What are the ethical issues which apply, and what are your obligations as a psychologist in Australia in the Australian Capital Territory?

What are the ethical issues which apply, and what are your obligations as a psychologist in Australia in the Australian Capital Territory?

I WOULD PREFER A WRITER QUALIFIED IN PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICING IN AUSTRALIA, WITH SOME KNOWLEDGE OF LAW

Please keep it under 1650 words (not including references).

Please adhere to strict APA formatting. Typical essay format is expected with formal language and a solid structure and argument. A standard introduction, body and conclusion is expected.

I will attach several documents for you reference. Do read them carefully, but you do not have to use all of them. READ THE APS CODE OF ETHICS.

Here is the dilemma. Read it carefully, and note that it is set in The Australian Capital Territory in Australia –

You are a psychologist in an independent private practice. You are treating a 16 year old girl, who after several sessions discloses that she had been molested by her older brother for nearly three years from the age of 10 to 13. While disclosing this information she is highly distressed, but says that she does not want anybody to find out as this person is still in her life and the abuse stopped after she went through puberty. Two days after the session, the client’s mother calls you and says that her daughter had seemed upset after her last session but wouldn’t talk to her about what had happened. She asks what had been discussed in the session because she wanted to be able to help, and because “she is my daughter, and as I am paying for the treatment, I have every right to know”.

Draw from the APS code of ethics and structure the essay around it. A good essay will identify the appropriate sections of each of the Codes, and where appropriate highlight where they complement or contradict each other. READ THE APS CODE CAREFULLY. Build it around an APS framework, talk about confidentiality, legal dilemma and issues regarding adolescent autonomy. Given the space limits, I am happy for you to limit your answer to your obligations, and to focus on what factors you would need to consider in developing a course of action, rather than the course of action itself. Please discuss: legal obligations of reporting sexual assault, harm (and reporting, if the client may be at risk), best practice (including the process of disempowerment during SA and the importance of the victim to regain control), autonomy and adolescents, confidentiality, the rights of the parent, informed consent and whatever else you think is relevant. You should clearly identify which ethical dillemma you are addressing, and very briefly, outline the key aspects of the situation. Given the word limit, you are not required to provide a detailed summary of the case.

Eg. Protection of client confidentiality is a major ethical and legal issue impacting on clinical psychological practice. In the case where a client’s employer is seeking information about their employees treatment ………” (do not use this exact phrasing: it is an example)

EXPECTATIONS OF ESSAY TO ACHIEVE HIGH RATING:

Writer has outlined an objective and compelling argument that appears to have good support from the literature.

Writer covers all important arguments in an appropriately balanced fashion, including only the most relevant sources

Arguments are presented logically so that there is the sense of a developing story. The reader is not required to mentally jump backwards and forwards. Examples from the literature fit into the flow of the argument. When the writer presents their own view, it flows from the arguments already presented and its logic is compelling.

Writer clearly summarises each of the main ideas presented and makes an explicit connection to the main argument, in a way that shows excellent understanding of underlying concepts.

Writer has outlined final conclusions on their topic which coherently summarise the most important ideas and take home messages from the essay.

Writer has identified relevant ethical guidelines and demonstrates sound understanding of the issues

Writer has included well-chosen sources from reputable journals. Sources are interesting and are all clearly related to the essay argument. All sources are acknowledged correctly. Citations are presented in the correct format. Claims are not made without appropriate sourcing. References in reference list are presented in the correct format, with no omissions or errors.

Writer covers all areas of the literature in a balanced fashion, including only the most relevant aspects of the topic, and demonstrates strong critical analysis.

Writing is fluent and easy to read. Writer demonstrates a superior command of language. Essay is written in clear, plain, grammatically correct English. Excellent use of APA format, with no errors.

The writer demonstrates their understanding by presenting in a fresh, original style, using their own examples. Creative ideas are evident in a presentation of a writer’s own viewpoint. There is obvious effort in obtaining relevant out-of-the-way articles. The writer makes insightful links between different findings or different fields of enquiry.

THIS ESSAY WILL BE PUT THROUGH TURTITIN SOFTWARE. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF PLAGIARISM.

Initial Useful Resources (do not need to use them all):

Behnke, S.H. & Warner, (2002), Confidentiality in the treatment of adolescents, APA Monitor on Psychology, Vol 33, No. 3

Crismaa, M., Bascellia, E., Pacib, D. & Romitoa, P. (2004), Adolescents who experienced sexual abuse: fears, needs and impediments to disclosure, Child Abuse & Neglect, 28(10), pp 1035-1048

Fisher, C.B., Higgins-D’Alessandro, A., Rau, J-M, B. & Belanger, S. (1996), Referring and Reporting Research Participants at Risk: Views from Urban Adolescents.Child Development, 67, pp 2086-2100.

Jensen, T.K. Gulbrandsen, W., Mossige, S., Reichelt, S., & Tjersland , O.A.(2005), Reporting possible sexual abuse: A qualitative study on children’s perspectives and the context for disclosure, Child Abuse & Neglect, 29(12), pp 1395–1413.

Lothen-Kline, C., Howard, D.E., Hamburger, E.K., Worrell, K.D., Boekeloo, B,O, (2003), Truth and consequences: ethics, confidentiality, and disclosure in adolescent longitudinal prevention research, Journal of Adolescent Health,33;5, pp385-394