Text Box: Resource Committee Lee Cooper ldcooper@vt.edu Text Box: This column was first presented as “Incorporating Ethics Training into Your Clinic and Training Program” at the ADPTC Pre-APA Convention Workshop on 8/3/2000 in Washington, DC . Ethics may be defined as a system of principles of conduct that guide the behavior of an individual (Jacob-Timm & Hartshorne, 1998). Ethics codes are principles specifying the rights and responsibilities of professionals. As a reflection of the consensus of the profession, ethics codes are prescriptive and normative values (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 1998). Many authors recommend the need for practitioners and academicians alike to become more aware of ethical implications of various actions and to practice ethical decision making (Jacob-Timm & Hartshorne, 1998; Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 1998; Pope & Velasquez, 1998). As trainers of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists, we have an ethical obligation to assist trainees in developing their own sense of professional and personal ethics. Specific suggestions for incorporating ethics training into your clinic and training program include: "Know the Code" : American Psychologist, December 1992 Provide and regularly discuss sources that elaborate on the Code and mental health law (e.g., texts, journals, professional newsletters, State Board publications and web sites). Regularly compare and contrast the Code with State licensing and mental health law. Model how to develop one's own personal "policy and procedures" manual, in which the Code, State law, and personal values are integrated. Regularly model thinking about ethical decision making, rehearsing ethical problem solving, and applying ethical behavior. Model appropriate consultation/shared supervision with colleague trainers who have a needed area of expertise for a given case or circumstance. Provide well-developed forms and procedures in your Clinic manual and discuss the rationale and ethical implications for each. Establish a structure system for continuous improvement in case documentation and Clinic procedures. Include an "ethics" section in your Clinic manual or articulate ethical issues in various procedural sections. Plan annual or semi-annual series of ethics and professional issues in Clinic meetings of students and faculty. Attend and/or pay for students to attend ethics and professional issues continuing education workshops and then return to present the information to students and faculty. Ask faculty or students to summarize and present for discussion relevant articles, for example for Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Advocate with fellow faculty that ethics be infused into each core training course in addition to a specific course on ethical and professional issues. Allow students to observe faculty discussing and debating ethical issues. Text Box: Encourage and model discussion of ethical issues and ethical problem solving in case supervision. Organize regular case presentations for faculty and students in which—-among other aspects of the case—-ethical and professional issues are discussed. Offer models and heuristics for ethical thinking and behavior. Assist students in understanding basic assumptions of ethical decision making (Pope & Velasquez, 1998). Understand awareness is a continuous, active process. Combine creative thinking and knowledge of the Code and State law. Know and critique the literature. Be aware of personal emotional and intellectual competencies. Be willing to wrestle with ethical dilemmas. Text Box: The ADPTC Resource Committee has focused much of its attention on the development of a ADPTC Website that has two major purposes: (a) to provide general information about the mission and activities of ADPTC and (b) to allow ADPTC members to view and download our library of materials typically utilized in a training clinic. The development of the website began following approval by the Executive Committee at the Annual Business Meeting during the APA Convention this past August. Over the past months, we hired a website developer and Webmaster, Jason Fortney, a technical support specialist for the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech. Since then, Jason has finished the “front end” of the website (i.e., the part of the website that includes information about the purpose, mission, committees, activities, etc. of ADPTC and will be available to view by anyone on the World Wide Web). Those who attended the ADPTC pre-APA workshop viewed the basic design and purposed format. Jason is currently finishing up the address list that will allow only members of ADPTC to have access to view and download the resource materials. He is also working on a “sign up” page that allows interested individuals or clinics to become a member of ADPTC. Upon completion of these pages, Jason will post a demonstration version for the Executive Committee to review and provide feedback. At the time of my submission of this update for the Newsletter, our proposed time of completion for the website is January 2001. To help us with fully using the all the features of the website, please send any of the following to Jason Fortney at jfortney@vt.edu. Information about upcoming events. Policy, procedure and/or guidelines manuals. Specialty clinic manuals. Supervisee and supervisor evaluation forms. Quality assurance plans. Clinic Director job descriptions. Clinical Supervisor job descriptions and/or guidelines. Any other ideas, suggestions, items that you may want to see on the Website. Text Box: Training Ethics Rob Heffer rwh@psyc.tamu.edu