Name
Capella University
PSYC FPX 3520
Prof. Name
December, 2024
Case Study 3: Dr. Frank – Practicing Psychology
Complications of professionalism, ethics of confidentiality, and respect for boundaries can come into the limelight when there is a necessity to expound some professional requirements should a clinician like Dr. Frank faces, such as the dual relationship, informed consent, and how to protect the client’s information in light of different legal/ethical codes of the APA. In addition, concerning the working relationships, Dr. Frank has to regulate his working responsibilities and self-care not to become burnt out and to be impartial in practice. According to ethics and continuous professional practice, Dr. Frank is capable of meeting the patients’ needs with proper respect to the integrity of the profession of psychology.
The Concept of Self-Regulation
Self-regulation concerns the regulation of emotion, behavior, and cognition in the process of achieving instrumental, terminal, and permanent ambitions and objectives. Self-control is one of the facets of emotional intelligence and entails the capability to overcome temptations, restrain one’s desires to act on the spur of the moment, and regulate oneself by the achievement of goals (MacNamara et al., 2022). The self-regulatory processes include self-monitoring which involves an evaluation of one’s behavior with a view of weighing that behavior against the predetermined goals self-control involves avoiding temptations or distractions that are likely to divert one’s attention from the say set goals. Self-regulation of those emotions is also needed because it can effectively manage stress and negative feelings. This concept, we learned from theories of psychology especially those of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory posits that self-efficacy is an important factor in the self-regulation of the human being. Self-regulation has diverse areas, for example, achievement at school means orderly behavior regarding the time that students have to study, or organizational environment that means, particular ways to behave when being at work, which means how to cope with stress and be effective. Personal regulation entails two types of motivation, understanding of both goals and feedback and autonomy. Lapses in self-regulation self-regulation are characterized by impulsivity, procrastination, or emotional turmoil. The process of building this kind of ability involves techniques ranging from meditation and critical thinking to and design of an environment that can be free of many distractions and so on.
Research Interpretation
Research interpretation could be defined as the analysis is always an interpretation of data or findings in a given context resulting in a conclusion. It requires analytical skills to analyze the research design, rigor, and usefulness, and also the broader consequences of the findings. For instance, in health care, research interpretation enables the doctors and the researchers to appreciate the application of research results to practice, treatment as well as policy formulation in the health care system (MacNamara et al., 2022). It’s far from just statistical data understanding: Thus, study design, sample size, sources of bias, and consistency of the results with existing knowledge have gained much attention. Consequently, this shall mean that the correct way to conduct and implement research interpretation shall guarantee that real evidence is applied in some manner that enhances practice, policies, or results. My work will involve a very sensitive analysis of findings and if one has to include and implement and to make sure the results obtained that are reached are valid practical and useful for health care or any other real-life situations.
Application of Self-Regulation
When applying self-regulation in the flow context presented by Dr. Frank in the case study, one has to be able to balance between work and self-care. As a psychologist, Dr. Frank has to be emotionally self-aware and calm all the time when handling problematic clients or situations (MacNamara et al., 2022). This involves managing one’s feelings so as not to hamper their ability to attend to the needs of a client or to encourage emotional contagion and acting on it without thinking. Proper professional boundaries, management of stress, and presence of mind specifically for continued focus and clarity during therapy sessions fall under self-regulation. According to Dr. Frank, one has to take some time from time to evaluate and monitor the emotions that one usually responds to from clients to ensure that in the course of providing care, one has not become tired or even burnt out. Self-regulation will also help him to make the right decisions throughout the code of ethics to avoid ethical dilemmas such as managing of dual role and other related issues. Consequently, by practicing self-regulation optimally, Dr. Frank impacts the efficiency of the therapeutic outcomes and the health, and productivity in the overall lifecycle of his activity. This is even more critical when it comes to areas of high pressure such as psychology where the character and sanity of a therapist are directly linked to the results of the therapist and the client.
Ethical Reasoning Application
The stories with Dr. Frank require further ethical thinking in his psychological work. When it comes to making decisions regarding a patient’s treatment the psychologist has to employ principles such as respect for the patient’s autonomy, beneficent, and non-maleficence. For instance, in his dealings with clients who may need close or significant management, the client was forced to consider whether to keep certain things confidential or take the client to the necessary authorities to protect the client from harm in cases where the client had betrayed signs that the consultant did not trust the individual on the aspect (Wolters et al., 2020). Ethical reasoning also calls for when there is the likelihood of a conflict of interest or a dual relationship because Dr Frank should consider any move he is making bearing in mind the implications that there could be on the therapeutic relationship as well as to the well-being of his clients. An example is the Code of Ethics by the American Psychological Association that Dr. Frank can use will enable him to make decisions that will in one way or the other be professionally accountable to make any setting therapeutic trustworthy and integrity. In the end, it is only ethical thinking that assists Dr. Frank in arriving at the correct decision that has made the clients come first, commit to professional duties, and ensure that the surroundings in which people are treated are ethical and safe.
Critical Thinking Application
Knowledge of Critical thinking in the case of Dr Frank is crucial to enable sound judgment and, therefore, provide good therapy (Ozimek et al., 2021). As a practicing psychologist, Dr. Frank works in the clinic where he diagnoses many complicated cases where he has to consider such parameters of his clients like their emotional, psychological, and social history before determining how is it advisable to treat them. Critical thinking provides the person the choice to evaluate and decide whether the various methods and therapies can be useful, how results or impact and effects and implications can be evaluated and measured, and choose the right treatment regime required for the patient. For instance, if the client is withdrawn, sad, or lacks energy, Dr. Frank would assess the depth of the symptoms, consider what might be causing such symptoms, and decide if therapy alone is sufficient if medication or a referral to a physician is warranted. Reasoning assists him in assessing the detriment of personal prejudice to ensure his or her self-conviction does not influence the judgment process or his or her behavior. By this rationale, critical thinking enables Dr. Frank to systematically practice; all the decisions, thus evidence-based, focused on the client, and ethical as well as outcomes-based in his therapeutic intervention.
PSYC FPX 3520 assessment 2 References
MacNamara, A., Joyner, K., & Klawohn, J. (2022). Event-related potential studies of emotion regulation: A review of recent progress and future directions. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 176, 73–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.03.008
Ozimek, P., & Förster, J. (2021). The social online-self-regulation-theory: A review of self-regulation in social media. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 33(4), 181-190. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000304
Wolters, C. A., & Brady, A. C. (2020). College students’ time management: A self-regulated learning perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 33(4), 1319–1351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09519-z