Legal Aspects of Professional Psychology

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss and highlight the legal aspects of professional psychology and examine different concepts of psychological assessment, legislation and confidentiality in detail. Professional psychology deals with intricacies that distinguish it from other renowned branches of psychology. The complexities of professional psychology make it necessary for legal consideration. The patients and clinicians are obliged to one another to abide by the guiding principles stated by the American Psychological Association (APA) in order to protect rights of both parties.

Abstract2

Thesis Statement4

Introduction4

Discussion4

Informed Consent and Refusal5

Legal issues associated with assessment, testing, and diagnosis6

Confidentiality in Therapeutic Relationship7

Competence in Professional Psychology8

Conclusion9

References10

Legal Aspects of Professional Psychology

Thesis Statement

Psychotherapists need to adhere to the ethical and legal guidelines in order to treat their clients effectively

Introduction

Legal aspects of professional psychology cover wide array of different applications related to ethical sides of psychology, and means of identifying and understanding legal concerns and interpretations. In addition to the applied practices, legal aspects of psychology also deal with the association of individual behavior and mental processes with government laws and regulations (Rivera, 2012). Psychology professionals should not only be qualified in their area of psychology, but they should also treat their patients in a moral and ethical way. To be qualified the psycho therapist or psychologist should be perfectly trained and qualified. They need to be well versed in laws and ethical codes in order to safeguard the rights of patients.

Discussion

American Psychological Association (APA) Code of Ethics is designed to provide professional conduct standards in professional psychology that are practiced by APA and other groups that want to adapt them, like psychological associations on state and provincial levels. At some places, ethical codes are enforced as law or policies and licensing boards use them for disciplinary actions if any of the code is violated. Ethical code violation is different from the violation of licensing regulation as the latter has an ability to provide a base for an action against license of psychologist, on the other hand, ethical code violation may provide a base for an action against APA, state or provincial psychological association membership of a psychologist (American Psychological Association, 2003).

Informed Consent and Refusal

The role of psychology and other mental health areas in the informed consent and refusal approach has progressively developed from a primarily non-existent part into a significant and vital one. The importance of informed consent and refusal as a procedure for safeguarding individual independence and autonomy cannot be ignored and overstated. The significance of patient autonomy has been emphasized by ethical principles of psychology as well as the countless legal decisions (Rosenfeld, 2002). The growing stress of informed consent and refusal in healthcare on the whole and professional psychology in particular, highlights a societal change from the traditional authoritative model of medicine in health care to the one that emphasizes and inspires the autonomy, assistance, and independence of patients (Oransky and Fisher, n.d). The principle of informed consent and refusal needs three components to be there in order to confirm with the decisions of medical ...