I will be using the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics decision-making model to solve an ethical dilemma, which involves an 11-year old Aboriginal youth who is withdrawn in school, spends a lot of time alone, and has been accompanied by his grandmother. I will be examining each of the first six steps involved in the CPA ethical decision-making as it applies to the presented vignette. For the purpose of this assignment, I am a psychologist working at a counselling agency in a small urban town. Identification of the Individuals and Groups Potentially Affected by the Decision The CPA Code of Ethics (2000) indicates that psychologists have a greater responsibility to those “…directly receiving or involved in the psychologist’s activities” than those who are indirectly involved (p. 9). In this scenario, the persons directly involved and likely to be primarily affected by the decision include the 11-year old Aboriginal youth, the grandmother, and myself as the psychologist. Those who may be indirectly affected by the decision include the family, friends, and community of the youth and the grandmother, the youth’s school system including teachers and friends, future clients of the counselling agency, public trust in the profession of Psychology as well as in the counselling agency, other professionals working at the counselling agency, and my reputation as the psychologist. …show more content…
In order to determine whether any ethical principles conflict and to make an ethical decision, I will first identify the professional standards and principles that are relevant and apply them to this scenario, as outlined by the table