1. When Good Psychologists Go
Bad:
Ethics and Issues
December 9, 2016
Georgia Psychological Association
Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
3. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
Take a moment to reflect on a
situation in your work as a
psychologist about which you felt
uneasy or unsure and are willing
to share with others.
Write it down.
Uncertainty
5. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• 2.03 Maintaining
Competence
Psychologists undertake
ongoing efforts to develop and
maintain their competence.
APA Code
7. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
ASPPB
• Proposed competency
assessment
• Development of EPPP2
• Timeline: Jan 2019?
• 5 areas to measure based on
Survey of practicing
psychologists
8. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
ASPPB
• Credentials Bank
• PLUS Online Applications
• E Passport
• Interjurisdictional Practice IPC
• CPQ
9. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
Where does your question belong?
14. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
Is this a technology issue?
15. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Doing good, doing no harm
• Trust, Responsibility
• Integrity, honesty
• Fairness, Justice
• Respect, dignity of others
Is this an ethical issue?
16. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Encourages meeting the
minimum standards
The problem with code based ethics
17. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Encourages meeting the
minimum standards
• Narrows attention to the rules
The problem with code based ethics
18. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Encourages meeting the
minimum standards
• Narrows attention to the rules
• Doesn’t help with the gray areas
or conflicting priorities where
most ethical dilemmas occur
The problem with code based ethics
19. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Five step process in your handout
• Includes identifying the ethical issues,
research, taking time to consider,
consultation with colleagues,
identifying each stakeholder,
generating alternatives, looking at the
consequences, making a decision and
minimizing harm.
Steps in Ethical Reasoning
20. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Common cognitive and
decisional strategies that we use
and can lead to ethical
problems.
Behavioral ethics
27. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
Self interest or Confusion?
• Use of PhD (C) title
• Employees vs Contractors
• Use of online quiz on your
website
39. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• It is clear in retrospect that I should have been
much more skeptical of the staff. However, this is
not a simple matter due to the nature of our roles in
governance as volunteers who usually have full-time
responsibilities elsewhere, either in jobs or practice,
and most do not live in Washington, DC. APA is a
complex company which combines a membership
organization, a large scholarly publishing operation,
and real estate holdings, and there is no way that
volunteers could become as knowledgeable as staff
about matters under their purview. Ron Levant
APA Ethics controversy
45. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Higher risk areas of work
• High risk behaviors
• High risk clients
• Technology changes
• Licensing/credential issues
• Professional wills
Ethical Trends
47. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Not always accessible
Peer consultation
48. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Not always accessible
• Identified as primary way to stay
ethical in our work
Peer consultation
49. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Not always accessible
• Identified as primary way to stay
ethical in our work
• Take this as opportunity to form
a temporary peer group and
discuss the situation you wrote
down or another that has come
to mind.
Peer consultation
52. The world changes
• Increased competition from other
professions, including coaching
Atlanta Financial
Psychology
Mary Gresham, Ph.D.
53. The world changes
• Increased competition from other
professions, including coaching
• Uncertainty about healthcare
laws/increase in political polarization
Atlanta Financial
Psychology
Mary Gresham, Ph.D.
54. The world changes
• Increased competition from other
professions, including coaching
• Uncertainty about healthcare
laws/increase in political polarization
• Demands of consumers increasing
Atlanta Financial
Psychology
Mary Gresham, Ph.D.
55. The world changes
• Increased competition from other
professions, including coaching
• Uncertainty about healthcare
laws/increase in political polarization
• Demands of consumers increasing
• The internet
Atlanta Financial
Psychology
Mary Gresham, Ph.D.
56. The world changes
• Increased competition from other
professions, including coaching
• Uncertainty about healthcare
laws/increase in political polarization
• Demands of consumers increasing
• The internet
• Mobile and smartphone use
Atlanta Financial
Psychology
Mary Gresham, Ph.D.
57. The world changes
• Increased competition from other
professions, including coaching
• Uncertainty about healthcare
laws/increase in political polarization
• Demands of consumers increasing
• The internet
• Mobile and smartphone use
• Cultural competence demands
Atlanta Financial
Psychology
Mary Gresham, Ph.D.
58. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• The material often seems
obvious
Ethics of Self-Care
59. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• The material often seems
obvious
• The difficulty is in
implementation, not in lack of
knowledge
Ethics of Self-Care
60. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• The material often seems
obvious
• The difficulty is in
implementation, not in lack of
knowledge
• Systems and organizations also
need to change
Ethics of Self-Care
61. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• 2.06 Personal Problems
and Conflicts
(a) Psychologists refrain from
initiating an activity when they know
or should know that there is a
substantial likelihood that their
personal problems will prevent them
from performing their work-related
activities in a competent manner.
APA Standards
62. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
2010 survey of 658 practitioners
• Practicing an average of 23 years
Colleague Assistance Surveys
63. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
2010 survey of 658 practitioners
• Practicing an average of 23 years
• Work an average of 40
hours/week
Colleague Assistance Surveys
64. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
2010 survey of 658 practitioners
• Practicing an average of 23 years
• Work an average of 40
hours/week
• Identify stressors/coping
responses
Colleague Assistance Surveys
65. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Work/life balance
Psychologists Stressors
66. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Work/life balance
• Financial stress
Psychologists Stressors
67. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Work/life balance
• Financial stress
• Physical health/fatigue
Psychologists Stressors
68. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Work/life balance
• Financial stress
• Physical health/fatigue
• Worries about clients
Psychologists Stressors
69. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Work/life balance
• Financial stress
• Physical health/fatigue
• Worries about clients
• Family problems
Psychologists Stressors
70. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Time
Barriers to self care
71. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Time
• Minimization of distress
Barriers to self care
72. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Time
• Minimization of distress
• Privacy/confidentiality concerns
Barriers to self care
73. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Time
• Minimization of distress
• Privacy/confidentiality concern
• Unmotivated
Barriers to self care
74. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Time
• Minimization of distress
• Privacy/confidentiality concern
• Unmotivated
• Financial concerns
Barriers to self care
75. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Time
• Minimization of distress
• Privacy/confidentiality concern
• Unmotivated
• Financial concerns
• Difficulty identifying resources
Barriers to self care
77. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Choose a partner for this
exercise
• Describe to your partner what a
difficult or negative day at work
is like for you.
Describe
78. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Now describe to your partner
what a really positive and good
day at work is like for you.
Describe
79. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Life satisfaction : income,
health, work
Subjective Well-Being
80. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Life satisfaction : income,
health, work
• Positive affect: social
relationships
Subjective Well-Being
81. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Life satisfaction : income,
health, work
• Positive affect: social
relationships
• Negative affect: perception of
problems, internal and
interpersonal conflict.
Subjective Well-Being
82. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Cultural influences are
significant
• Collectivist vs. individualist
cultures
• Example: Contentment vs.
Excitement
• What we know
83. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Factors that increase
effectiveness: Motivation,
engagement, belief, age , from
Western culture.
• Longer term, task variety
Interventions to increase
84. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
Positive Psychology
• Three good things daily
• Use of character strengths in
new way
• Gratitude letter
85. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
• Work of Pennebaker and others
• Correlated with improved health
• Easily adapted
• Expressive Writing
88. Mary Gresham, Ph.D. Atlanta Financial Psychology
“For someone to develop genuine
compassion towards others, first he or
she must have a basis upon which to
cultivate compassion, and that basis is
the ability to connect to one’s own
feelings and to care for one’s own
welfare... Caring for others requires
caring for oneself.”
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
Compassion