The provision of competent and beneficial service to the public requires keen awareness of ethical issues and standards. However, a psychologist in Canada or the United States sometimes feels that, in the name of protecting the public, there has been an over-generation of standards, regulations, and requirements defining how the psychologist may practice. This activity has included the generation of mechanisms for investigation and punishment of psychologists who do not conform, and, in our increasingly litigious society, psychologists' concerns have expanded. A previously perceived straightforward concern about how to provide the most competent, ethical service has grown to include a concern about how to avoid what is perceived to be a plethora of possible complaints and violations. In some areas of practice, psychologists believe that the question is not if but when allegations of professional misconduct will be made, and they are concerned how they will defend themselves. How did all of this come about?
A Historical Perspective on ProfessionsThe concept of profession has developed over time. In previous centuries, the only occupations awarded the status of a profession were theology, "he content of this chapter has been borrowed significantly from Sinclair, C. (1993). Codes of ethics and standards of practice. In K. Dobson & D. Dobson (Eds.), Professional psychology in Canada (pp. 167-199). Seattle, WA: Hogrefe & Huber Publishers. Copyright 1993 by Hogrefe & Huber Publishers. Adapted with permission of the publisher.This chapter contains a review of the broad historical context of ethical codes and licensure for professions in general, as well as an outline of the development of ethical codes and licensure for psychology. For a detailed discussion of current codes for psychologists, see chapter 4.
The present article presents the future of clinical psychology board certification. With the increasing specialization in the field of professional psychology and the generic nature of state licensure, clinical psychology as a specialty will develop into a specialty area in a similar fashion as have specialties in medicine. A brief history of board certification in professional psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology is reviewed and the process of becoming board certified in either clinical psychology or clinical child and adolescent psychology is discussed.
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