Discuss an Aspirational Principle.
Read: Fisher: (review PDF and go over Standards found within the Fisher text)
Part II. Chapter 4. Standards for Resolving Ethical Issues and
Chapter 5. Standards of Competence.
Discussion Board Questions
1. Discuss one of the five Aspirational Principles from the reading assignment.
2. Give examples (from either previous professional experience or from the vignettes in the text) of appropriate informal and formal resolutions of ethical issues.
Please post the first thread response by Day Three and the second thread response by Day Five. Respond to at least one colleague by Day Five. Offer response to any significant feedback by Day Seven.
How do you become competent? How do you maintain competency? While knowledge, training and ability appear on the surface to be enough, we as psychologists cannot be expert in everything or maintain a current awarenes of all the new literature of treatment, and other relevant issues, at all times.
Continuing education is one way to keep up with up with the current knowledge of the profession. Research, specialized training, supervised practice and simply knowing when to refer, are marks of knowing one’s competence.
Aspirational Principles: Moral Character as a Member of the Profession of Psychology
Purpose
To understand a profession, you need to be able to understand where we have been and where we are going.
Professional pychology, as a practice, is a new discipline. Spurred on by World War II, a new sense of responsibility arose among researchers who had begun to apply their knowledge critically. Psychologists looked at critical events or incidents and shared that information to formulate standards. As the world has become more legalistic, so too have our standards become more specific.
It is the general aspirational principles that we must not lose in our focus on “risk management”. Only when we really understand why we must care for our consumers from an aspirational base, will we understand, and truly be part of, our profession.
Remember: Do no harm. Look out for the welfare of the consumer. Treat every individual with dignity. Do not abuse your power.
Objectives
1. Define the elements of competence as a professional psychologist.
2. Discuss how professional credentialing assists in defining competence.
