Future Students - Courses

Professional, Ethical & Legal Issues

Unit Code: HAY643

Duration	Contact Hours	Campus	Prerequisite	Corequisite
One semester / teaching period	36 hours	Hawthorn	Nil	Nil

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points

Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Doctor of Psychology (Counselling Psychology) program

Aims & Objectives:

Aims:
* To give advanced understanding of the essential elements of the ethical and professional practice of psychology.

* To place the profession in a societal and legal context and give current information about professional associations and registration requirements in the state of Victoria.

* Ethical and professional issues such as competence, confidentiality, consent, boundary issues and professional conduct are covered in the context of practical ethical cases.

Objectives:

* To teach applied professional skills such as report writing, record keeping and analysing ethical dilemmas in psychological practice.

* To give role play experience in court procedures

* To teach students to be ethically aware in their professional practice

* To teach the APS Code of Ethics

Teaching Methods:

Lectures; seminars; guest presentations; experiential learning

Assessment:

Case Study (20%), Research Essay (50%), Registration Board Case Analysis (30%).

Generic Skills Outcomes:

Graduates are capable in their chosen profession:

Ability to apply ethical and professional principles to the practice of counselling and health psychology.
Able to gather information systematically from a range of sources
Have highly developed verbal and written skills
A capacity to engage in informed critical enquiry and social debate
A capacity to present research to a range of audiences
Understand basic principles of measurement in psychology and can apply these principles to research.

Graduates are adaptable and manage change.

Graduates operate effectively in work and community situations:

Communicate effectively with professionals and the community
Understand, and are committed to, professional and ethical principles
Adaptable, flexible, open to new ideas and able to manage change.

Graduates are aware of environments:

Are culturally sensitive, with a respect for multiple points of view.

Content:

Topics:
* Professional ethics and ethical decision making

* Registration; the APS and the Code; Competence; Research ethics

* Confidentiality and informed consent. Advertising, psychology and media

* Values in counselling and health psychology. Who is the client/conflicts of interest

* Report writing, record keeping and privacy legislation

* Supervision/dual/role relationships

* The child client. Children in court

* Multicultural issues

* Special issues: Dangerousness to self and others in professional practice

* Issues in private practice

* The psychologist in court

* Moot court

Reading Materials:

Textbooks:

Australian Psychological Society (2002). Code of ethics. Author.
Australian Psychological Society Ethical guidelines. (4th edition). Author.

HAY543/643 Reading materials 2004.

Knowles, A. HAY643 Book of readings

References:

Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Callanan, P. (2003). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (6th Ed.). Pacific Grove, California.: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Koocher, G. P. & Keith‐Spiegel, P. (Eds.). (1998). Ethics in psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

O’Donohue, W. & Ferguson, K. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of professional ethics for psychologists. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Tallent, N. (1993). Psychological report writing. (4th Edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.