Ethics Office

APA's Ethics Office promotes ethics throughout the field of psychology. The office supports the Ethics Committee in adjudicating ethics cases, offers educational programming, provides ethics consultations, and serves as a resource to members and the Association in addressing new ethical dilemmas as psychology grows and evolves as a discipline. If you are an APA member, the Ethics Office is here to serve you. Please let us know how we may best do so.

Melba J. T. Vasquez receives the Lifetime Award for Accomplishments in Ethics Education

Congratulations to Melba J.T. Vasquez, PhD, ABPP, the recipient of the 2023 annual APA Ethics Committee’s Lifetime Award for Accomplishments in Ethics Education.

Ethics FAQ on overturning of Roe v. Wade

The Ethics Committee endorses the recent FAQ prepared by Ethics Committee Chair Dr. Mary Brabeck and Vice Chair Dr. Evelyn Hunter, titled Frequently asked questions regarding the ethical issues related to the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) (PDF, 135KB), published on July 27, 2022.

The APA Ethics Code

The American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, adopted by the APA Council of Representatives in August 2002, became effective in June 2003. Council amended the Ethics Code in 2010 and 2017. The code provides guidance for psychologists in all of their professional roles.

The APA Ethics Code

Honoring participants of the EC-EPA Joint Ethics Initiative

The participants in the Ethics Committee (EC)–Ethnic Psychological Associations (EPA) Joint Ethics Initiative (PDF, 97KB) provided essential programming on the intersection of ethics and culture. By showcasing culturally-informed ethical perspectives that emphasized the specific cultural needs of communities of color, the EC and EPA participants demonstrated the importance of culturally-competent practice for all psychologists. The initiative highlighted the vital importance of incorporating concepts of culture and diversity within any future APA Ethics Code as critical guidance for the discipline. Additional resources from the Joint Ethics Initiative coming soon.

Resources

Last updated: April 2024Date created: 2008