Carolina Lenis. Ethics Before and Now. Responsible Conduct of Behavior Analysts Guideline 1 Case Studies overview Summary References

Carolina Lenis

Ethics Before and Now.

Responsible Conduct of Behavior Analysts Guideline 1

Case Studies overview

Summary

References

Original behavior Analysts = Experimental psychologist who recognized how animal lab procedures could be applied to help human condition.

Questions about ethics of treatment were not raised.

Well trained, responsible, experimental psychologists used their own conscience, common sense and respect to create new treatments.

Today as a field there are very high expectations for behavior analysts.

BACB guidelines need to be followed by every Behavior Analysts.

Questions about ethics of treatment are raised.

Now

Behavior Analysts should maintain high standards of professional behavior in the organization.

What does professional behavior mean?HonestyIntegrityReliabilityConfidentialityTrustworthiness

(Bailey and Burch, 2011)

Guideline 1.0

GUIDELINES


Behavior analysts rely on scientifically and professionally derived knowledge when making scientific or professional judgments in human

service provision, or when engaging in scholarly or professional endeavors.


Guideline 1.01

Makes us unique (Reliance on scientific evidence as a basis for our

practice).

Behavior analyst depends on objective data sufficient to allow some conclusions.

Base methods of evaluation on systematic observations

and functional assessments.

Publications: is essential to maintain higher standards of integrity for description of methods and results obtain.


Guideline 1.01

Behavior analysts provide services, teach, and conduct research only within the boundaries of

their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, or appropriate

professional experience.

Practice only in those areas where you have had formal training.

Refer to a knowledgeable colleague or get the appropriate training.


Guideline 1.02

Behavior analysts provide services, teach, or conduct research in new areas or involving new

techniques only after first undertaking appropriate study, training, supervision, and/or consultation from persons who are competent in

those areas or techniques.

It is necessary to seek further training in a new area before practicing outside areas you are trained.

Recognize what you are capable to do in order to provide a successful intervention.


Guideline 1.02

Boundaries of competence. Providing services in emergencies. Maintaining competence. Bases for scientific and professional judgments. Delegation of work to others. Personal problems and conflicts.

APA.org

Behavior analysts who engage in assessment, therapy, teaching, research, organizational consulting, or other professional

activities maintain a reasonable level of awareness of current scientific and professional information in their fields of activity, and undertake ongoing efforts to maintain competence in the

skills they use.

Reading appropriate literature.(Subscribe to journals in your specialty).

Attend conferences and conventions that are specific in your area of practice, research, and therapy.

Participate in workshops, and/or obtain Behavior Analyst Certification Board certification.


Guideline 1.03

Behavior analysts are truthful and honest. The behavior analyst follows through on obligations and professional commitments with high quality work and refrains from

making professional commitments that he/she cannot keep.

It seems simple but sometimes it is difficult to be completely honest with your clients.

Tell the truth: let the parents now about realistic goals in their child intervention.

Set personal standards for yourself and carry out every promise you make.


Guideline 1.04

The BA’s behavior conforms to the legal and moral codes of the social and professional community of which the behavior analyst is a

member. Be aware of legal issues concerning the delivery of services in

your state.

Be aware of moral and social values in your community.

The most common example would be a state law pertaining to confidentiality. In some cases behavior analyst may feel conflicted if the client’s safety is at risk and someone needs to be told.

The activity of a behavior analyst falls under these Guidelines only if the activity is part of his or her work-related functions or the

activity is behavior analytic in nature. Guidelines cover your activities when you are at work and

engaged in other activities that involve principles of behavior. (Bailey and Burch, 2011)

Guideline 1.04

Standard 4: Privacy and Confidentiality

4.01 Maintaining Confidentiality

Psychologists have a primary obligation and take reasonable precautions to protect confidential information, recognizing that the extent and limits of confidentiality may be regulated by law or established by institutional rules or professional or scientific relationship.

(Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2010)APA.org

Guideline 1.04

Behavior analysts provide services only in the context of a defined, remunerated professional and scientific

relationship role.

You should not volunteer to treat someone

without some authority to do so.

If you do pro bono work for a family or agency your responsibility and role should be clear.


Guideline 1.05

Provide appropriate information prior to service delivery about the nature of such services and appropriate information later about results and

conclusions.

Be diligent in making sure that people you are working with understand what you are doing prior to intervention and in follow-up.


Guideline 1.05

Differences of age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or

socioeconomic status significantly affect behavior analysts’ work concerning particular individuals or groups.

Behavior analysts should obtain the training or supervision necessary to ensure the competence of their services.

Make appropriate referrals to another behavior analyst.

Is unethical to discriminate others.

Do not treat people unfairly or provide unsatisfactory treatment because there are different from you .

Guideline 1.05

(Bailey and Burch,

2011)

Behavior analysts recognize that their personal problems and conflicts may interfere with their effectiveness.

Behavior analysts refrain from providing services when their personal circumstances may compromise delivering services to the best of their abilities.

As Behavior Analyst you have an obligation of monitor your own behavior and recognize when personal conflicts and stress can interfere with effectiveness of your performance.

Need to recognize when the case needs to be refer until you recover.


Guideline 1.05

A behavior analyst refrains from entering into or promising a personal, scientific, professional,

financial, or other relationship with any such person if it appears likely that such a relationship reasonably

might impair the behavior analyst’s objectivity or otherwise interfere with the behavior analyst’s ability

to effectively perform his or her functions as a behavior analyst, or might harm or exploit the other

party.

Guideline 1.06


Avoid social contact with clients.(may interfere with objectivity and judgment).

Avoid any more than casual contact with students or research participants.

(may impair judgment or become unfair).

Avoid dual relationships with others.(affects your ability to be effective as a BA).

Guideline 1.06


3.05 Multiple Relationships3.06 Conflict of Interest

A psychologist avoid entering into a multiple relationship if it can impair the psychologist's objectivity, competence, or effectiveness in performing his or her functions as a psychologist.

Otherwise risks exploitation or harm to the person with whom the professional relationship exists.

APA.org

Behavior analysts do not engage in sexual relationships with clients, students, or supervisees in training over whom the behavior analyst has evaluative or direct authority, because such relationships easily impair

judgment or become exploitative.

Behavior analysts are cautioned against bartering with clients because it is often (1) clinically contraindicated, and (prone to formation of an exploitative relationship.

BA’s do not use or take advantage of anyone. BA’s are cautioned against bartending with clients:

Clinically contraindicated. Prone to formation of an exploitative

relationship.


Guideline 1.07

3.08 Exploitative Relationships

Psychologists do not exploit persons over whom they have supervisory, evaluative, or other authority such as clients/patients, students, supervisees, research participants, and employees.

Decisions make from day to day may be tied to science.

BA’s should remain proficient in professional practice.

Recognize the legal codes of the community where you practice and maintain high moral principles.

Our goal as a profession is to gradually emerge with a terrific reputation for truth, honesty, and reliability.


Case Studies

Dr. Eve is a BCBA with 20 years of experience working with children with autism. She is knowledgeable in the area of language and social skills, area were she has been doing further research. She was asked to work as a consultant in a case where an individual with autism is constantly evidencing self injury behaviors.

Which guideline is related with this situation?

How should Dr. Eve handle this request?

(Guideline 1.02)

Dr. Wess, a BCBA with many years of experience and well known in the community has been criticized in the last several meeting for been much behind on current behavioral treatments. Other committee members have begun to make occasional embarrassing comments about this person behind his back at the end of the meetings.

What are some suggestions you may give to Dr. Wess?

Which BA’s guideline can be related with this situation?

(Guideline 1.03)

Matthew is a BCaBA who had just recently graduated from college and was taking his first job as behavior analyst. He wanted to impress his clients with his knowledge by using terms such as mand, tact, and control procedures in his meetings with parents. His supervisor received complaints from the parents saying: “we have no idea what he is talking about, but it sounds scary to us”.

What should the supervisor do?

Which guideline can be related with this case?

(Guideline 1.05)

Ahmed an undergraduate student who got his first job as a behavior analyst, discovered that one of his students client in an elementary school was a Sunni Muslim. Ahmed mentioned this to his parents who were very angry and insisted that he refuse to associate in any way with this student of a rival religious sect.

Which guideline can be related with this situation?

How should Ahmed handle this?

(Guideline 1.05)

Sally a BCBA came home after work to discover that her husband had left her. Sally’s work became erratic and appeared to be unusually prickly about feedback on her functional assessments; she also walked out in the middle of a parent meeting saying she couldn’t do that anymore. Sally’s colleagues were worried about her, and they were very concerned about her recent performance.


Should the behavioral colleagues get involved in Sally’s personal business?

(Guideline 1.05)

A BCBA who lives in a small town was asked by her sister to develop an association of Behavior Analysis program for her son. There are no other behavior analysts available, and the BCBA has family issues with her sister. By taking the case, these issues can get worse.


What is the BCBA most appropriate course of action?

(Guideline 1.06)

Bill is a 30 years old single BCBA who worked with clients and conducted research in a large state institution. One semester, Bill found himself attracted to Kristi, one college student he was supervising. Because the feelings seemed to be mutual and they were both adults, was there any problem with Bill asking Kristi for a date?


(Guideline 1.07)

Gain respect by others by our Responsible Conduct.

Translate treatment plans to clients and consumers.

Learn to deal with people of different race , or ethnicity.

Avoid behaviors that can produce abusive working environment.

Make sure that personal issues do not interfere with the ability to deliver quality services.

Bailey, J & Burch, M. (2011) Ethics for BehaviorAnalysts. 2nd Expanded Edition. Routeledge, New York.

Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. 2010 Amendments. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Guidelines for responsible Conduct. http://www.bacb.com/index.php?page=57#1

Documents

Carolina Lenis. Ethics Before and Now. Responsible Conduct of Behavior Analysts Guideline 1 Case Studies overview Summary References