Guidelines for Professional Practice and Conduct for Occupational Psychologists

This abridged version of the Guidelines lists all mandatory aspects of the guidelines which are relevant to the type of work carried out by DJ Associates. Partners and clients may be assured that we abide by the spirit, as well as the letter,of the Guidelines.
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Competence

Occupational Psychologists must:

1.not claim to have qualifications which they do not genuinely hold not claim to have expertise in skills, techniques or understanding which they do not possess. Equally they have a duty to ensure that their status and role is not misrepresented by others;

2.work with their own limits of competency and undertake, or offer to undertake, only those activities which they are competent to carry out;

3.when asked to act as an "expert", ensure that he/she does not claim to have skills or experience that he/she does not possess.

Occupational Psychologists should:

4.set aside time to allow for the reading of relevant psychological literature, attend conferences and maintain professional networks with colleagues.

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Personal Conduct

In their relationships with clients, Occupational Psychologists must:

1.ensure that there is a clear interpersonal boundary to their relationships with clients and maintain this appropriately. They should make clients aware of this boundary at the point of first contact;

2.in any situation where a conflict of interest may arise, ensure that they have a defined the nature and direction of their loyalties and informed all parties accordingly;

3.terminate a consulting relationship when it is clear that the client is not benefiting from it;

4.when asking people to reveal personal information, ensure that the person is aware of the purpose and the ways in which the information may be used.

Occupational Psychologists should:

5.in cases of referral to another source of professional advice, maintain responsibility for the welfare of the client until referral has been taken up;

6.show sensible regard for the social codes and moral expectations of the community in which they work.

7.when marketing their services ensure that all advertising and promotional material is accurate and truthful.

In their relationships with colleagues (either other Occupational Psychologists or colleagues from other professions)

Occupational Psychologists should:

8.adhere to high standards of behaviour towards members of their own and other professions, within an atmosphere of
mutual respect. They should not publicly denigrate those colleagues in respect of their personal, professional or ethical
conduct.

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Informed Consent

The concept of "informed consent" relates to the client's right to choose whether to receive psychological services, and to make
this choice on the basis of the best information available.

As regards the timing of consent, Occupational Psychologists must:

1.obtain informed consent prior to undertaking any assessment or intervention;

2.re-visit consent between assessment and intervention, and at any time when a new step is taken in an intervention programme, or when the purpose and nature or focus of an intervention alters.

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Confidentiality

Occupational Psychologists must:

1.inform clients of their confidentiality standards and practice at the point of first contact (e.g. information shared in team
meetings, identified information shared in supervision, any potential limits to confidentiality). Clients should be informed of
the circumstances where information about them is likely to be shared and given the opportunity to state any objections
to this.

2.if disclosure of information is deemed necessary, obtain specific informed consent from their clients, making the consequences of disclosure as clear and unbiased as possible.

3.ensure that the principles of confidentiality apply to any information about clients which is used in teaching and training.

4.obtain client's written informed consent before audio or video-taping their interaction with them.

5.obtain informed consent before client material may be published

Occupational Psychologists should:

6.when faced with the difficult decision whether to disclose information without a client's consent, weigh carefully the
arguments for and against disclosure. The responsibility for this decision lies with the individual psychologist and cannot
be delegated or overridden by a superior or other professional. Occupational Psychologists have the duty to consult fully
with other practitioners and professional bodies, and must be able and prepared to justify their decisions.

Safeguarding Fitness to Practice

Occupational Psychologists should:

1.consider the value of professional indemnity insurance in order that they may be able to meet any liabilities that they may
incur beyond those covered by their employers.

2.ensure that the workplace is a setting which promotes mutual support, collaboration and concern for colleagues'
wellbeing

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Teaching, Training and Supervision

Most Occupational Psychologists will be be actively involved in transmitting skills and expertise to others and all Occupational
Psychologists should be actively encouraged to be involved in such a capacity. This includes providing training and supervision to both trainees in Occupational Psychology and Affiliates of the Division of Occupational Psychology, as well as to members of other professions and other non-psychologists.

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Continuing Professional Development

Occupational Psychologists should:

1.have a current personal development plan that indicates the steps they will take to keep their practice up to date. This should include a balance between Occupational Psychology skills and other aspects of professional development.

2.draw on supervision within their evolving occupational practice to ensure that the quality of their work is maintained and
new skills developed with appropriate support.

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Research and Publication

Occupational Psychologists must:

1.make a careful evaluation of the ethical acceptability of research proposals.

2.undertake a careful analysis of the potential impact of the research. If there are any negative consequences these must be
ethically justified, and should be explained to participants in advance of consent

3.ensure that participants in research are informed of all features of the research which might reasonably be expected to influence their willingness to participate, including any anticipated risks of distress. The aims and value of research should be described, but no pressure put on potential participants to consent. Participants should be advised that they will be free to withdraw consent at any time during the research. Consent must always be obtained in writing.

4.ensure that informed consent addresses both the research procedures and the publication of results. The latter will become increasingly significant if detailed information about individual participants is to be reported.

5.ensure that research data is treated with confidence and respect and cannot be shared with others without the explicit
consent of the client

6.ensure that publications always acknowledge the contributions which other people have made to the work. Authorship should be discussed with those concerns, and decisions based on judgements of practical contributions and intellectual ownership. Other people's work should not be reported without such collaboration.

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Relationships with the Public and the Media

Occupational Psychologists should:

1.avoid any risks of misrepresentation, by bearing in mind where information is recorded, it will inevitably be edited and therefore potentially subject to misrepresentation.

2.avoid potential breaches of confidentiality by not using descriptions that could lead to identification of an individual or organisation.

3.ensure that comments are based on valid research or other empirical evidence even though that evidence may not be explicitly quoted.

4.if expressing concerns publicly about practices or legislation, consult with relevant individuals and professional bodies to ensure that their comments do not breach guidelines that could lead to disciplinary action.

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