CPLEE - Ethical Violations and Complaints

requires psychologists to cooperate with the Ethics Committee “in ethics investigations, proceedings, and resulting requirements of the APA or any affiliated state psychological association to which they belong. In doing so, they address any confidentiality issues.” It also states that “failure to cooperate is itself an ethics violation ... [but that] making a request for deferment of adjudication of an ethics complaint pending the outcome of litigation does not alone constitute noncooperation.”

the appropriate sanction if there has been an ethics violation, but the violation was not of a kind likely to cause harm to another person or to cause substantial harm to the profession and was not otherwise of sufficient gravity as to warrant a more severe sanction.

the appropriate sanction if there has been an ethics violation and the violation was of a kind likely to cause harm to another person, but the violation was not of a kind likely to cause substantial harm to another person or to the profession and was not otherwise of sufficient gravity as to warrant a more severe sanction.

the appropriate sanction if there has been an ethics violation and the violation was of a kind likely to cause substantial harm to another person or the profession or was otherwise of sufficient gravity as to warrant such action.

may be offered by the Committee following a Committee finding that the respondent has committed a violation of the Ethics Code or failed to show good cause why he or she should not be expelled, contingent on execution of an acceptable affidavit and approval by the Board of Directors.

Standard 1.04 (Informal Resolution of Ethical Violations) encourages psychologists to handle ethical violations informally by discussing the matter with the offender when “an informal resolution appears appropriate”, while Standard 1.05 (Reporting Ethical Violations) states that psychologists make a formal report to the Ethics Committee, state licensing board, or other appropriate authority when the problem involves “substantial harm” and is not appropriate for an informal resolution or has not been resolved satisfactorily by an attempt at an informal resolution.

Both standards require that psychologists consider the issue of client confidentiality before taking any action, which always takes precedence over the need to educate or penalize an offending psychologist. In other words, if an informal or formal action will violate client confidentiality, the action is prohibited. For example, if a client tells their current therapist that a former therapist borrowed a large sum of money from them and hasn’t paid them back, and that the therapist came to many therapy sessions drunk, the current therapist could not contact the former therapist or file a complaint against them without the consent of the client.

Finally, note that Standards 1.04 and 1.05 clearly require psychologists to take action when they believe a colleague has acted unethically (as long as client confidentiality has been considered), but they allow psychologists to determine what action is most appropriate. Even though Standard 1.05 requires psychologists to file a formal complaint when the violation involves substantial harm, it is up to the psychologist to decide what constitutes substantial harm.

Answer 4 is most consistent with the requirements of Standard 1.05, which states: “Psychologists cooperate in ethics investigations, proceedings, and resulting requirements of the APA or any affiliated state psychological association to which they belong. In doing so, they address any confidentiality issues.”

Answer 2 is the best response of those given because it addresses a psychologist’s ethical obligation to respond to an ethical violation by a colleague in a way that does not violate the client’s confidentiality.