APA Principles and Standards for Psychologists and Counsellors

As a psychology major, there are different career options that one can take. Nevertheless, one needs to take internship positions to learn the trade better along the way. One internship site that one can consider is taking the position of an assistant to a substance abuse counselor. When undertaking this role, one must understand the code of conduct that guides psychologists in their day-to-day operations. The code of ethics spells out the standards and principles to be followed in the professional relationship. The American Psychological Association (APA) sets the standards to be followed by all practitioners. Therefore, having a grip on understanding the APA principles and standards is a step in the right direction of professional practice.

APA set of principles and standards dictates some of those to observe as integrity, privacy and confidentiality, and fidelity and responsibility. Each of the standards is important in advancing a culture of professional psychology practice. In ensuring integrity, I must always be honest with my boss and any work assigned. When handling an assigned client, deception and misrepresentation of facts and truth should never occur. Observing integrity and honesty improves the practitioner's profile in a great way. Therefore, I will strive for transparency in all my dealings and workings throughout the internship period.

The other standard is privacy and confidentiality. In my course of duty, I will be coming into contact with a lot of client data and information. I will be handling some who will reveal information about themselves to me. It is standard practice to keep that information secret and private. Keeping information private and confidential is not an easy task. It requires discipline and understanding of where loopholes could occur and lead to informational leaks. As a psychiatrist in practice, ethical standards demand that one must seal those loopholes of informational leaks. The client trusts that their information is safe and secure under the care of a psychologist. Maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of information augurs well with the concept and principle of integrity. Without integrity, one may blatantly allow classified client information to leak, hence breaching the standard of privacy and confidentiality.

Fidelity and responsibility are principles and standards of internal operations. As I practice my trade under a substance abuse counselor, I must take responsibility for my actions. Further, I must show fidelity to my boss. A person's readiness to learn means they have to be transparent, responsible, and faithful to the mentor. In order to receive fair and honest assessments from the substance abuse counselor, I will remain obedient and true to the principles held by my coach. Being a responsible intern is the first step in scaling up the ladder of professionalism. There are important lessons to pick from the mentor or coach, and they flow best when there is fidelity.

In summary, an internship is a perfect opportunity to start a blossoming career. It gives one an opportunity to understand the actual experience of working with real-life situations. Psychology in practice may be very different from what is in theory. Things are usually easier said than done. Maintaining the demands of the standards and principles set out by APA may not be easy. Many interruptions may come along the way in practice. Further, different clients with different cases may require various ethical considerations that may need differing approaches. Therefore, one must be dynamic enough in practice to remain within the ethical code of conduct requirements. Nonetheless, it must be observed and honored at all times.

[Reference: American Psychology Association (APA) ]