PCB PCB Ethics & Professional Conduct 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PCB professional discovers a colleague has falsified client records. What is the most appropriate first action?
- Ignore it to avoid conflict
- Report the concern through the organization's established reporting procedures (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly
- Immediately notify the media
Correct answer: Report the concern through the organization's established reporting procedures
Ethical obligations require professionals to report misconduct through proper internal channels to protect clients and uphold professional integrity.
Question 2: Which ethical principle requires a PCB professional to act in the best interest of the client?
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Nonmaleficence
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical principle that obligates professionals to actively promote the welfare and best interests of clients.
Question 3: A PCB practitioner is offered a gift by a client's family member in gratitude for services. What should the practitioner do?
- Accept it to avoid offending the family
- Accept only if the gift is under $25
- Decline politely and explain professional boundary policies (Correct answer)
- Refer the family to the supervisor before deciding
Correct answer: Decline politely and explain professional boundary policies
Accepting gifts can create conflicts of interest and compromise professional boundaries, so declining while explaining policy is the ethical standard.
Question 4: Dual relationships in PCB practice are problematic primarily because they:
- Require additional documentation
- Can impair professional judgment and exploit clients (Correct answer)
- Are prohibited by federal law
- Reduce billable hours
Correct answer: Can impair professional judgment and exploit clients
Dual relationships create potential power imbalances and conflicts of interest that can harm clients and undermine professional objectivity.
Question 5: When a client's right to self-determination conflicts with their safety, the PCB professional should:
- Always defer to the client's wishes
- Always override client decisions for safety
- Balance autonomy with duty of care using professional judgment (Correct answer)
- Transfer the case immediately
Correct answer: Balance autonomy with duty of care using professional judgment
Professionals must weigh client autonomy against harm prevention, using ethical reasoning and consultation when these values conflict.
Question 6: Informed consent in PCB practice requires that the client:
- Signs a form only once at intake
- Understands the nature, risks, and alternatives of proposed interventions (Correct answer)
- Agrees with the professional's recommended plan
- Consents verbally without written documentation
Correct answer: Understands the nature, risks, and alternatives of proposed interventions
True informed consent means the client has received and understood all material information needed to make a voluntary, competent decision.
PCB PCB Ethics & Professional Conduct 1
A PCB professional discovers a colleague has falsified client records.
What is the most appropriate first action?