The organizations under consideration are the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association, operating in the areas of psychology and human services, respectively. The former is aimed at “advancing psychology to benefit society and improve the lives” of the citizens (“Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct,” 2017). It is the leading company in the field, and the participants are researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students working to achieve this goal (“Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct,” 2017). Meanwhile, the latter is an organization providing mental health and substance abuse care for people, and its members are licensed professional counselors (“Ethical & professional standards,” n.d.). Since they both work directly with customers, the ethical aspect of the matter should be considered.
The standards of these two entities are based on the same general principles applicable to the corresponding fields. They present the similarities between the companies, which are following the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence and fidelity and responsibility as the key to successful operations (“Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct,” 2017; “Ethical & professional standards,” n.d.). The former means providing benefits to clients while avoiding harm, and the latter is the creation of relationships of trust on the grounds of professional rules of conduct. In turn, the dominant emphasis of the American Psychological Association is on competence and the resolution of conflicts in contrast to the focus of the American Counseling Association on confidentiality and privacy (“Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct,” 2017; “Ethical & professional standards,” n.d.). These two differences mean that both organizations value the specified concepts, but they highlight different notions as the core principles of their ethics. It can be seen from their policies on the websites and the order of elements in their codes of conduct.
References
Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. (2017). American Psychological Association. Web.
Ethical & professional standards. (n.d.). American Counseling Association. Web.