Virginia Administrative Code › Title 18 - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING › Agency 125 - BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGY › Chapter 20 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY › Part VI - Standards of Practice; Unprofessional Conduct; Disciplinary Actions; Reinstatement › Section 18VAC125-20-150 - Standards of practice

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. The protection
				  of the public health, safety, and welfare and the best interest of the public
				  shall be the primary guide in determining the appropriate professional conduct
				  of all persons whose activities are regulated by the board. Psychologists
				  respect the rights, dignity, and worth of all people and are mindful of
				  individual differences. Regardless of the delivery method, whether face-to-face
				  or by use of technology, these standards shall apply to the practice of
				  psychology.
B. Persons regulated by
				  the board and persons practicing in Virginia with an E.Passport or an IPC
				  shall:
1. Provide and supervise only those
				  services and use only those techniques for which they are qualified by
				  education, training, and appropriate experience;
2. Delegate to persons under their
				  supervision only those responsibilities such persons can be expected to perform
				  competently by education, training, and experience;
3. Maintain current competency in the areas
				  of practices through continuing education, consultation, or other procedures
				  consistent with current standards of scientific and professional
				  knowledge;
4. Accurately represent
				  their areas of competence, education, training, experience, professional
				  affiliations, credentials, and published findings to ensure that such
				  statements are neither fraudulent nor misleading;
5. Neither accept nor give commissions,
				  rebates, or other forms of remuneration for referral of clients for
				  professional services. Make appropriate consultations and referrals consistent
				  with the law and based on the interest of patients or clients;
6. Refrain from undertaking any activity in
				  which their personal problems are likely to lead to inadequate or harmful
				  services;
7. Avoid harming,
				  exploiting, misusing influence, or misleading patients or clients, research
				  participants, students, and others for whom they provide professional services
				  and minimize harm when it is foreseeable and unavoidable;
8. Not engage in, direct, or facilitate
				  torture, which is defined as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether
				  physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person, or in any other
				  cruel, inhuman, or degrading behavior that causes harm;
9. Withdraw from, avoid, adjust, or clarify
				  conflicting roles with due regard for the best interest of the affected party
				  and maximal compliance with these standards;
10. Make arrangements for another
				  professional to deal with emergency needs of clients during periods of
				  foreseeable absences from professional availability and provide for continuity
				  of care when services must be terminated;
11. Conduct financial responsibilities to
				  clients in an ethical and honest manner by:
a.
				  Informing clients of fees for professional services and billing arrangements as
				  soon as is feasible;
b. Informing
				  clients prior to the use of collection agencies or legal measures to collect
				  fees and provide opportunity for prompt payment;
c. Obtaining written consent for fees that
				  deviate from the practitioner's usual and customary fees for
				  services;
d. Participating in
				  bartering only if it is not clinically contraindicated and is not exploitative;
				  and
e. Not obtaining, attempting to
				  obtain, or cooperating with others in obtaining payment for services by
				  misrepresenting services provided, dates of service, or status of
				  treatment;
12. Be able
				  to justify all services rendered to clients as necessary for diagnostic or
				  therapeutic purposes;
13.
				  Construct, maintain, administer, interpret, and report testing and diagnostic
				  services in a manner and for purposes that are current and
				  appropriate;
14. Design, conduct,
				  and report research in accordance with recognized standards of scientific
				  competence and research ethics. Practitioners shall adhere to requirements of
				  § 32.1-162.18 of the Code of Virginia for obtaining informed consent from
				  patients prior to involving them as participants in human research, with the
				  exception of retrospective chart reviews;
15. Report to the board known or suspected
				  violations of the laws and regulations governing the practice of
				  psychology;
16. Accurately inform a
				  client or a client's legally authorized representative of the client's
				  diagnoses, prognosis, and intended treatment or plan of care. A psychologist
				  shall present information about the risks and benefits of the recommended
				  treatments in understandable terms and encourage participation in the decisions
				  regarding the patient's care. When obtaining informed consent treatment for
				  which generally recognized techniques and procedures have not been established,
				  a psychologist shall inform clients of the developing nature of the treatment,
				  the potential risks involved, alternative treatments that may be available, and
				  the voluntary nature of their participation;
17. Clearly document at the outset of service
				  delivery what party the psychologist considers to be the client and what, if
				  any, responsibilities the psychologist has to all related parties;
18. Determine whether a client is receiving
				  services from another mental health service provider, and if so, document
				  efforts to coordinate care;
19.
				  Document the reasons for and steps taken if it becomes necessary to terminate a
				  therapeutic relationship (e.g., when it becomes clear that the client is not
				  benefiting from the relationship or when the psychologist feels endangered).
				  Document assistance provided in making arrangements for the continuation of
				  treatment for clients, if necessary, following termination of a therapeutic
				  relationship; and
20. Not engage in
				  conversion therapy with any person younger than 18 years of age.