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Remote rural community perceptions of ethical psychological practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2015

Justine Weier  and
Graham Davidson
Justine Weier
Affiliation:
Central Queensland University
Graham Davidson*
Affiliation:
Central Queensland University
*
Graham Davidson, School of Psychology and Sociology, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Qld 4702, Australia or, g.davidson@cqu.edu.au
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Abstract

All residents bar one of an isolated rural Australian town were interviewed to obtain their understandings of psychologists' roles vis a vis other professional workers' roles in rural communities, confidentiality expectations and limits to confidentiality, and overlaps between psychologists' professional and their other non-professional social roles. Data were gathered using a Kellian repertory grid technique and analysed using a multidimensional scaling technique. The results indicated that residents construed the psychologist's role as being different from other health or pastoral-counselling professionals' roles. Residents reported a complex array of opinions regarding the application of confidentiality standards, and limits to confidentiality, although all reported that limits to confidentiality should exist. Although residents reported and accepted that psychologists engage in a variety of non-professional, social roles in small rural communities, they also expected that psychologists would clearly differentiate between their professional role and their non-professional roles. Results overall were consistent with research findings with urban residents and with the professional code and guidelines.

Type
Articles
Information
South Pacific Journal of Psychology , Volume 11 , Issue 2: Special Issue: Community Development in North Australia , 1999 , pp. 24 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © University of Papua New Guinea and the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Territory University, Australia 1999

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