Ethical dilemmas in psychological services in Ghana: the views of clinical psychologists

ObjectiveTo compare the coping patterns of physicians and clinical psychologists when confronted with clinical ethical dilemmas and to explore consistency across different dilemmas.Population88 clinical psychologists and 149 family physicians in Israel.MethodSix dilemmas representing different ethical domains were selected from the literature. Vignettes were composed for each dilemma, and seven possible behavioural responses for each were proposed, scaled from most to least ethical. The vignettes were presented to both family physicians and clinical psychologists.ResultsPsychologists’ aggregated mean ethical intention score, as compared with the physicians, was found to be significantly higher (F(6, 232)=22.44, p<0.001, η2=0.37). Psychologists showed higher ethical intent for two dilemmas: issues of payment (they would continue treating a non-paying patient while physicians would not) and dual relationships (they would avoid treating the son of a colleague). In the other four vignettes, psychologists and physicians responded in much the same way. The highest ethical intent scores for both psychologists and physicians were for confidentiality and a colleague’s inappropriate practice due to personal problems.ConclusionsResponses to the dilemmas by physicians and psychologists can be categorised into two groups: (1) similar behaviours on the part of both professions when confronting dilemmas concerning confidentiality, inappropriate practice due to personal problems, improper professional conduct and academic issues and (2) different behaviours when confronting either payment issues or dual relationships.

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Training Psychiatrists in Behavioural Psychotherapy—Dispelling Myths

Bulletin of the Royal College of Psychiatrists ◽

10.1192/s0140078900028236 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 219-220

Author(s):

Roger Farmer ◽

David Miller ◽

John Green ◽

Joe Herzberg

Keyword(s):

Health Service ◽

Royal College ◽

Clinical Psychology ◽

Clinical Psychologists ◽

Psychological Services ◽

Psychiatric Outpatients ◽

Health Authorities

Behavioural psychotherapy is probably now the preferred treatment in as many as 25% of neurotic patients or 12% of adult psychiatric outpatients. It is, of course, part of some psychiatrists' therapeutic repertoire already. However, more widespread use of behavioural methods by psychiatrists would seem to be desirable and this is particularly so as clinical psychologists remain thin on the ground in many places. Indeed clinical psychology remains one of the smallest health-service professions. In 1981 there were 1,105.7 qualified clinical psychologists (whole time equivalents) in England. Moreover this overall figure conceals enormous disparities between Health Authorities, some of which provide good psychological services while others provide virtually nothing. In recognition of the importance of behavioural techniques, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has recommended that experience of them should be an integral part of any psychiatrist's training.

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The experiences of clinical psychologists in treating traumatic stress at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in the Eastern Cape: A qualitative study

10.31234/osf.io/u3nzj ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kuriesha Munishvaran ◽

Duane D. Booysen

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Hospital ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Clinical Psychologists ◽

Psychological Services ◽

Eastern Cape ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Political Factors ◽

Post Traumatic Growth ◽

Post Traumatic

Qualitative data on the experiences of treating Post-traumatic stress disorder in apsychiatric setting in a low-resource context is sparse. We aimed to explore the livedexperiences of clinical psychologists who treat patients who are either trauma survivorsor perpetrators in a psychiatric hospital. A total of six individual semi-structuredinterviews and follow-up interviews were conducted with three clinical psychologistsbased at a psychiatric hospital in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Data were analysedusing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. All participants reported experiencingsymptoms of vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress while treating bothvictims and perpetrators of violence. The findings also revealed an element of danger,as well as socio-political factors that clinical psychologists experience. Participantsfurther reported experiencing vicarious post-traumatic growth, enhanced by theircoping strategies, while providing psychological services to traumatised patients.

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Ethical dilemmas and U.S. Air Force clinical psychologists: A survey.

Professional Psychology Research and Practice ◽

10.1037/0735-7028.32.3.305 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 305-311 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Daniel R. Orme ◽

Alan L. Doerman

Keyword(s):

Air Force ◽

Ethical Dilemmas ◽

Clinical Psychologists

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Ethical Dilemmas of South African Clinical Psychologists

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027//1016-9040.4.3.179 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 179-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Catherine M. Slack ◽

Douglas R. Wassenaar

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

South African ◽

Professional Education ◽

Ethical Dilemmas ◽

The United States ◽

Clinical Psychologists ◽

International Studies ◽

Ethical Guidelines ◽

Professional Literature ◽

Ethical Concerns

This study asked a sample of 487 South African clinical psychologists to describe situations that they identified as ethically troubling. Forty-nine psychologists described 51 incidents that were categorized according to Pope and Vetter's (1992) system. Psychologists most often described dilemmas involving confidentiality, followed by dual relationship dilemmas. These ethical concerns are presented and discussed in the light of current South African ethical codes and relevant professional literature. The results are compared with six similar international studies. Results suggest that the concerns voiced by South African psychologists resemble those raised by their international colleagues. Similarities with findings from the United States and Finland may be the most marked. These results are discussed in the light of current professional trends. Implications for the development of specific ethical guidelines and professional education are also discussed.

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Cultural perspectives on Japanese clinical psychologists' handling of ethical dilemmas

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e566502014-001 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Makiko Kasai

Keyword(s):

Ethical Dilemmas ◽

Clinical Psychologists ◽

Cultural Perspectives

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The growing gap between demand and availability of clinical psychology in Paediatric Gastroenterology: a retrospective analysis of clinical routine care

European Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1007/s00431-020-03825-y ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eunice Wong ◽

Robert Heuschkel ◽

Caroline Lindsay ◽

Sally Benson ◽

Matthias Zilbauer

Keyword(s):

Clinical Psychology ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Clinical Psychologists ◽

Psychological Services ◽

Direct Access ◽

Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Close Link ◽

Increasing Demand ◽

The Uk

Abstract Clinical psychology intervention in paediatric gastroenterology is vital given the biopsychosocial aetiology of paediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders, and the psychological impact of chronic conditions. The aim was to assess the availability and benefit of clinical psychology in paediatric gastroenterology across the UK and Germany. A retrospective assessment of referrals (n = 936 referrals) to clinical psychology was performed at our tertiary paediatric gastroenterology centre between 2010 and 2018. The availability of clinical psychologists and outcome of psychology intervention for children with functional abdominal pain were also assessed. Access to clinical psychology across the UK and Germany was assessed using an online questionnaire. We observed a substantial rise in the number of clinical psychology referrals between 2010 and 2018. Increasing demand was not matched by sufficient increase in availability of clinical psychology, leading to longer waiting times. A major benefit of clinical psychology intervention was highlighted with 95% of patients (n = 20) reporting a significant reduction in symptoms. Of the 12 centres who responded, 11 centres have direct access to clinical psychology with a mean of 13% of patients requiring psychology referrals annually. Conclusion: Despite evidence of its benefit and increasing demand, there is insufficient access to clinical psychological services, highlighting the urgent need to address this important issue. What is known:• The biopsychosocial pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders involves a disordered brain-gut interaction, which emphasizes the close link between psychological factors and altered gut function.• Psychological intervention, as an adjunct to medical treatment, improves outcomes in paediatric patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disease such as functional gastrointestinal disorders and inflammatory bowel diseasesWhat is new:• There is a rising number of referrals from paediatric gastroenterology to clinical psychology in our centre which is not met by a sufficient increase in the availability of clinical psychologists. Similarly, access to clinical psychological services is lacking in several paediatric gastroenterology centres in the UK and Germany.• Strategic action is required to address this important gap in the care of children suffering from GI diseases.

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