Ethical Reasoning for Mental Health Professionals

Softcover: 408 pages
ISBN 0761930949
Sage Publications
January 2006
(click below for the very best currently available price for this important resource)

This book emphasizes the role of personal values in professional behavior and the relationship between law and ethics.

Ethical Reasoning for Mental Health Professionals provides the tools for the development of reasoning skills to resolve the complex ethical issues that arise in professional practice. Author Gary G. Ford provides readers with a needed background in methods of ethical reasoning and introduces them to an innovative, easy-to-follow eight step model of ethical decision making that helps them resolve ethical dilemmas. Key features include:

Covers Philosophical Models of Ethical Reasoning: Readers are provided with the needed background for understanding sources of ethical duties and the meta-ethical justification underlying the ethical code of their profession.
Addresses APA and ACA Ethics Codes: A greater understanding between the professions of psychology and counseling is illustrated by covering current versions of ethical codes for both fields (APA, 2002 & ACA, 2005).
Recommendations are given for those who wish to pursue certification, degree, or licensure in the other field.
Exemplifies Ethical Dilemmas and Ethical Responses: Treats the issue of ethical dilemmas, in which two or more ethical duties actually conflict. Other texts present issues one at a time, supplemented by case examples involving ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ answers, leaving professionals ill-equipped to apply ethical principles to novel circumstances, particularly where multiple ethical duties conflict.
Reflects the Complexity of Real-Life Situations: Numerous thought-provoking case examples help students apply ethical principles to novel professional circumstances. In-depth coverage of ethical concerns in assessment, therapy, industrial/organizational, teaching, research, and forensic activities is provided, as well as in emerging areas such as e-therapy and Internet research.
Addresses Multicultural Concerns: The ubiquitous nature of cultural influences in our lives and professional activities is demonstrated. Readers are guided to identify cultural biases in their own life and the ethical principles and practices of the mental health professions.

This book is perfect as an essential everyday resource for clinical/counseling psychologists, psychotherapists, and practitioners, and can serve as a training tool for students studying ethical issues in psychology and counseling also.

Gary G. Ford, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Stephen F. Austin State University. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, such as professional ethics, theories of personality, personality assessment, history and systems of psychology, human consciousness, existential psychology, and psychopathology. He is also actively involved in providing practicum supervision in the clinical psychology graduate program. Among the areas he has published in previously are professional ethics, substance abuse, psychological defense, existential psychology, and sports psychology. He served on the Editorial Board of Journal of Research in Personality for six years. Dr. Ford received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Fordham University, Bronx, New York, and his M.A. in philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His interdisciplinary academic background in philosophy and psychology has provided him with a unique perspective on the complex task of developing an ethics book for mental health professionals that will enable them to reason effectively when confronted with the ethical conflicts that invariably arise in their professional practice. He has been a licensed clinical psychologist for nearly 20 years and has been affiliated with Veterans Administration Medical Centers and worked in private practice. He has served on IRBs and ethics committees in both hospital and university settings. He has administered psychology licensing examinations as an Oral Examiner for the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists and conducted continuing education workshops in professional ethics.

(information provided by the publisher)

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