Ethical Codes

The following are links to ethical codes are relevant to various groups of mental health professionals. Ethics are a key part of a mental health practitioner's job. These guidelines must be strictly followed at all times during interactions with clients.

Psychiatrists

• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Code of Ethics
• American Academy of Psychiatry & Law: Ethical Guidelines for the Practice of Forensic Psychiatry
• American Psychiatric Association: The Principles of Medical Ethics With Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry
• American Psychiatric Nurses Association: Position Papers
• Canadian Psychiatric Association: The CMA Code of Ethics Annotated for Psychiatrists

Counselors/General Psychotherapy

• American Association of Christian Counselors: Code of Ethics
• American Association of Pastoral Counselors: Code of Ethics
• American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists: Code of Ethics
• American College Personnel Association: Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards
• American Counseling Association: Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
• American Group Psychotherapy Association: Guidelines for Ethics
• American School Counselor Association: Ethical Standards for School Counselors
• American Society of Clinical Hypnosis: Code of Ethics
• Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology: Code of Ethics
• Association for Specialists in Group Work Best Practice Guidelines: Best Practice Guidelines
• Association for Specialists in Group Work: Principles for Diversity-Competent Group Workers
• Association for Specialists in Group Work: Professional Standards for the Training of Group Workers
• Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers: Professional Code of Ethics
• Association of Clinical Pastoral Education: Standards & Ethics Manual
• Association of Professional Chaplains: Code of Ethics
• British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy: Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy
• British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors: Code of Ethical Conduct & Standards of Clinical Practice for Registered Clinical Counsellors
• California Association for Counseling & Development: Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice
• California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists: Ethical Standards
• Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification: Code of Professional Ethics
• Employee Assistance Professionals Association: EAPA Code of Ethics
• European Association for Body-Psychotherapy: Ethical Guidelines & Code
• Irish Association for Counseling & Therapy: Code of Ethics & Practice
• National Board for Certified Counselors: Code of Ethics
• National Board for Certified Counselors: The Practice of Internet Counseling
• National Career Development Association: Ethical Standards
• National Council for Hypnotherapy: Code of Ethics & Conduct

Psychologists

• American Academy of Forensic Psychology: Specialty Guidelines
• American Board of Forensic Psychology: Specialty Guidelines
• American Psychoanalytic Association: Principles and Standards of Ethics for Psychoanalysts
• American Psychological Association: Disaster Response Network Member Guidelines
• American Psychological Association: Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
• American Psychological Association: Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings
• American Psychological Association: Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals
• American Psychological Association: Guidelines for the Evaluation of Dementia and Age-Related Cognitive Decline
• American Psychological Association: APA Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services to Ethnic, Linguistic, and Culturally Diverse Populations
• American Psychological Association: Guidelines for Psychological Evaluations in Child Protection Matters
• American Psychological Association: Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Older Adults
• American Psychological Association: Guidelines for Psychotherapy with Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Clients
• American Psychological Association: Guidelines on Multicultural Education,Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists
• American Psychological Association: Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues Concerning Interpersonal Violence, Maltreatment, and Related Trauma
• American Psychological Association: Record Keeping Guidelines
• American Psychological Association: Report from APA Working Group on Assisted Suicide and End-of-Life Decisions
• American Psychological Association: Resolution on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation
• American Psychological Association: Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers: Guidelines and Expectations
• American Psychological Association: Statement on Services by Telephone, Teleconferencing, & Internet
• Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards: Code of Conduct
• Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards: Guidelines for Prescriptive Authority
• Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards: Supervision Guidelines (pdf)
• Australian Psychological Society: Code of Ethics
• British Psychological Society: Ethics, Rules, Charter, Code of Conduct
• Canadian Psychoanalytic Society: Principles of Ethics for Psychoanalysis
• Canadian Psychological Association: Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (3rd edition)
• Canadian Psychological Association: Guidelines for Professional Practice for School Psychologists
• Canadian Psychological Association: Practice Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services
• Christian Association for Psychological Studies: Ethics Statement
• European Federation of Psychologists' Associations: Charter of Professional Ethics for Psychologists
• National Academy of Neuropsychology: Independent & Court-Ordered Forensic Neuropsychological Examinations
• National Academy of Neuropsychology: Presence of Third-Party Observers during Neuropsychological Testing
• National Academy of Neuropsychology: Use of Neuropsychology Test Technicians in Clinical Practice
• National Association of School Psychologists: Professional Conduct Manual--Principles for Professional Ethics
• New Zealand Psychological Society: Code of Ethics

Social Workers

• American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists & Social Workers: Standards for Psychologists & Social Workers in SCI Rehabilitation
• American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work: Code of Ethics
• Australian Association of Social Workers: Code of Ethics (use Quicklinks)
• British Association of Social Workers: Code of Ethics for Social Work
• California Society for Clinical Social Work: Ethical Standards of the Clinical Social Work Federation
• Clinical Social Work Association: Code of Ethics
• International Federation of Social Workers: Ethics of Social Work -- Statement of Principles
• Irish Association of Social Workers: Code of Ethics
• Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners: Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations
• National Association of Social Workers: Code of Ethics

Medical and Miscellaneous

• American Hospital Association: Billing & Collection Practices
• American Medical Association: Principles of Medical Ethics
• American Music Therapy Association: Code of Ethics
• American Nursing Association: Code of Ethics for Nurses
• Canadian Medical Association: Code of Ethics
• Catholic Church: Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services
• Feminist Therapy Institute: Code of Ethics
• Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association: Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders
• International Society for the Study of Dissociation: Guidelines for the Evaluation and Treatment of Dissociative Symptoms in Children and Adolescents
• International Society for the Study of Dissociation: Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) in Adults
• Joint Committee on Testing Practices: Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education
• National Academies of Practice: Ethical Guidelines for Professional Care and Services in a Managed Health Care Environment
• Mental Health Patient's Bill of Rights
• National Student Nurses Association: Code of Professional Conduct
• Society for Research in Child Development: Ethical Standards for Research with Children
• National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare: Values & Principles for Behavioral Healthcare Delivery
• World Medical Association: Ethics Policies