Counselling Psychology QuarterlyYoL.22, No. 1, March 2009,97 104

1ì Routledoe[\ ruyro.s*un.íc.oup

Teaching ethics to future psychologists: Challenges and themodel of an experience of a college psychology professor in a

developing country

Julieta Quayle*

President of ABRAP - Brazilian Association of Psychotherapy, and Departmentof Psychology, Llniversidade Ánhemhi Morumbi - UAM, Laureate International

Uníversities, Sao Paulo, Brazil

(Received 5 December 2008; Jïnal version received 13 December 2008)

Ethics is always a fundamental issue in Psychology as a profcssion: it guidesdecisions and actions in all flrelds, being the core of profession itsclÍ'.Teaching professional ethics in our contemporary society, incorporatingthe questioning of modern and permanent questions in a conscious,responsible and yet interesting approach, beyond educational fads, is achallenge we must address, implicating students from the very beginning.Using active methodologies and realistic situations help fill the gap betweentheories, ethical codes and everyday situations, and their critical employ-ment prepare students to deal with daily ethical problems, helping topromote human rights consciousness.

Keywords: ethics in psychology; active methodologies in teachingpsychology; PBL; teaching ethics and human rights

In light of the importarlce of human rights in our contemporary society, teachingethics has become an increasingly important component of college curricula. Thispaper addresses the development of such a course within the psychology departmentof a university in South America.

Context

The challenges for a college professor are always new yet some aspects remainconsistent. For example, a few questions we consistently ask ourselves: How do we

choose the most interesting aspects of a subject? How are we sure about the bcst way

of presenting the lessons? How do we make the best use of technological facilities?

How do we approach the "real world" within the cloistered academic setting?

Sometimes we are so worried about these "hows" that we forget the "why"'. In atypical reflection of our times, we som'etimes worry more about the methodologicalissues, appearances and results, with the consequence that the true core of ourteaching task eludes us.t The most fundamental question is: What âfe !!ve ttying toteach? In other words, why is a particular material important?

*Email: jquayle@uol.com.br

ISSN 0951 5070 print/ISSN 1469 3674 online

@ 2009 Taylor & FrancisDOI: 10. 1080/095 1 507 09027 61 17 2

http://www.inlormaworld.com

I

98 J. Quayle

This is, in fact, a tricky situation for any teacher: How to make a subject

meaningful to students in their chosen career and in their life.This is particularly the case for all disciplines which lall into the category of

"subsidiary subjects", which do not directly lead to professional clinical competence

and practice, yet which form the basis for all practices and competences. This is the

case of Professional Ethics.Teaching professional ethics is especially important in psychology programs in

the (so called) developing countries. These countries face the dilemmas of our post

modern era, and also the challenge of cultural differences when they import models

and practices from other countries (usually western psychology) and try to adapt

them to their local clients' needs.

Definition

Professional Ethics is not Philosophy yet there are some similarities between

those disciplines. This is evident in the fact that both subjects consider issues and

apply metaphors. By using a metaphor, one can consider that professional

psychology ethics can be seen as an indecisive passenger who has one foot on tr

motor boat and the other on a sail boat, and can't make up his mincl as to where he

should be, or even plays to the gods (note the use of the plural, just in case) to send

more winds, as if this could avoid imminent disaster. This passenger is doomed to fallto the sea. . . unless he makes up his mind. Therefore, choice and commitmçnt -are key.

The trip allegory can be further elaborated. We can say that after choosing

destination, date, and means of transportation, it would be wise to have plans

translated inlo definitive appointments, reservations and routes. Yet onç would be

wise to also leave room for some unexpected cirçumstances leading to unplanned

shifts and last minute changes of heart (which can derive from temptations which

lead us to "go for it"). with the planned and unplanned in mind, one may expect to

enjoy the trip and trip companions, and for those companions to also enjoy the trip.

Defining the course

Teaching is not much different from that metaphor. Professors make plans and

know, to a certain extent, who their students are, as well as the students' expertise

level, expectations and basic career needs. Generally, professors know where they

want to go with the students2 and which abilities and competences to address in the

course. Most of us try hard to show our students the importance of "our triptogether" and how the course material will be helpful for them in their profcssic'rnal

Íìture. But besides being serious and professional, many ol us âlso try to make this

time together unforgettable, agreeable and enjoyable. Speaking for myself, I want to

be remembered as a trusted partner in their learning; AS someone students can see as

a future colleague they can turn to, and might also work with.To propose the course, keep all this in mind. But also take into account the

official course requirements as far as content, competences and abilities are

concerned. And, if you really want to contribute to forming compctent ar-rd ethical

professionals, independently of which area they choose to work in, you have to

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Counselling Psychology Quurterly 99

consider your country or area's reality and needs as you plan your course. ThiS

means that the competence you afe intending to help students achieve has a "target"'The above criteria constitute a readily accepted "ground zero" for most health

courses, including psychology, at least as far as the so-called practical ancl/or speciÍìc

disciplines go. Yet, the "theoretical", "reference" or "subsidiary" disciplines often

face a different destiny. Many times completely apart from our times, needs and

reality, they force upon students the understanding and memorizaÍion of theories

and codes which, alone, are not sufficient to help them choose the right course ofaction in their future career.

Of course, there are many ways we can filI the gap between theory and reality/

necessity/modernity. Here, of course, professors can rely on methodological gadgcts

and instruments to help. Here I will delineate one possible way to do that, and how itworked out in our experience teaching Professional Ethics to students within agra<luation course in Psychology, in the city of São Paulo, Btazll'

Background of the location of the course

São Paulo is a city of over 15 million people, which is a population bigger than a few

European countries. It is considered a land of opportunity and perhaps the most

modern city in Latin America, a mecca of shopping centers for consumers, withexcellent health and cultural facilities, At the same time, it is a city of huge contrasts,

consisting of intellectuals, immigrants of all faiths and languages, whçrç the richest

and the poorest of the country live, sometimes, side by side, sharing spaces' Íèars and

needs.

It is expected that most of the students enrolled to study Psychology at the

Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (UAM) (the university where I now teach), willprobably develop their future career in this city or, at least in the state of São Paulo,

one of the richest of the country. As part of the Laureate University lJnivcrsities,

UAM emphasizes the-.importance of preparing Çreative, ethical and competent

professionals, attentive to their times and community's needs. The Psychology Çourse

ir t"*, now going to its 5th3 semester, and with all the freedom and responsibility

which usually comes along with these kinds of contingencies.

It was for this course, in this university, in this particular country, city and time,

that I was invited to design a course in Professional Ethics. This would take

advantage of my 30-year background in Health Psychology and Research at a well

known public institution where I taught a course in Ethics in Research, among other

disciplines. This previous course set a good foundation for the current course in

Ethics, but it was not the same thing, and therefore, presented a vefy interesting

challenge.Beginning last year, the university put together, in the same "School", all courses

related to health sciences and well-being. These include not only the new Medicine

and Psycholog-1, courses, but also, for example, the topics of Nutrition and Podology

(a discipline which studies the anatomy, the pathology ancl care of human feet)' This

innovative approach, focused not only on health but also on well being, Íhvors an

integrative and innovative interdisciplinary approach, with some actions being

offered to students in all coursès, thereby giving students a chancc to work together

in interdisciplinary teams. As an example of that, UAM is starting a program in tl.re

re:l

100 J. euayle

Health Sciences School called "PIC" (Programa Interdisciplinar Comunitário,roughly translated as Community Interclisciplinary Program) wiere students from allcourses are put together to research and to intervene in everyday situations in thecommunity, under the supervision of a tutor/teacher.

The program at UAMOne of UAM propositions for all courses in health sciences is to make students themain actors in the educational process, as such, applying active methodologies. Inorder to accomplish that, many new tools and strategìes are available to bothteachers and students: from modern health simulation laboratories and software tointernet course facilities, media deviçes in the classroom, a modern and updatedlibrary, and a very close and interested course coordinator. These opportunitiesmade the challenge of developing the course even more interesting.

The fundamentals and sources of the course contentA first choice in the discipline design was a course where theory would be presentedfrom concrete, defying situations; a collective construction, -uyb" better defined as. apartnership in education. Another decision referred to the employment of the(Brazilian) Psychologists Ethical Codea as Íhe mair reference5 sourÇe lbr studentsand teacher. Updated articles would always be used, according to the issue discussed,believing that this would help develop research skills and ability to critique, and alsothe habit of checking for peers' opinions and positions abóut important ethicalISSUCS.

However, the use of this "literature" was planned to allow the inclusion ofissues which would be considered as "pertaining" or belonging to inclividuals'experience and views. Thus it was important to include u *uy áf úaring (opinionsand doubts). This refers to commitment to the fact that even thãugh one'sprofessional decisions are often made in "private" moments. most ethiçal issuesand problems are common, shared and repeated in everyday practice. In essence,our decisions are personal choices grounded in training and ethical rules whichmore generally apply. This approach helped build a special and professional way ollooking at facts considering ethical implications. Onó could ruy thi, direction wasintended to go beyond the casual quick glance we usually have Íbr these situatiols,or the alternative "staring without commitment" we sometimes reserve Íbr moreserious problems.

Thus, it was decided that the basis of the course should include "real life,'situations, in essence, a case-study approach. Inspired by problem Based Learning(PBL), the idea was to provide real "cases" as food Íbr thought. This posed iproblem: where to find the içconcrete" situations without the potential violation ofconfidentiality or without the (sometimes) immense bias media gives to issuesbrought to public attention?

To solve this problem, and essentially to get the course off the ground, I decidedto initially refer to collective material. This was available from psycúologiôal sources.For example, in the last few years the CFP and its regional repiesentatives have beendirected by an elected group called "caring for the profession". This group aimed atproviding professional guidelines in different fìelds ancl also to regulatc the

C ouns e lling P sy c holo gy Quar t e r ly 101

profession in this continental country. It also has an interdisciplinary approach, in

ihut ,o-" of the actions are developed together with other professional groups

in specifìc situations. Some initiatives address, directly and indirectly, Ethics in

esyúology and Human Rights'6'fUy ,Ioa"rrts and I direictly benehted from one of the CFP's actions, as they

proviáed public, already judged/evaluated cases of public ethical complaints, which

were presented to CFP or itJregional sites. These were accessible at a Medline-like

Brazllianand Latin American sìte named BVS-Psi (http://www'bireme'br/bvs1:si)'

These online publisheá cases provide examples of potential ethical problems to hclp

teachers and students and, ui th" ,u-. time, have the objective of orienting both

potri" and professionals about ethical guidelines, rights and duties' Some of thc

i"giã"ur councils also present real, actual judged cases in their sites (http:l I

www.crpsp.org.br/).These constituted our first "cases" for the course, cases which were used in PBL

o. i" :;Ag*"nt-like situations, in simulation, in group discussions and pcrsonal

evaluations. These cases addressed different and core issues in ethics'

The course

It was time to put the show on the road. First of all, it was a time-limited trip: the

course is plannãd to last one semester, 3 hours a week' over 15 weeks' The students

were divided into four classes, according to campus and time of day. The lesson plan

is divided into three mains units, addressing the following aspects:

Unit 1 (3 weeks): Introduction to Professional Ethics

Theoretical aspects related to professional ethics (Moral and ethics; soçial

responsibility, citizenship and socàl concefn; Normative psychological institutions;

Bioethics and professionït "tni"t;

The building process of the Brazilian Psychologists

Ethical Code - EC).In this unit normally there would be a small oral presentation by the teacher'

followed by a provocative stimulus: a few paragraphs from a book or a newspaper to

work with in small gÃnpr, in a PBL model; a clinical vignette; a trip to the university

library to dig for treasuie articles. At the end of each session/class, we would discuss

the different points of view and conclusions for the proposed situa'tions and students

would be stimulated to check the EC to see if the issue was somehow contemplated

there.

t']nit2(l0weeks)ProfessionalEthicsandeverydaydilemmasinthedffirentprofessional PsYchologY Jields

Cases&situations:Ethicsininstitutions;inpsychologicalevaluation;inpsychotherapy and fryÃotn"rupeutic relations; in education and academic settings

(including authorship, supervisár's responsibility, students' liabilities; training); in

ì"r"ur"h;-*"dia and lnternet; and professional marketing'

In this unit, usually u "ur"

*oolã be presented in writing to the stuclents who wçre

divided into small grãrpr, and they *o.,ta be encouraged to discuss its professional

and ethical urp""tr,'rrring in" nC as a guide. The teacher would act as a tutor for the

102 J. QuaYle

main part of this discussion. The students then write a small report, PBL style,

stating their discussion route and conçlusions reached. Open discussion would

happen alter that. The cases presented were those offered by the CFP and CRPs, as

well as situations of everyday life brought by students. Situations reported in the

News were also employed: for example, during the semester, two "big" cases

involving psychologists reached the media: (i) the assassination of two children by

their father and foster mother, after a psychological report allegedly stated they

should be sent back to their original family; and (ii) the murder of a female

psychologist in front of her house, after dropping her four children at school,

reportedly by the order of a client's husband aftet a divorce process. Thcse

situations, as expected, stirred students'feelings and fears, and were brought to class

discussion by students themselves, and then, eventually, presented to students ofother classes. At the end of each session/class, we would discuss the different points

of view and conclusions for the proposed situations. A couple of times we staged

jury-like scenes, and once there was a "case marathon" which helped inçrease

students'interest. In three of these situations, parts of movies were also employed to

help bring alive some important issues.

Since the same teacher was also responsible for teaching the çourse in

Psychopathology, many times examples from this other context (e.g., the treatmcnt

of mental patients, their rights, with relevant parts of movies viewed) were brought to

the Professional Ethics class. This turned out to be very proÍitable, as it helped

students rcalize that ethics is related to other disciplines and situations.

Ilnit 3: (2 weeks) Ethics and the Msrket. Evuluqtion oJ'the course and of the

students. This section o.ffered the possibility for closure

Discussion and a thoughtful attitude were the rules for these classes. Group written

reports were increasingly more well-written, addressing central issues and proposing

important solutions related not only to the professional code but also to human

rights, consumer codes, common law, and Brazllian special codes for adolescents,

children and older people. In addition, other course content included the rolc of the

psychologist as a health professional, being critical, competent and ethical.

Cradually, in different rhythms, students brought their "own cases" to class.

These cases were collected from media sourccs, from personal experiences and from

friends. Adding this material in the course increased student participation. At the

same time, some movies - or part of them - were used to illustrate potential ethical

problems or situations. I firmly believe that many times an image is worth a

thousarrd words. With this in mind, I brought to class movies hke The Prince qfTides, to show not only the difÍìcultics in establishing limits in cÌient-counselor

relationships, even with the "best of intentions", but also to favor the discussion

about the boundaries and liabilities of common sense as a guicle to professional

attitudes. Prime, a deliçious comedy,' facilitated students' laughter and the

approach to sensitive issues related to supervision, supervisor rcsponsibilities, and

piãfessional choices. The Doctor and The Wit provided material about professional/

patielt relationships in extreme situations, the difficulties in respecting other pèople's

"hoi""r, and the difference between being "competent" and "competent, caring and

ethical". Moretti's "La stanza del figlio", a very sensitive Italian movie where a

Counselling Psychology Quarterly 103

psychoanalyst has to deal with the death of his own teenage son, helped students see

iná ,-r""0 ol taking care of their own pains, sorrows and problems in order to avoicl

mixing them with the patient's (called countertransference). It also reminded each

ot" oi us that there is ïo vaccine against suffering and death- All in all, this model

provided a very interesting experience'

Conclusion

So far, students have offered agreeable comments about the course. As this is the

beginning of such a course offering, many aspeÇts can evolvç. These will be baserj on

more formal evaluations of students and my own decisions about what works and

what can be added and changed. In this way, using the above metaphor of a trip, the

students will help me checkLy maps and hnd new itineraries for the next trip' IfI had any doubts, this semester's experience convinced me that it is important to have

modern updated maps to travel by. But, most important of all is the reaffirmation

that the map is not the deÍinitive territory, only one possible representation of it'

We must be oPen to new routes.

Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest' The author alone is

responsible for the content and writing of the paper'

Notes

l. As a prototype of this "how", efÍìciency model, it is impossìble not to refer to Chaplin's

allegory of tn" tu"tory p.oá""iio" in "úodern Times". In other words, we are so uscd to

our ..efhciency at any ôost" model, that we forget the reason why being efhcienl can. be

considered gooO urrâ desirable, 6oth from úe personal and,the socio-economical

standpoints, unO *" t"tã-io io.get the "human factor" associated to its product'ion and

use in all potential disruptive situations'

2. íil; people would state "where you want to take them", or "lead them"' I am lcss sure

of terminologY here.3. For more details about the curriculum of the course, see http://portal.alhembi.br/

publique/templatesihtm/-template04//externaVcurs.os/graO.e/sar{lefcologia'htm4. It is important to ,roáÉã." tËls CoOó, from 2005, is aÌso, to a certain extent' a collecl-ivc

production tf B;ú;-;.vchologists: although it w1l p^r?mu1ca1cd bv the Consclho

F,ederal O. e*lcotoliul-cïÉ ie."ãlian Federal Council of Psychologv), the one ofhcial

órgan to regrrìate" ãnd-tspe"t professionals of psychology. The stfategy for its

construction included, ln different moments, the ievision of the fo'ner cocle' thc

consultation with ieïesentãtlve srazilian psychological associations and, perhaps the

-Àrt i*portunt of-afi, ìfr" promotion of a nationwide cliscussion, inclucling the internet

resources. ffri, *.ifráããloiy allowed for public participation ard discussion of core

issues (like "o"no*iiáfiüËuú,rt"

situations, for instance) Íàvoring a morc responsible

and inìegrated social perception of the profession'

5. The word "reÍèren-üii. .riptturi".d heie to show that the code offers guidelintl utÍ; o^ì

such, allows to,. reá"ctlon and critical questioning, instead ofjust enforcing a "law likc"

memorize-bY-heart aPProach'

6. More can be learned àoo.,t these actions at: http://www.pol.org.br. one oÍ' their latest

initiatives i, ,turtirrgl ,r.* .Ãp"ig" on human rights with the title "Nenhuma forma de

vioìência uur. u p"ïã';^tN. i.iÀïf violence is úorth ìt)' This addresses all forms.of

violence as being u-gui,r.ì nr-un rights, from forced institutionalization to prejudice clue

to race, "otor,

fuiti-JrJgÁrt.. Àft.l during 2008, a series of visits to institutions for oldcr

people took pr""",-"àão"cted together with the Brazilian Lawvers order (oAB).

104 J. Quayle

The results of these üsits were published as a special report, "Relatório de Inspeção aInstituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos (ILPIs). Similar reports were alreadyproduced relating to teenagers and children in previous years. CFP also chooses oneimportant professional topic a year to become the "official theme" for discussions ofpsychologists all over thè country, aiming at professional service standards andconsciousness. For instance, 2008 was elected the year Psychology and Education; 2009

will discuss Psychotherapy. :

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