Calling for comments--
review APA Ethics Code online
Now, for the first time, a draft version of the updated APA Ethics Code is available online so that both APA members and nonmembers can review the Code and offer their comments electronically.
You can read the draft version at www.apa.org/ethics and immediately submit your feedback on the entire Code or on specific sections of the Code as you review the document online. All reviews submitted before April 30 will be considered at the meeting of the Ethics Code Task Force in June.
Last updated in 1992, APA's "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct" has set the guidelines for the field of psychology for 50 years. Through periodic revisions, the Ethics Code continues to evolve along with the discipline itself. Making this draft available online is part of APA's ongoing effort to reflect its members' values, the profession's aspirations and ideals and society's constantly shifting needs.
The current draft incorporates many of the standards and innovations introduced in 1992, but it also addresses emerging concerns in psychology, including relationships with managed-care companies, telehealth issues and the use of electronic media.
Other significant additions or revisions appear in the standards on informed consent; mandatory therapy in graduate programs; sexual intimacies with students supervisees or relatives of patients/clients; the release of test data; providing services in emergencies and to underserved populations; terminating the professional relationship; publication credit; and the use of interpreters.
The latest in new psychology
If you want to keep up with the latest news about mental health, check out www.PsycPORT.com. Updated daily, PsycPORT draws on more than 50 news sources, such as the New York Times Syndicate, Associated Press Online and U.S. Newswire to let you know what's happening in the field of psychology. And if you missed a recent story, PsycPORT makes articles available for 30 days.
PsycPORT also conveniently delivers the news from APA--the most current press releases, journal articles and books--along with a link to Psychcrawler's powerful search engine. And there are plans to expand the site further in the next few months to include more in-depth features and timely articles.
While it may not replace your morning newspaper, this comprehensive psychology newswire site has become assigned reading for undergraduate psychology courses as well as the first place professionals look to stay up-to-date on newly published research and findings. PsycPORT.com is a product of APA.
--B. BEISEL
