Ethical committees and complaints - Ethics in Psychology

1. ETHICAL COMMITTEES
Complaints & Sanctions
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2. THEMES OF COMPLAINTS
Exploitation
Insensitivity
Incompetence
Irresponsibility
Abandonment
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3. Exploitation
Exploitation occurs whenever
psychologists take advantage of
consumers by abusing a position of
trust, expertise, or authority
Examples: Sexual exploitation,
overcharging fees, deceiving research
participants, not giving credit to co-
authors in publications
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4. Insensitivity
Insensitivity involves harm caused by a
lack of regard or concern for the needs,
feelings, rights, or welfare of others
Examples: Rude or abusive behavior
towards clients/students, biased attitude
towards minority groups
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5. Incompetence
 Incompetence occurs when psychologists are not fully
capable of providing the services they are rendering due to
inadequate training, education, or personal unfitness
 Examples: Delivering psychotherapy without training,
teaching courses without having appropriate knowledge in
them, continuing to provide therapy when under immense
personal stress
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6. Irresponsibility
Irresponsibility involves lack of reliable
and dependable execution of
professional duties
Examples: Blaming other’s for own
mistakes, delay in delivering feedback
to students, always being late for
appointments with clients
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7. Abandonment
Abandonment occurs when
psychologists fail to follow through with
their duties, causing consumers to feel
discarded or rejected
Examples: Premature termination of
therapy, not giving enough time to
students/clients
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8. COMPLAINANTS
60% complainants are
psychotherapy clients
25% complainants are fellow
professionals and peers
15% complainants are students,
supervisees
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9. Complaints Ethical
Committees Do Not Pursue
1. No Relevant Provision on the Ethics Code
2. Conduct Outside the Professional Role
3. Ethics Committees as Inappropriate Mediators
4. Complaints Filed Against Non Members
5. Complaints against Groups, Agencies Institutes
6. Anonymous Complaints
7. Beyond the Statute of Limitations
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10. No Relevant Provision in
Ethics Code
Tim , a graduate student, complained that Dr. H director of clinical internship,
discriminated against him by not allowing him to join the internship program.
Tim claimed that he did not have money to pay for the travel expenses to
appear for the interview and Dr. H refused to interview him by the phone,
thereby rejecting his application.
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11. Conduct Outside the
Professional Role
A woman (who worked in the same office
building as X) complained to an ethics
committee that X was responsible for her
current anxious state. She claimed that X
had made promises of love to her but had
stopped making contact after exploiting
her for several months.
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12. Ethics Committees as Inappropriate
Mediators
A student complained that a psychology professor gave her a B grade
when she was certain that she deserved an A grade.
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13. Complaints Filed Against
Non Members
A group of students complained to the ethics
committee that Dr. S who owned a business
consultancy firm was supplying fake reference and
experience letters to students for $100 fee.
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14. Complaints against Groups,
Agencies Institutes
A group of students filed a
complaint against the
psychology department of a
private university for using
fake and pirated
psychological assessment
tools in their courses.
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15. Anonymous Complaints
An ethical committee received
an anonymous letter that
accused Mr. Y of charging
exorbitant amount of fees from
his clients and also having
sexual relationships with some
of them
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16. Beyond the reasonable time
frame
Mindy Stall complained to the
ethics committee that her
former therapist, gave her
damaging advice of leaving her
husband 2 year ago. She
followed his advice and now
she feels lonely and depressed
as ever.
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17. WHO VIOLATES THE
ETHICAL CODE?
 Uninformed/Unaware Psychologist
 The Troubled Psychologist
 The Overzealous/Avaricious Psychologist
 The Vengeful Psychologist
 Insufficiently Trained Psychologist
 The Psychologists who “Slips”
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18. DISPOSITION OF
SANCTIONS BY ETHICAL
COMMITTEES
Respondent Found to be
Innocent
Insufficient Evidence
Preclude Clear Decision
Sustained Charges
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19. Level of Ethical Sanctions &
Categories
 Level IA
 Level IB
 Level IIA
 Level IIB
 Level IIIA
 Level IIIB
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20. Level IA
 Sanction
Educative Advisory
 Rationale
Not clearly unethical, but in poor taste or insufficiently cautious, this offense
might fall in grey areas or deal with newly emerging issues and problems
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21. Level IB
Sanction
Educative Warning
Rationale
A cease and desist notice from an
Ethics Committee might accompany a
finding that a mild and minor infraction
had occurred
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22. Level IIA
 Sanction
Reprimand
 Rationale
A finding of clearly ethical misconduct, when the psychologist
should have known better, although the consequence of action or
inaction may have been minor
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23. Level IIB
 Sanction
Censure
 Rationale
Deliberate or persistent behavior that could lead to substantial
harm to the client or public, although little may actually have
occurred
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24. Level IIIA
Sanction
Stipulated Resignation
Rationale
Continuing or dramatic misconduct
producing genuine hazard to clients, the
public and the profession. May include no
reapplication stipulation
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25. Level IIIB
Sanction
Expulsion (Voided membership)
Rationale
Individual clients or others with whom
one worked are substantially injured with
serious questions about the potential
rehabilitation of the psychologist in
question
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