APA Ethics General Principles and Guidelines

Ethics General Principles

A. Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

Take care to do no harm; minimize harm.

B. Fidelity and Responsibility

Establish relationships of trust, upholding professional standards of conduct.
Cooperate with other professionals if needed to serve the best interests of the client.
Strive to contribute their professional time, compensated or not.

C. Integrity

Promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in all professional interactions.

D. Justice

Fairness and justice to all individuals to access and benefit from the contributions of psychology.

E. Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity

Respect the dignity and worth of all people.
Exercise rights to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination.

Resolving Ethical Issues

If mistakes are made, corrective measures should be taken to minimize the impact of those mistakes.
If witnessing an ethical violation by another psychologist, attempt informal resolution while respecting confidentiality rights involved.
In cases where informal resolution is ineffective or inappropriate, referral to state or national committees on professional ethics, state licensing boards, or appropriate institutional authorities can be initiated, maintaining confidentiality of the professional in question.
Failure to cooperate in an ethics investigation constitutes an ethics violation unless a deferment of adjudication of an ethics complaint has been requested.
Psychologists must file complaints responsibly, ensuring factual accuracy about the allegations.
Employment decisions must not be based solely on whether someone has made or is the subject of an ethics complaint, protecting individuals from discrimination during ongoing proceedings unless the outcome justifies it.

Competence

Psychologists should provide services strictly within their boundaries of competence, grounded in training, education, experience, or consultation they have received.
Understanding factors related to age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, culture, etc., is essential for effective service implementation.
When tasked with serving clients deprived of mental health services (e.g., rural or underserved communities) and lacking competence for the job, they may provide services as long as they make reasonable efforts to gain the necessary competence.
Forensic roles require familiarity with judicial rules that govern these roles.
Psychologists may provide emergency services even if they lack complete competency/training, but must discontinue once appropriate services become available.
Continuous development and maintenance of professional competence are required, aligned with scientific and professional knowledge of the discipline.
Work delegation to employees, supervisors, or assistants should avoid those with potential multiple relationships with the client and should only be given to competent personnel.

Ethics and Laws

Psychologists should refrain from work if personal issues are likely to impair their performance, taking appropriate measures (referrals, assistance) to manage their limitations.

Human Relations

Engagement in unfair discrimination based on gender, age, race, etc., is strictly prohibited.
Sexual Harassment defined as verbal or nonverbal conduct of a sexual nature that is either unwelcome or creates a hostile workplace and is sufficiently severe to be abusive.
Psychologists must actively avoid harm by refraining from participating in torturous activities (both physical and mental) that are intentionally inflicted.
Multiple Relationships arise when a psychologist is in a professional role with a client while simultaneously engaging in another role (e.g., family, intimate relationships); entry into such relationships is to be avoided where they could compromise objectivity, competence, or effectiveness.
Multiple relationships that could not reasonably be expected to cause impairment or risk exploitation or harm are not considered unethical.
Psychologists should not seek professional roles if personal, scientific, professional, legal, financial, or other interests might impair objectivity, leading to exploitation.
When services are requested as a third party psychologist, clarity regarding the nature of all involved relationships must be established, ensuring client confidentiality.
Cooperation with other professionals for the effective and appropriate service of clients is permitted.

Informed Consent

Informed consent is required when conducting research, assessments, therapy, counseling, or consultation.
For clients deemed legally incapable, consent must involve appropriate explanations, seek assent, consider client preferences, and obtain permission from an authorized person.
If court ordered, psychologists must inform clients of the nature and limitations of services before proceeding.
Documentation of written or oral consent, permission, and assent is essential.
In cases of interruption in services (e.g., due to death, relocation, illness, retirement), psychologists must take reasonable steps to plan for continued services according to contractual stipulations.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Discussion of confidentiality limits and uses of information generated during services must be communicated to individuals and organizations in professional contexts.
Consent must be obtained prior to recording voices or images from all involved parties or their legal representatives.
Confidential information should only be shared with individuals directly concerned with the matters at hand.
Disclosure without appropriate consent is generally not allowed unless mandated by law.
Disclosure that could identify a client requires prior consent or should be avoided unless necessary.
Exemptions to disclosure include instances where the client's identity is protected or when consent has been granted.

Advertising and Other Public Statements

No false, deceptive, or fraudulent public statements related to research, practice, or works; misrepresentation of credentials, affiliations, or successes is prohibited.
Psychologists bear responsibility for public statements and may not compensate media employees for publicity in news items.
Paid advertisements must be clearly labeled and statements must reflect professional knowledge aligned with ethical practices without implying an established professional relationship with the audience.
Solicitation of testimonials is only allowed in contextually appropriate collateral contracts that benefit clients or for disaster or community outreach services.

Record Keeping and Fees

Confidentiality must be preserved in creating, storing, accessing, transferring, and disposing of records, using coding to protect client identities.
Withholding records due to non-payment for emergency purposes is NOT permissible.
Financial discussions about payments and agreements should happen early and must comply with the law.
Misrepresentation of fees is prohibited.
Should legal measures be necessary for non-paying clients, they must be informed ahead of time.
Bartering for services is acceptable provided it is not clinically contraindicated and not exploitative.
Fee sharing with other professionals must be based solely on services provided.

Education and Training

Education programs must equip psychological professionals with knowledge and experiences required to meet licensure and certification objectives.
Students or supervisees are not mandated to disclose personal information about sexual history, abuse, or relationships unless necessary for evaluation and specifically mentioned by the program.
Students should be allowed options to seek therapy from practitioners outside their program if individual or group therapy is mandated.
Faculty responsible for assessing student academic performance must not provide therapy to those students.
Sexual relationships with students under evaluative authority are strictly forbidden for a minimum of TWO YEARS post-therapy.

Research and Publication

Accurate information collection and obtaining approval prior to conducting research is necessary.
Informed consent should detail research purpose, duration, procedures, withdrawal rights, risks, benefits, confidentiality limits, and incentives.
Consent for recordings must be obtained, except in cases of purely natural observations or studies including deception, which must be disclosed during debriefing.
Dispensing or omitting informed consent is allowable only when it does not create distress or harm, or when permitted by law.
Excessive incentives for participation that may coerce involvement should be avoided.

Animal Subjects

Ensure safety and minimize discomfort for animal subjects in research. Justification for procedures must be provided to minimize harm, with rapid termination to reduce pain.

Authorship and Data Sharing

Misrepresentation of another’s work or data as one’s own is strictly forbidden; responsibility for authorship must align with actual contributions to the work.
Faculty advisors should discuss publication credit early with students, and data should not be withheld from peers wishing to reanalyze it, except in declared cases.

Assessment

Recommendations and evaluations must be supported by sufficient evidence from examinations.
Informed consent exceptions include circumstances mandated by law or routine evaluations.
In absence of a release, test data must only be disclosed as legally required.

Therapy

When providing services to individuals in a relationship (family or otherwise), clarity surrounding the client’s identity and roles must be maintained.
Conflicting roles must be addressed carefully, with clarifications, modifications, or withdrawals as needed.
Engaging in sexual intimacies with former clients/patients is prohibited for at least TWO YEARS after therapy termination.
Therapy must be terminated when the client no longer benefits, threatens, or when harm is likely from continued service, with appropriate pretermination counseling and referral recommendations.

Ethics General Principles

I. Respect for Dignity of Persons and Peoples

Respect all human beings, diversity, culture, and beliefs; prioritize free and informed consent, privacy, fairness, and justice.

II. Competent Caring for the Well-being of Persons and Peoples

Work for the benefit of individuals and cause no harm.

III. Integrity

Maintain honesty, truthfulness, open, and accurate communication while respecting professional boundaries, multiple relationships, and conflicts of interest.

IV. Professional and Scientific Responsibilities to Society

Contribute knowledge regarding human behavior while conducting affairs with the highest ethical standards.

Compliance with Laws

Conflicts that cannot be resolved through ethical means should be managed according to law, regulations, or governing authorities.

Specific Legal References

Only licensed and registered psychologists and psychometricians are permitted to practice legally (RA 10029).
Appropriate referrals are required except in emergencies.
Emergencies allow for the provision of services in areas lacking mental health support while emphasizing caution and discontinuation of services when required.
Engaging in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is crucial for maintaining up-to-date services (RA 10912).
Professional service announcements must include accurate personal information such as the highest relevant degrees earned.
Public remarks should avoid malicious content and clarify representation as professional.

Professional Regulations

RA 10029 (Philippine Psychology Act of 2009) regulates the practice of psychology in the Philippines.
The Interim Professional Organization (IPO) and the Accredited Integrated Professional Organization (AIPO) are the governing bodies.
Qualification for psychometricians is outlined, including work experience and grade requirements.
Restrictions apply to foreign practitioners seeking to practice in the Philippines unless reciprocal provisions exist.
Psychologists cannot disclose client communication without consent (RA 11036 - Mental Health Act).