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Ethics training at mental health centers

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Abstract

Eighteen (78.26% response rate) mental health centers in Colorado responded to a survey about the nature of ethics training. Mental health centers spent an average of 1.27 hours during the previous year on ethics training. Centers rated their staff as less prepared to deal with ethical issues than programs rated their students, representing a split between classrooms and applied settings. There may be some confusion of ethical and legal issues. Several recommendations are made, including interdisciplinary and continuing ethics training, and teaching a process of thinking rather than merely cases and rules.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Denver, Campus Box 173, 80204, Denver, CO

    Mitchell M. Handelsman

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  1. Mitchell M. Handelsman
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Additional information

This research was funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Institutions, Division of Mental Health. I thank Paul Sherman, Chris Rich, Jackie Mann, Janet Rosen, and two anonymous reviewers for their invaluable assistance.

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Handelsman, M.M. Ethics training at mental health centers. Community Ment Health J 25, 42–50 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00752442

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