check

Would I want it made

public?

Would I recommend it to a peer?

Is the action fair?

Documents

Ethical Decisions in School Psychology