Ethics of mental health care

This unit will cover the essential components of ethical practice in clinical mental health settings, and is recognised by The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) as part of an accredited formal education course that includes an elective ethics component.

This unit teaches the ethical underpinning of clinical mental health practice, beginning with foundational ethical theories and frameworks, and covering the common clinical challenges of privacy and confidentiality, capacity and informed consent, coercive treatment, boundary issues and conflicts of interest, and the exercise of power. Special topics about professional relationship with industry, end-of-life decisions, codes of ethics and child protection are also covered.

This unit will be relevant to any person working in a clinical mental health setting or with people experiencing mental illness, including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, nurses, lived experience workers, general practitioners, and those working in general hospital settings, especially emergency departments and palliative care units.