ABPP Counseling Psychology key terms

The process of telling clients, in advance and in understandable language, about the nature, risks, benefits, alternatives, and limits of services so they can freely decide whether to participate.

The ethical duty to keep information clients share private, disclosing it only with permission or when law or safety requires an exception.

A legal protection, created by statute, that prevents a therapist from being forced to reveal client communications in legal proceedings; it belongs to the client, not the therapist.

When a psychologist holds another significant role with a client, a person close to the client, or someone the psychologist is close to, beyond the professional one.

A departure from customary professional practice that is not necessarily harmful and may sometimes benefit clients, but which requires reflection on intent and effect.

A legal obligation, defined by state law, to notify authorities when a psychologist reasonably suspects child abuse, elder abuse, or dependent adult abuse.

A legal and ethical obligation, arising from case law and statutes, to take reasonable steps such as warning or protecting when a client poses serious danger to an identifiable person.

A structured sequence of steps for resolving ethical dilemmas, typically including identifying the problem, consulting standards and law, considering stakeholders, consulting others, choosing and documenting a course of action, and evaluating it.

Seeking guidance from knowledgeable colleagues, ethics committees, or licensing boards when facing a moral or professional dilemma, while protecting client identity.

Having the education, training, supervised experience, and ongoing learning needed to provide a service, and recognizing when to refer or obtain additional training.

The range of activities a psychologist is legally and ethically permitted to perform, defined by licensure law, training, and demonstrated competence.

Agreement to participate given by a person who cannot legally consent, such as a minor, obtained in developmentally appropriate language while a guardian provides formal permission.

The legal and ethical rules governing when a parent or guardian must consent to a minor's treatment, when the minor may consent independently, and how the minor's own agreement is obtained.

Directing a client to another provider when the presenting problem lies outside one's competence, when services are unavailable, or when the client's needs would be better met elsewhere.

Ongoing professional learning required for license renewal and used to maintain and expand the knowledge and skills needed for ethical practice.

The ethical and legal duty to protect the integrity of psychological tests by controlling access to materials and preventing coaching or misuse that invalidates scores.

The knowledge and supervised training required to select, administer, score, and interpret psychological measures appropriately for a given population and purpose.

The process of drawing meaning from scores in light of norms, reliability, validity, base rates, and the client's background, while communicating results accurately and cautiously.

Creating, storing, protecting, and retaining clinical records according to legal and ethical standards, including documenting services and safeguarding confidentiality.

Providing psychological services through technology across distance, which raises distinct questions about licensure jurisdiction, privacy, emergency planning, and suitability of the client.

A relationship in which a more experienced psychologist oversees and takes responsibility for the professional development and client care of a trainee or less experienced clinician.

A training philosophy holding that psychologists should both produce and consume research, integrating scientific evidence with clinical practice.

The historical training model, developed at a 1949 conference, that established the scientist-practitioner identity of professional psychology and shaped accreditation standards.

The integration of the best available research, clinical expertise, and the client's characteristics, culture, and preferences in making treatment decisions.

Interventions shown to be efficacious in controlled research, typically classified by the quantity and quality of supporting trials for a specific problem.

Therapeutic elements shared across effective treatments, such as alliance, empathy, expectations, and client resources, which account for much of the change in therapy.

The collaborative bond and agreement on goals and tasks between client and therapist, consistently among the strongest predictors of therapy outcome.

A strain or breakdown in the therapeutic alliance, followed by acknowledgment and collaborative resolution, which can strengthen the relationship and treatment.

The part of the therapy relationship focused on agreement about goals and tasks plus the emotional bond; often measured to monitor progress.

The capacity to understand and respond effectively to clients whose cultural backgrounds, identities, and values differ from one's own.

An ongoing stance of self-reflection, openness, and recognition of one's limits in understanding another person's cultural experience, paired with willingness to learn.

Practice that considers how culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, and other identities shape clients' experiences, presenting concerns, and preferred helping approaches.

A professional commitment to addressing inequities in access, opportunity, and treatment, including advocacy at individual, community, and systemic levels.

Interventions delivered before disorder develops, aimed at reducing risk and strengthening protective factors in individuals, groups, or communities.

Systematically teaching clients and families about a condition, its course, and its management, often as an adjunct that improves engagement and coping.

Practice that identifies and builds on clients' existing capacities, resources, and values rather than focusing primarily on deficits.

Supporting clients to gain knowledge, skills, and confidence to make their own decisions and act on their own behalf.

Acting on behalf of or alongside clients to change policies, systems, or conditions that harm their well-being, ranging from individual to systemic levels.