Law Vs. Ethics Essay

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Clinical Psychology Worksheet

What are at least two legal issues associated with clinical psychology? Provide an example of a situation that could be legal but unethical. Explain your response.

There are some fairly obvious examples that could be used, but one in particular is discussed on the Guide to Psychology website's legal section. The author notes that many people seeking psychotherapy engage in deception to one or more degrees. Reasons for this could include shame, guilt, fear and so forth. This is not an unexpected part of the process when it comes to psychologists and other clinicians are treating a person. However, the ethical and legal landscape of treating such a person comes to the forefront when any number of things emerge such as if the person commits a crime and uses their mental condition as a legal defense, they are ordered by the justice system to be psychologically tested, evaluated or diagnosed, is ordered by the judicial system to receive psychotherapy and/or sues someone on the grounds of psychological damages. The legal and ethical implications to the provider are obvious in that there has to be doubt cast on absolutely everything that was said up to that point. As an example, someone could claim an insanity defense in court using just about any underlying mental condition as a general cause for "losing their mind." Some people are sociopathic to the extent that they will "fake it" and this includes in therapy.

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Clinicians and psychologists in general have a duty to be very diligent and thorough in their assessments. They need to go by the book absolutely every single time. It may not be illegal to offer an incomplete or unproven diagnosis to a person investigating a person's behavior but corroborating something that cannot truthfully be asserted with certitude is unethical to say the least. Another legal issue would be asserting a diagnosis in court that is not proven or certified as per the proper diagnostic criteria due to a bias against the person involved. While it might not be labeled as perjury, it technically would be and it would be a huge ethical violation because the diagnosis is not keeping with proper technique and psychological practice in general (Guide to Psychology, 2015).

What are at least two ethical issues associated with clinical psychology? Provide an example of a situation that could be ethical but illegal. Explain your response.

One ethical issue with clinical psychology would be the blurring or crossing of boundaries. For example, engaging in a sexual relationship with a prior client is not the best idea but as long as there is not….....

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