Ethics & Cultural Competency in Practice Flashcards

A play therapist working with a bilingual child whose dominant language is Spanish wants to ensure culturally competent care. The BEST approach is to:

Answer: Arrange for a professional interpreter or bilingual therapist and incorporate Spanish language materials

Culturally and linguistically competent care requires professional interpretation services and culturally appropriate materials; using family members as interpreters compromises confidentiality and clinical accuracy.

The APT ethical standard of 'non-maleficence' in play therapy MOST directly requires the therapist to:

Answer: Avoid techniques or actions that could reasonably harm the client

Non-maleficence is the ethical obligation to avoid causing harm, requiring therapists to refrain from actions, techniques, or relationships that could reasonably injure the client.

A play therapist notices that a child of color frequently selects only white dolls and rejects dolls that represent their own racial background. The culturally competent response is to:

Answer: Explore the meaning of the child's choices within the context of racial identity development and societal messages

Culturally competent practice involves exploring the meaning of the child's play choices, including doll selection, as a window into racial identity development and the internalization of societal racial messages.

A play therapist who has been treating a child for two years is approached at a community event by the child's parent who invites the therapist to a family celebration. The MOST ethical response is to:

Answer: Politely decline and explain that professional boundaries prevent social participation with active clients' families

Maintaining professional boundaries prohibits social involvement with active clients' families regardless of cultural context, and the therapist should decline respectfully while acknowledging the honor of the invitation.

A play therapist working with a child who has experienced complex trauma must obtain ongoing informed consent for each new phase of treatment. This practice PRIMARILY serves to:

Answer: Continuously honor client autonomy and ensure the family understands evolving treatment approaches

Ongoing informed consent reflects continuous respect for client autonomy, ensuring that as treatment evolves, the family remains knowledgeable partners in the therapeutic process.

When using a translated play therapy protocol with a non-English-speaking child, a culturally competent therapist should FIRST:

Answer: Evaluate whether the translated protocol has been validated with the child's specific cultural population

A culturally competent therapist must assess whether a translated instrument or protocol has been validated with the target cultural population, as linguistic translation alone does not ensure cultural validity.

A play therapist who learns of a colleague's unethical conduct should FIRST:

Answer: Attempt to address the issue directly with the colleague when appropriate, then escalate if unresolved

Ethical codes generally require therapists to first attempt to address concerns directly with the colleague when feasible and safe, escalating to supervisors or licensing boards only if the issue remains unresolved or poses ongoing risk.