The American Psychological Association (APA) has a set of ethics codes that mental health professionals must follow to inform their everyday work with clients. The main set of principles within the code guides professionals to ensure that they are operating in an ethical and sound manner. It’s important to have an understanding of what’s involved in each of the principles so that you can take each one of them into consideration when working with clients. This assignment will build your understanding of how these ethics apply to the work that you will be doing in the mental health field.
Directions
Begin by reviewing the APA ethics codes in the module resources, then select one of the codes and compose a journal discussing the importance of the ethics codes and adhering to them in your work with clients.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Principle Identification: Identify one of the APA ethics code’s principles from the list below:
Beneficence and nonmaleficence
Fidelity and responsibility
Integrity
Justice
Respect for people’s rights and dignity
Then, address the following:
What are the main ideas or key components of this principle?
Why was this ethics code established?
Application Scenario: Discuss a professional counseling situation in which the identified principle could become relevant when working with a client.
Professional Actions: Describe the professional steps a counselor should take to fulfill the ethics code related to the identified principle.
What to Submit
Submit your journal as a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style.