Exam Preview for 1540: Ethical Considerations in Forensic Practice

Ethical Considerations in Forensic Practice

Please note: exam questions are subject to change.

1. Primary goal of forensic psychologist is: the same as a clinical psychologist. improving the life of the client. assisting legal professionals understand a legal issue. answering the client’s referral question.
2. Who is the client in a forensic relationship? The court or retaining party. The client. The family of the patient. There is no client.
3. Why were the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists created? To create more rules for psychologists to follow. The Guidelines were created after it was court ordered. To support the forensic clients. Since the practice of forensic psychology differs from traditional psychology in important ways, the Guidelines were created to support psychologist.
4. Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct are mandatory and may be enforceable, while Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists are: also mandatory. aspirational. enforceable by law. definitive.
5. You are working as a forensic psychologist in private practice. A defense attorney calls you and requests that you complete a sexual violence risk assessment on one of their clients. You have not been trained to complete risk assessment, nor have you worked with individuals with sexual offenses. What is the best way to proceed? Accept the referral and proceed. Consult with a psychologist with training in violence risk assessments. Inform the attorney that you do not have the necessary training and refer them to forensic psychologists that have the training. Consult with a psychologist with experience working with individuals with sexual offenses.
6. You were assigned a new criminal responsibility evaluation with a client whom you previously provided psychotherapy to. You live in an area where several qualified psychologists can also provide this service. What is the best course of action? Proceed with the evaluation. Inform the retaining party and proceed with the evaluation. Disclose the potential risk and make reasonable efforts to request another qualified provider. Inform the client and proceed with the evaluation.
7. A competency evaluation was court-ordered, yet the client who does not have a legal guardian, demonstrates difficulty understanding informed consent. What is the best way to proceed? They did not give you consent, so you cannot evaluate them. Attempt to seek assent and take reasonable steps to protect their rights and welfare. Evaluate them the same way you would evaluate anyone else. Refer the case to another forensic psychologist.
8. You have been served a subpoena to turn over your notes from a competency evaluation; however, you are concerned that the information in your notes may harm the individual you evaluated. What is your best course of action? Consult with your attorney and inform the Judge of your concerns. If the Judge orders you to turn over your notes, then you turn them over to the Court. You refuse to turn in your documents. You are required to follow the subpoena request and turn in your documents. You do not respond to the subpoena.
9. You complete a violence risk assessment and have conducted a clinical interview with the client already. They gave you consent to contact family members for collateral information, yet the information they provided differs greatly from what the client told you. What is the best way to proceed? Document only what the client informed you. Document only what the family members informed you. Document only the information that is consistent. Document both interviews and note the inconsistencies.
10. If you have a question about the Specialty Guidelines, what can you do? Consult, consult, consult. Continue as if you do not have a question. Call a friend. Both b and c.