Apa Ethical Guideline

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The policy or action a counselor should follow in this case is based on the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical guideline APA Human Relations principle 3.04 Avoid Harm. This guideline requires the counselor or therapist to avoid harm whenever possible in their interactions with patients, research subjects, and any other individuals involved in their professional relationships. Another applicable APA ethical standard is APA Privacy and Confidentiality 4.05. This guideline states that a patient must provide consent for disclosure of information to a third party. APA Privacy and Confidentiality 4.05 b Disclosures states the guidelines for breaking confidentiality. This guideline states clearly in a sub-section that a therapist may disclose personal information in the case that the therapist believes that harm may come to the patient or to another individual. Though no guideline in APA specifically refers to disclosure of medical information, the above stated APA guidelines inform the decision of the therapist in Ralph’s case. The therapist has a duty to disclose information to the third party that could be affected by Ralph’s HIV diagnosis. In this case, his girlfriend.…show more content…
refers to guidelines of when to disclose a medical diagnosis to protect a third party. The guideline states that a diagnosis must be confirmed before it is disclosed. It also suggests that the client ought to be warned that limits of confidentiality will allow the therapist to disclose without consent. Texas psychologist’s and counselors’ licensing act guidelines listed in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) require that therapists and counselors follow federal and state laws governing confidentiality, and exceptions allowing disclosures without

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