Research Proposal on "St. Leo's Core Values and the APA"

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practice that demands all its students to perform to the highest of

academic standards. By paying a focus to the inherently interrelated

forces of character development, theoretical development, practice

refinement and ethical clarification, the university is minded toward a

student body that is dedicated and accomplished. Such a standard must also

be present outside of the university and in professional application,

justifying the core believe that excellence in study will result in

excellence of practice. This is an ideal formulated by the ideal projected

in the APA's Ethical Principles, which in Section 2.01, state that

practicing psychologists will be expected to "provide services, teach, and

conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries

of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised

experience, consultation, study, or professional experience." (APA, Section

2.01a) The connotation here is clear, that where educational faculties

have been refined and have achieved a greater degree of scrutiny in the

university setting, a greater capacity will be developed to serve those in

need.

This helps to point to another core value for St. Leo University,

which as a Christian institution, is deeply devoted to its community.

There is a fundamental interest here to ensure that the neighborhoods,

organizations, youth agencies and churches within range are given access to

the abilities of our students, faculty and other affiliated mental health

professional. Thus, according to its core values, "Saint Leo University

develops hospitable Christian learning communities everywhere we serve. We

foster a spirit of belonging, unity, and interdependence based on mutual

trust and respect to create socially responsible environments that

challenge all of us to listen, to learn, to change and to serve." (St. Leo

University, 1) This is indicative of the Christian mission to help others

transcend the emotional and internal difficulties that have prevented them

from enjoying life to its fullest potential. Additionally, this means that

for those who are less fortunate or more likely to have obstructed access

to that which they need as support for mental health difficulties, the

university should be a beacon of hope, counsel, opportunity and sanctuary.

This is concordant with the perspective espoused by the APA, which

denotes that those who will ultimately practice psychology professionally

should be expected to use that which they have gained through education and

access to association resources to aid those less fortunate. Thus, the

2002 doctrine promotes the idea that all practitioners "are aware of their

professional and scientific responsibilities to society and to the specific

communities in which they work. Psychologists uphold professional standards

of conduct, clarify their professional roles and obligations, accept

appropriate responsibility for their behavior, and seek to manage conflicts

of interest that could lead to exploitation or harm." (APA, Principle B)

This means both that as a matter of conduct and as a matter of the

extension of one's reach as a professional, the psychologist should

ultimately come to serve the community as a model citizen comporting him or

herself according to the expectations befitting a physician as well as

being a point of access, compassion, information and support to those

otherwise lacking such access. It is thus that one of the core values

espoused by the university relates to the provision of pro bono community

services such as social work, counseling or other forms of outreach, with

the expectation that those practitioners adhering to the ideals of the 2002

code of ethics will ultimately come to use some time and professional

resource in order to work within the community and with its citizens. As

the APA reports, ideally suited candidates for work in the profession will

"strive to contribute a portion of their professional time for little or no

compensation or personal advantage." (APA, Principle B) To the perspective

at our university, this is a distinctly Christian ideal that figures

meaningfully into the correlation between St. Leo's and the APA.

Even in those regards, in fact, where St. Leo's can be said to be

proudly and uniquely Christian in its orientation, there remain some

notable parallels between its values and those of the APA. Indeed, in its

mission, St. Leo's cites respect as a core principle to be demonstrated by

its students and faculty. This means that, according to the perspective

that man is created in the image of God and animated in the spirit of Jesus

Christ, all are to be acknowledged as uniquely capable and deserving of

respect. For the psychologist, who will encounter individuals in

inherently vulnerable states, this is crucial and will mean the difference

between one who connects with or alienates his patients. As the APA tells,

without making mention of the theological implications that distinguish our

perspective, the properly acquitted psychologist will "respect the dignity

and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy,

confidentiality, and self-determination. Psychologists are aware that

special safeguards may be necessary to protect the rights and welfare of

persons or communities whose vulnerabilities impair autonomous decision

making." (APA, Principle E) St. Leo echoes this premise by incorporating

the ideas of unity and diversity as being the founding principles to an

effective and ethically conducted practice.

In many ways, the personal and professional development of the

prospective psychologist will be directly intertwined in this ability to

connect with patients. Stated simply according to the APA, "psychologists

undertake ongoing efforts to develop and maintain their competence." (APA,

Section 2.03) The field of psychology is always evolving, with best

practices and new developments marking the path to improvement of outreach

efforts. In St. Leo's perspective, this is accomplished with a focus on

personal development and all that is implied to the refinement of one's

character. Through the paths of community and spiritual clarity, the

individual will find a path to natural growth as an individual. This will

inevitably lead to growth as a compassionate person, as a student of the

discipline and as a professional guided by embrace of Jesus Christ.

The APA provides ample explicit lines of endorsement for this type of

development, composing the argument that the responsible psychologist will

in all regards be in a steady state of growth. The APA denotes that

especially "in those emerging areas in which generally recognized standards

for preparatory training do not yet exist, psychologists nevertheless take

reasonable steps to ensure the competence of their work and to protect

clients/patients, students, supervisees, research participants,

organizational clients, and others from harm." (APA, Section 2.01e) This

also directly implies the demand place upon all psychologists to approach

the profession with centered and responsible stewardship. As St. Leo's

mission and core values denote, we are divinely blessed with great

abilities and insights to do good in our lives. For those of us engaged in

the study of psychology, this is related to a core understanding that we

have been especially fortunate in having access to education and

professional development. Therefore, we are responsible for using this

fortune as a point of leadership and as a light of insight for those not as

fortunate. This, of course, means that much may be dependent on the

ethical orientation of the developing psychologist. According to the APA,

"because psychologists' scientific and professional judgments and actions

may affect the lives of others, they are alert to and guard against

personal, financial, social, organizational, or political factors that

might lead to misuse of their influence." (APA, Principle A)

This implies that among other things, a practitioner's integrity,

will factor heavily into his abilities and value as a psychologist. St.

Leo describes such qualities as honesty, dedication, consistency and

justice as those which should be observable in the developing psychologist.

The list of qualities which… READ MORE