A local shelter that receives funding from the National Institute of Health and

Question

A local shelter that receives funding from the National Institute of Health and Mental Health is upgrading its website. Along with several upgrades to the website, the web developer/consultant makes a suggestion that the shelter add a testimonial page where local citizens can describe their positive interactions with the shelter and its services. Since the web developer/consultant want to get that page up and running first, the developer suggests using some positive ratings and responses from Angie’s List® and other similar ratings sites that already have positive stories and experiences with the shelter. The director of the shelter loves the idea of a testimonial page. She thinks it would really add to the community feel of the shelter. However, knowing her funding source, she researches the APA Ethics Code and believes the shelter would be acting inappropriately. To discuss the matter in further detail, the director of the shelter calls you for an ethics consult. In 500-750 words, explain the advice you would give: Describe the ethical issues involved in this situation. Discuss any other concerns about the web developer/consultant’s strategies. Explain some recommendations that you would make to the shelter.

This is all they provided to the question!

Explanation / Answer

Introduction- The APA’s ethical principles of psychologist code of conduct consist five general principles to organize and establish Mental Health shelter.

The APA ethical regulations describe the organization, intent, procedural consideration and scopes which shows the effectiveness and use of mental health shelter.

1- A shelter must fulfil the need of society and dedicate to increase mental health.

2- During the consultation and treatment, some ethical issues raised, director of shelter has a strong responsibility to prepare ethics and follow them.

3- APA provide some code of conduct regarding establishment a shelter and these rules care for health issues as well as government policies, so the shelter must follow the ethics of APA.

Social engagement- A shelter is a part of society, so that the director of shelter has some specific responsibilities, the awareness towards mental health is very important to engage people with the shelter. Social engagement can be utilize to increase the effectiveness and use of shelter home on the other hand it will help the government to provide a good health service through community participation, participation of community influence awareness toward mental health program, community engagement may enhance the follow up program.

Website of shelter shows the dedication, intervention and various heath program which follow the APA ethics and formal way to provide counselling. The website can publish various symptoms, researches and experiences which help to understand the mental health, co-relation between physical and mental health etc.

Testimonial- The testimonial is a showcase of works and qualities, the website must publish testimonial page in which developers can add experiences of patients, engagement of community and formal ethics applying in the shelter. Testimonial should not go beyond the ethics of APA and not release any kind of personal data regarding patients, it can add program of community engagement and awareness programs.

            Ratings of the shelter is a kind of marketing so that it must not be commercial, website can add some news regarding ratings but it should avoid direct engagement with rating agencies. Angie’s list and other ratings do not show the work culture, they analyse data so that shelter can use these ratings to enhance the effectiveness but not to get fund of financial supports. The website should publish follow up programs, researches, links of appropriate knowledge, it can also publish excerpts of interviews, cases but not case studies.

Suggestions-

1- Website should follow the five ethical principles of APA, the APA issues ethical cultures and code of conducts time to time.

2- Present programs, disorders information, general mental health information, community programs, school programs and government policies should be published in on the webpage rather than personal information such as case studies, disorder information etc.

3- The testimonial should described about works, health issues, current health conditions and general statistics.

4- Information on the website must be appropriate and follow the social and cultural ethics as well.

Conclusion- The director of shelter must aware that shelter is not a source of earnings so the dedication and works effects not a testimonial or other things, APA take special attention mental health programs, public policies and social issues with the interest of psychological understandings.

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