All our professional psychologists undertake to adhere to the following code:
You must:
Keep your professional knowledge, competence and performance up to date
Act within the limits of your knowledge, competence and experience and, if necessary, refer on to another healthcare professional
Maintain appropriate and effective communication with patients, clients other members and professionals
Obtain informed consent to give treatment
Keep accurate patient, client and user record
Limit your work or stop practicing if you or another has reason to believe that your performance or judgment is not satisfactory to them.
Carry out your duties in a professional and ethical way
You must follow govt. of India guidance in relation to advertising your services
You must not be involved in any behaviour or activity which is likely to damage your profession’s reputation or undermine public confidence in your profession
The main responsibilities of members:
You are personal responsible for making sure that promote and protect the best interests of the people you facilitate for. You must respect and take account of these factors when providing care and service, and must not exploit or abuse the relationship with patient, client, user or carer.
Behave with integrity and honesty and you must not allow your views about patients, clients or users sex, age, colour, race, disability, sexuality, social or economic status, lifestyle, cultural or religious beliefs to affect the way you treat them or the professional advice that you give.
You have to protect the interests of patients, clients, users, carers and other members of the public. You must try to provide the best possible care, either alone or with other members, and other health care professionals. You must not do anything, or allow anything to be done. That you have reason to believe will put the health or safety of a patient, client or user in danger. This includes both your own action and those of others.
You must respect the confidentiality of your patients, clients and users
You must treat information about patients, clients and users as confidential and use it only for the purpose for which it was given. You must not knowingly release any personal or confidential information to anyone who is not entitled to it., and you should check that people who ask for information are entitled to it. You must only use information about a patient, client or user:
To continue to care for that person or
For purpose where that person has given you specific permission to use the information or
For legal reason or
If you have good cause to believe that your client, you, or others may be harmed if you do not disclose information.
You must also keep the conditions of any relevant data protection legislation and follow best practice. You must be particularly careful not to reveal, deliberately or accidentally. Confidentiality can be particular challenge when treating minors. In most circumstances it would be most appropriate to have an adult present at the consultation but the issue of confidentiality would need to be carefully considered and decisions made on individual circumstance.
You must keep high standards of personal conduct, as well as professional conduct. You must not do anything that may affect someone’s treatment by or confidence in you. Your membership may be at risk if you are convicted of a criminal offence that involves, for example, one of the following types of behaviour.
Violence
Abuse
Sexual misconduct
Supplying drugs/psychiatric medicine
Drink driving offences where someone was hurt or killed
Serious offences involving dishonesty
Any serious criminal offences for which you received a prison sentence.
You must be capable of meeting the Standards of Proficiency that relate to your profession specific practice. As a member you are required to meet these standards, whether you are in practice or not. The Standards of Proficiency describes minimum standards of clinical practice. You must stay up to date with any changes to the standards of proficiency that the APP may make, as knowledge and techniques develop.
You must keep within the scope of your practice. This means you should only practice in those fields in which you have appropriate license ,education, training, qualification and experience.
You duty of care to a patient includes the obligation to refer them for further professional advice or treatment if it becomes clear that what they need is beyond your own scope of practice. If you accept a referral from another healthcare or social care professional, you must make sure that you fully understand the request. You should only provide the treatment or advice you believe in appropriate. If this is not the case, you must discuss the matter with the practitioner who has made the referral, and also with the patient, client or user, before you begin any treatment.
You must take all reasonable steps to make sure that you can communicate properly and effectively with your patents, client and users, and their cares and family. You must also communicate effectively, co-operate, and share your knowledge and expertise with professional colleagues for the benefits of patients’ clients, and users. This is of particular importance when entering multiple relationships involving the same patient, client or user.
You must explain to the patient, client or user the treatment you are intending to carry out you must make sure that you obtain informed consent to any treatment you carry out, in writing where possible. You must make a record of the person’s treatment decisions and pass this on to all members of the healthcare or social care team involved in their care. It is recognized that in emergencies, you may not be able to fully explain treatment or get informs consent at the time.
Making and keeping records is an essential part of care and you must keep records for everyone you treat who asks for professional advice or services. All records must be complete and legible, and you should sign all entries.
You have a duty to take action if you’re physical, emotional, or mental health could be affecting your fitness to practise. You should get advice from a consultant in occupational health or another suitably qualified medical practitioner and act on that advice. This advice should consider whether, and in what ways, you might need to change your practice, including stopping practising if this is necessary.
You must carry out your duties and responsibilities in a professional and ethical way. Patients, clients and users are entitled to receive good and safe standards of practice and care.
Code of conduct of Rehabilitation psychologist
Eligibility: Post graduation in psychology and post graduate diploma in rehabilitation psychology/Master of philosophy in rehabilitation psychology recognised by rehabilitation council of India
Rehabilitation Psychology is a speciality area within psychological medicine which treats may be mental or emotional, and they may include such things as depression, anxiety, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities. Other problems that rehabilitation psychologists treat might be physical, such as addiction or chronic pain, the individual with an injury or illness which may be chronic, traumatic and/or congenital, including the family, in achieving optimal physical, psychological and interpersonal functioning.
Rehabilitation psychologists treat individuals living with mental or emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, developmental disabilities or learning disabilities may also seek care from rehabilitation psychologists.
Rehabilitation psychologists support individuals as they cope with the mental and physical challenges their conditions present and will often teach them how to adapt and make lifestyle choices that promote good health.
A rehabilitation psychologist is usually responsible for determining a proper treatment plan, which may include various form of therapy. In addition, rehabilitation psychologists will often help an individual establish a support network, including family, friends such paraprofessionals to further assist with his or her treatment. Rehabilitation psychologists are concerned with all of the factors in peoples’ lives that contribute their wellness and recovery, from the support they receive from family and friends to the relationships they have with their team of treatment provides.
Rehabilitation psychologists work in a variety of settings and speciality areas. These may include acute care hospitals and health care centres, impatient and outpatient physical rehabilitation centres, assisted living and long term care facilities.
Rehabilitation psychologists who specialize may work in pain and sports injury centres or cardiac rehabilitation facilities. In addition, they serve in community agencies assisting individuals with specific disabilities or chronic illness like cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, brain injury or deafness.
Rehabilitation psychologists also work in academic settings as professors and researchers. Others provide expert legal testimony or conduct assessments and evaluations for insurance agencies.
Rehabilitation psychologists also specialize in the link between language, culture, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity and mental health. They also work with peoples struggling with sensory, addiction, and psychological health problems.
Rehabilitation psychology focuses on assisting individuals with cognitive issues, developmental disabilities, psychological problems, and other chronic physical and mental health conditions to cope with their disability in order to lead as normal a life as possible.
Rehabilitation psychology is wide in scope, both in terms of the services provided and the clients who are served. Rehabilitation psychology includes clinical practice, consultation, policy creation, andadvocacy, to name a few. Clients can run the gamut from individuals with AIDS or other life-threatening illness to those with spinal cord injuries to those addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Rehabilitation psychologists may work with general populations, treating people with a wide variety of problems that relate to their overall physical or mental health.
A primary duty of rehabilitation psychologists is to assess clients to determine the cause and nature of the difficulties they are facing and recommended avenues for promoting optimal functioning.
Rehabilitation psychologists do this in a number of ways. They might observe clients as they carry out daily tasks, conduct interviews with the client and his or he friends and family, and administer examination to test for disorders that impact their mental, emotional, cognitive, or social functioning.
Once a rehabilitation psychologist has assessed and diagnosed the client, they move on to designing a course of treatment. Treatment can be provided in several distinct ways.
Counselling-individual or group therapy may be undertaken in order to help the client build social or emotional skills, facilitates personal growth, or address unresolved mental health issues such as depression or anxiety.
Substance abuse treatment-impatient or outpatient services may be recommended in order to help the client build social or emotional skills, facilitate personal growth, or address unresolved mental health issues such as depression or anxiety.
Substance abuse treatment-inpatient services may be recommended in order to help a client overcome their addiction and begin to repair damaged relationships.
Co-ordination of services-working with physical and occupational therapists, speech –language pathologists, vocational counsellors, and other services a client needs in order to make positive steps forward in their life.
Rehabilitation psychologists often work in acute care hospitals, helping individuals with serious injuries and illness. Someone in this field at such a hospital would help a terminal cancer patient cope, be there for someone struggling with glaucoma causing them to go blind, or help their families cope along with them.
Other career options include working for drug rehabilitation centres or physical offices. At drug rehab centres, a rehabilitation psychologist would help patients cope with withdrawal symptoms, the difficulty of overcoming addiction, and teach them how to live ‘normal’ livesagain, without substances. At a physical therapy centre, a rehabilitation psychologists might help counsel the all-star track athlete who broke his leg and cannot compete at the national championship.
A rehabilitation psychologist might help a paraplegic learn how to function in day to day life, while providing emotional support throughout the journey.
Rehabilitation psychology is an applied clinical speciality in professional psychology concerned with the treatment and science of disabling and chronic health condition. Rehabilitation psychologists deal with stroke and accident victims, people with mental retardation, and those with developmental disabilities caused by such conditions as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism. They help disabled individuals adapt to their situation, frequently they work with other health care professionals. They deal with such issues as pain management, personal adjustment, interpersonal relations at home and the work place. They have become more involved in public health programs to prevent disabilities. They also are testifying the courts as expert witness on the causes and effects of the disabilities and rehabilitation required to improve the quality of life.
Rehabilitation psychology is based on the bio psychological model, which includes attention to medical, psychological and social aspects of illness and recovery. Rehabilitation psychologist’sevaluate and treat common emotional, cognitive, and behavioural problems. They can promote a patient –centres and individualized approach to care. Rehabilitation psychologists utilize the help from cognitive, behavioural,family bases, peer support and positive psychology models. Cognitiveremediation techniques can be used to improve the function of people with brain dysfunction; rehabilitation psychologists play an integral role in improving functional, psychosocial and health outcomes in chronic illness, disability and mental illness. In partnership with physicians and other rehabilitation professionals.
Rehabilitation psychologists applying psychological principles to the assessment, prevention, amelioration, and rehabilitation of psychological distress, disability, dysfunctional behaviour and health risk behaviour, and to the enhancement of psychological and physical well-being.
Rehabilitation psychologists can offer various therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, behavioural modification therapy, cognitive rehabilitation bio social model, clinical hypnotherapy.Guidance and counselling, psychological interventions, behaviour interventions.Biofeedback therapy and non-invasive neuro feedback therapies
Rehabilitation psychologists are not able to prescribe medications or perform medical procedures or surgeries on patients/ clients, they are, however, able to administer psychological assessments, assess/ diagnosis patients, develop treatment plans, and use psychological methods, approaches and techniques to treat patients/ clients.
Code of conduct of clinical psychologist
Eligibility: post graduation in psychology and professional certificate in clinical psychology/master of philosophy in clinical psychology/doctorate in clinical psychology recognised by rehabilitation council of India
Clinical psychology is a speciality are of psychological medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders., learning disabilities, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and disorders.
Clinical psychology focuses on the identification and treatment of various mental, emotional, social, and behavioural health issues. Clinical psychologists are not able to prescribe medication or perform medical procedures or surgeries on patients/clients; they are, however, able to administer psychological assessments, assess/diagnosis patients, develop treatment plans, and use psychological methods, approaches to treat patients/clients.
The job clinical psychologists centeraround developing an understanding intellectual, psychological, emotional, social and behavioural problems that causes individuals distress in their lives. More specifically, these issues run the gamut from emotional difficulties such as depression, to behavioural disorders such as ASHD or autism, to severe mental health issues like schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder.
Clinical psychologist that work in a clinical setting will meet with clients, generally one on one, to provide psychological services. These services may include administrating assessment tool in order to properly identifying the issue of concern, as well as evaluation procedure to determine the client’s level of functionality. This group of duties may involve interviewing a client or administering formal tests to determine the presence of a diagnosable condition. Clinical psychologists will also engage in diagnostic activities.
Clinical psychologists typically focus on engaging clients in conversations about their problems. These conversations may take various forms,depending on the issue the dealing with and the theoretical orientation of the psychologist. Psychotherapeutic services, which involves meeting on a weekly basis for an extended period of time, may be used. Clinical psychologists with a cognitive behavioural point of view may engage clients in exercises aimed at changing thoughts patterns. Other treatment duties may include administrating of hypnosis, overseeing group of family therapy or intervention techniques to overcome a specific phobia.
Clinical psychologists do the application of psychological knowledge and skills, research and intervention techniques to health and illness, particularly as relate to mental health.
The American psychological association defines clinical psychology as a clinical discipline that involves the provision of diagnostic, assessment, treatment plan, treatment, prevention, and consultative services to patients of emergency room, impatient units, and clinics of hospitals.
Code of conduct of consulting/counselling psychologist
Eligibility: post graduate degree in psychology recognised by university grant commission and two years experience working with rehabilitation/clinical psychologists.
Counselling psychologists are generalists. Counselling psychologists help people as individuals and groups, to improve their well-being, alleviate their distress, resolve their crisis, and increase their ability to solve problems and make decisions. Most of those who seek help from counselling psychologists are client who do not have major psychological disorders. Counselling psychologists then help people to adjust to change or make changes in their lifestyle. They assist individuals and group in areas related to personal well-being, interpersonal relationships, work, recreation, health, and crisis management. They may practice independently or work with rehabilitation / clinical psychologists, child psychologists, and health psychologists or as academic counsellors.
Evaluate their patients current situations and problems and then offer advice they typically do not work with people struggling with severe mental health disorders.
Counselling psychologists can offer behaviour modification strategies. Children, adolescents and adult consult with counselling psychologists. Counselling psychologists typically meet with patients struggling cope with everyday stress clinical.
Counselling/ consulting psychologists are not able to prescribe medication or perform medical procedures or surgeries on patients/clients; they are, however, able to administer psychological assessments, counselling, and consultant services.
Professional code of conduct public protection and setting high standard for research for Psychologists.
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