Page 22 - Summer 2015 Newsletter

or other non-licensed practitioners; their regular attention to insure effective, ethical continue to address these critical matters

intent is truly no different than laws that practice. Competence changes as students in the near and distant future given their

restrict title use in the professions of medi- and professionals garner more experience, wide-spread implications for education,

cine, dentistry, and legal practice.
training, gravitate towards or become training, and competent ethical and legal

disenchanted with aspects of work or practice. We hope that this contribution

Our organization’s ethics code speaks to the fosters continued examination of these
work with certain clientele, perhaps be-
importance of the law in the ‘Introduction’
come impaired, and/or as a consequence sensitive, timely topics. Contrary to what

of the code where it is stated:
of changing markets and client needs. A the cliché suggests, silence is not neces-

sarily golden.
Membership in the AASP commits mem- controversial part of this issue is that it is

bers to adhere to the AASP Ethics Code. quite challenging to determine just what REFERENCES:

competence means so you can accurately
AASP members should be aware that, in American Psychological Association (n.d.). Sport

many situations, additional ethical and assess your current knowledge, skills, and psychology. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/

legal codes may be applied to them by abilities.
graduate/specialize/sports.aspx.

other professional organizations or public American Psychological Association (2006). APA
Despite related uncertainties, there are Task Force on the assessment of competence in
bodies.
some useful guidelines available to help professional psychology. Retrieved from http://www.

Accordingly, despite being prickly and rath- apa.org/ed/resources/competency-revised.pdf.
gauge current competence, such as one’s

er taboo, if you are a card-carrying AASP primary credentials that Koocher and Keith- Association for Applied Sport Psychology (n.d.).
Become a Certiied Consultant. Retrieved from
member, you have agreed to know and Spiegel (2009) identify, which may include
http://www.appliedsportpsych org/certiied
follow the laws linked to your work. Simply
“those earned over time by direct contact -consultants/become-a-certiied-consultant/.

put, the law trumps ethics, history in the [over time] with trained instructors” (p. 83).
Association for Applied Sport Psychology (n.d.).
ield, what you or other “famous” people do The CC-AASP and APA Proiciency guide-
Ethics code: AASP ethical principles and standards.
or have been doing, and personal opinion.
Retrieved from http://applied sportpsych.org/about/
lines can help one self-assess competence
ethics/code.
(AASP, n.d.; APA, n.d.). Nevertheless, this
Competence and Practice
task will continue to be a personal-profes- Baillie, P. (2014). The law and sport psychology:

Similarly touchy, yet realistically safe and When doing what is right and doing what is legal
sional challenge because of deinitions, do-
okay to think and talk about, is the second may not be the same thing. In E. Etzel & J. Watson
mains of competence, and the limited ability (Eds.), Ethical issues in sport, exercise and perfor-
taboo topic: what one has been trained to
to evaluate competence linked to personal mance psychology (pp. 13-22). Morgantown, WV:

do, what one actually does, and what one knowledge, skills, and abilities (American Fitness Information Technology.

is currently competent to do. It seems that
Psychological Association, 2006).
Koocher, G., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2009). Ethics in
one tends to gravitate toward doing work psychology and the mental health professions:

Standards and cases (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford
linked to some formal education and train- Taken together, the topic of “what’s in a
University Press.
ing — and perhaps informal background, name” and what you do with it will likely

creating a felt sense that one is (at least remain loaded questions. However, they Pope, K., Sonne, J., & Greene, B. (2006). What

therapists don’t talk about and why: Understanding
minimally) competent. But competen- need not be taboo. AASP student and pro- taboos that hurt us and our clients. Washington, DC:

cies are ‘moving targets’ that require our
fessional members will, however, need to
American Psychological Association.

AASP Newsletter // Summer 2015 // When Silence Isn’t Golden

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