Decalogue of the psychologist: ethical and professional requirements

Psychology is a booming profession. However, to be a psychologist it is not enough to study a degree in psychology. And it is that we work with people, who are going to be affected to a greater or lesser extent by our performance.

Therefore, the exercise of the profession of psychologist is subject to a large number of ethical and professional considerations that must be taken into account.

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The decalogue of the psychologist

Below you can see a decalogue of the psychologist who of the main ethical and professional requirements to assess.

1. Be guided by the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence and justice

The task of the psychologist, regardless of his field of action, goes through seek the maximum benefit for your patients or clients. We have the obligation to act in pursuit of the well-being of others, helping them to the extent that we are capable, and this being the main driver of our professional activity.

The principle of non-maleficence works under the assumption that we must refrain from doing acts that harm others. However, sometimes to achieve the maximum possible well-being it is necessary to apply techniques and procedures that will make the client suffer emotionally. At the end of the day, in many cases, aspects that are painful for the subject are worked on, and

Facing them usually entails a certain suffering.

In these cases, a professional action must focus on ensuring that such suffering is not unnecessary or that it will entail benefits for the client greater than the level of suffering.

Finally, we must put our prejudices aside and treat everyone who enters our practice in the same way. If we are unable for any reason, it is advisable to refer you to another professional.

2. Remember: we are people who deal with people

We are dealing with human beings and not with objects, programs or products. It may seem that this point is obvious, but nevertheless it is something that sometimes seems to be overlooked.

It is important that those who come to us feel cared for, understood and not criticized, and although it is essential to act objectively we must not underestimate the possible suffering of the person nor what is important to her.

Being objective and knowing how to maintain your position as a professional does not necessarily imply being aseptic. This makes patients feel little accepted and hinders both the therapeutic relationship and adherence to treatments and interventions. As i said Carl Jung, "Master all the techniques, but when touching a human soul be just another human soul."

3. Never judge your patient

The client or patient who comes to consultation will open a door to their life from which we will be able to visualize more or less deep parts of their existence, their fears and experiences.

The patient entrusts part of his life, thoughts and beliefs to him. These must always be respected, despite the fact that in some cases they can confront their own head-on. In case the psychologist or psychologist is not trained to do so, she must refer the client to another professional.

4. Respect the confidentiality of your patients or clients

The information that the patients provide us must be, except by judicial decree or in case of serious danger to the life of the subject or others, totally confidential. We are entrusted with information that in many cases is not shared with anyone else in order to help improve the condition of the subject.

In the event that it is intended to use the information collected in any way (for example, for the investigation or training of professionals) or even communicate it to others outside the team that is caring for the individual, the patient must give their consent previous.

5. Respect the autonomy of the patient or client

You should never try to impose your own opinion on a subject. Although we think that certain actions, techniques or interventions may be the most effective, they should not try to force themselves. The subject who comes to the consultation has his own value system, his own agenda and ultimately his own life, and we do not have the right to make them do something they do not want. You can convince the person or help them make a decision, but in the end who has to make it has to be he or she.

6. Recognize your limits: we don't know everything

We are not omnipotent: it is necessary to be honest and recognize our own limits, recognize our mistakes and even our lack of competence to solve specific cases. If something exceeds us we can refer to another professional that can better help the individual who comes to us, since our objective should be to help them at all times and not reinforce our ego.

In addition, it must be borne in mind that experience and the fact of having a wide body of knowledge can sometimes make us confident. However, this confidence should not make us make the mistake of assuming or assuming that we know everything.

Although clients can tell us very important parts of their lives and we can get a rough idea of ​​how they are and how they act in their real life, the circumstances and elements that surround their day-to-day life are largely unknown.

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7. Act objectively

Our values, tastes, beliefs or even personal problems should not influence at any time or bias our work.

We must remain objective and know our role as professionals. We help the person to be able to make decisions regarding her life, putting ourselves in her place and taking her point of view into account.

8. Remember what you work for. The important thing is the user.

It must be taken into account that the people who come for consultation are looking for some kind of professional help. What should always come first is, as we have said previously, your well-being. We have to work towards this goal.

Good psychologists will not be those whose main motivation to exercise are aspects such as economic, reinforcing your ego through power over others or solving deficiencies own personal.

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9. Let's be competent: it is necessary to train and update continuously

Having a basic training is necessary to be able to exercise, but nevertheless it is not enough if what we want is for our actions to be effective and efficient. Psychology It is a discipline in which progress is made continuously.

As with education and medicine, it is necessary for psychologists to be aware of the various advances, studies and techniques generated. This is essential when it comes to offering the best possible service to customers, allowing them to use the more effective techniques and adjust the methodologies used to the needs and circumstances of each subject to try.

In addition, we must bear in mind that we must be competent when exercising. We can't do what we want. We are not dealing with human guinea pigs: what we propose must have an empirical basis and proven efficacy, in addition to being directed towards a specific objective. People must be informed of what is to be done and what results can be expected from the intervention.

10. Respect and love your profession

As a psychologist, you are representing a professional sector that works hard to help others improve different areas of their lives.

Your work it is going to have great repercussions in the lives of those you deal with. Respect your role and consider its importance. In addition, avoid as much as possible damaging the profession or the contribution of other professionals.