Ethics and Professional Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real HSP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics and Professional Standards flashcards as text
A psychologist is treating a client who reveals they are being stalked by a former partner. The client refuses to involve law enforcement. What is the psychologist's PRIMARY ethical obligation?
Answer: Respect autonomy while assessing danger and discussing safety planning collaboratively
Respecting client autonomy while engaging in collaborative safety planning balances beneficence with self-determination under APA ethics.
Which of the following best describes 'bartering' in psychotherapy according to APA ethics?
Answer: Accepting goods or services as payment, permissible only when not clinically contraindicated and not exploitative
APA ethics permit bartering when it is not clinically contraindicated, not exploitative, and part of a clear agreement.
A health service psychologist is asked by an insurance company to release a client's full treatment records. The client has signed a general release. What is the most ethical response?
Answer: Release only the minimum information necessary to meet the legitimate purpose
Even with a signed release, psychologists should disclose only the minimum necessary information, per APA Standard 4.04.
A psychologist supervising a doctoral student discovers the trainee has been falsifying session notes. What is the FIRST appropriate action?
Answer: Address the issue directly with the trainee, investigate, and take corrective action including reporting if warranted
Supervisors must address misconduct directly, conduct an inquiry, and take appropriate corrective action including mandatory reporting if required.
Under HIPAA, which of the following is considered a 'covered entity'?
Answer: A hospital billing department that transmits health information electronically
Health care providers who transmit any health information electronically in connection with covered transactions are HIPAA covered entities.
A psychologist is invited to co-author a research paper by a colleague, but the psychologist contributed only minor administrative tasks. Publishing as co-author would constitute:
Answer: Honorific authorship, violating APA publication ethics
Listing someone as an author without substantive intellectual contribution is honorific authorship, prohibited under APA ethics Standard 8.12.
When a psychologist's personal values conflict with providing services to a specific population (e.g., same-sex couples), the APA ethics code requires the psychologist to:
Answer: Provide competent, non-discriminatory service or refer the client without abandoning them
APA ethics prohibit discrimination and require psychologists to provide competent care or refer clients to appropriate providers without abandonment.