Ethical Standards and Professional Conduct: APA Code plus Florida Overlay
Domain 3 tests applied ethics: the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct layered over Florida law. Questions typically present a realistic dilemma and ask what the psychologist should do first, or what makes the conduct unethical.
The standards that carry the most exam weight
- Competence (2.01): practice within the boundaries of training and experience; obtain consultation or refer when an area is new.
- Informed consent (3.10, 10.01): explain the nature of services, risks, alternatives, fees, and the limits of confidentiality, and document the discussion.
- Confidentiality (4.01, 4.05): maintain it and disclose only with consent or as legally required or permitted. Limits include imminent danger, child abuse (s. 39.201), vulnerable-adult abuse (s. 415.1034), and court orders.
- Multiple relationships (3.05): avoid relationships that could impair objectivity or exploit; not every secondary relationship is unethical.
- Assessment (9.01-9.11): use instruments with established validity for the population, interpret with base rates, and release test data appropriately (9.04).
- Fees and bartering (6.01-6.05): agree on fees early; barter only when not exploitative.
Florida overlay
Sexual misconduct under s. 490.0111 is treated as severe; therapy with a former sexual partner is prohibited. Confidentiality is reinforced by s. 490.0147, and privilege belongs to the client under s. 90.503. Privilege is a rule of evidence, not a clinical gag order: where a serious, imminent threat exists, a limited, documented protective step (warning the identified victim, arranging emergency evaluation) is consistent with APA 4.05, though Florida should not be assumed to impose an affirmative Tarasoff-style statutory duty.
Worked example
A long-term client offers shares in a startup instead of paying her balance. Bartering is not automatically unethical, but equity in a client's business creates a financial entanglement of unpredictable value and a clear risk of exploitation. The psychologist should decline, discuss the balance, and document; if the client cannot pay, renegotiate the fee or refer.
Traps
Treating confidentiality as absolute; assuming parents automatically own a minor's therapy records; failing to document informed consent or risk assessment; confusing an ethical "should" with a legal mandate.