Ethics in Daily Practice: Understanding the Code of Ethics

 

Psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners have obligations to their profession, agencies, funding sources, larger community, and individual service users. This webinar will help learners become more familiar with the USPRA Code of Ethics. General ethical principles and general principles of psychiatric rehabilitation will be presented, along with how these principles can be used to resolve ethical issues arising in the course of psychiatric rehabilitation service delivery. Common ethical issues will be discussed, and a framework for ethical decision-making will be presented. 

 

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, learners will be able to:

• Summarize the ethical principles that underlie the Code of Ethics for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners
• Identify constituency obligations for psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners
• Describe the steps of ethical decision-making
• Specify key ethical issues in Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Presenters

Patricia B. Nemec, PsyD, CRC, CPRP

Pat Nemec is an independent trainer and consultant in psychiatric rehabilitation, and holds Adjunct Associate Professor appointments at both Boston University and the University of Maryland (College Park). 

 

From 1984-2008, she was on the faculty of the Rehabilitation Counseling program at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University, where she was responsible for the psychiatric rehabilitation specialization. While at Boston University, Nemec worked on the team developing the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Training Technology at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. From 1972 to 1984, Nemec worked in various capacities providing direct services for people with psychiatric disabilities in both inpatient and community programs, coordinating volunteer training programs, and assisting in the design and implementation of research and evaluation projects. She is currently active in the US Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, and serves as the Vice President of the Commission for Certification of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners. She has written a number of articles, book chapters, and training materials on psychiatric rehabilitation.

 

Nemec received her BA from Syracuse University, and her Psy.D. from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2007 John Beard Award from the US Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association.

 

Steve LaMaster, CPRP

 

Over the course of his 20 year career serving people with psychiatric disabilities, Steve LaMaster has been encouraged and influenced by trends toward greater levels of personal involvement by people receiving services and their significant others. Currently, Steve serves as Vinfen’s Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services in Cambridge, MA, a role which involves consultation to multidisciplinary teams for a Division serving 2200 persons in housing, employment, education, and community participation modalities. In this capacity, Steve coordinates implementation of division-wide rehabilitation initiatives, supports the recovery of persons served through the efforts of capable Employment and Rehabilitation practitioners, and oversees adherence efforts related to Medicaid’s Rehabilitation Option Services provision. Mr. LaMaster holds a Masters of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Boston University. He and his family are active participants in their community of Cambridge, and enjoy many forms of outdoor activity that New England has to offer.

 

 

Timeline	Topic
5 minutes	Introductions and overview
10 minutes	Present Code of Ethics (outlining obligations to various stakeholders, as well as the salient principles)
15 minutes	Describe process of ethical decision-making
15 minutes	Present general ethical principles* and crosswalk with Code of Ethics
15 minutes	Present general psychiatric rehabilitation principles* and crosswalk with Code of Ethics
10 minutes	Application example:  Using the Code of Ethics to address an ethical issue
15 minutes	Q&A
5 minutes	Conclusion and summary