Ethical and Professional Standards
The framework
Ethics questions test reasoning, not memorized slogans. Ground answers in the core principles (beneficence and nonmaleficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, justice, respect for people's rights and dignity) and in the standards governing competence, informed consent, confidentiality, multiple relationships, boundaries, assessment, and supervision. Know that the principles guide; the enforceable standards bind.
Concepts to know cold
- Informed consent: ongoing, developmentally and culturally appropriate, covering limits of confidentiality and technology use.
- Confidentiality and its limits: danger to self or others, abuse reporting, court orders; know that "duty to protect" is a legal/clinical construct that varies by jurisdiction and typically involves protection, not simply warning.
- Multiple relationships: not automatically unethical; problematic when exploitation or impaired objectivity is likely.
- Competence: practicing within boundaries of training; obtaining consultation or referral when outside scope.
- Boundary crossings vs. violations; bartering; gifts; self-disclosure.
- Record-keeping, termination, and supervision responsibilities (supervisor retains responsibility for client welfare).
Traps
Options often pit rigid rule-following against client welfare; the best answer usually protects welfare while documenting and consulting. Beware "always/never" absolutes that misstate standards (confidentiality is not absolute; multiple relationships are not per se prohibited). Distinguish ethical from legal obligations. Do not choose breach of confidentiality reflexively when a less intrusive step (consultation, safety planning) suffices.
Worked example
A client discloses intent to harm an identifiable person. The strongest answer: assess imminence and means, consult, take reasonable protective steps permitted by law, and document - not "maintain confidentiality" and not "immediately call the intended victim" as an automatic rule. Rule of thumb: least intrusive effective action, grounded in welfare, consultation, and documentation.