IAAP Ethics

History of the Ethics Committee

IAAP Committee on Ethics was formed in 2004 with Janel Gauthier as the first Chair of the Committee. Alfred Allan became Chair in 2014. 

Committee Members

Alfred Allan, Chair, Australia
Andrea Ferrero, Argentina
Carole Sinclair, Canada
Janel Gauthier, Canada
Mark Leach, United States
Usha Kiran Subba, Nepal

Purpose and Function of the Ethics Committee 

The Ethics Committee was established as an IAAP standing committee by the IAAP Board in 2004 with Janel Gauthier as its first Chair.  Alfred Allan became Chair in 2014. Its purpose is twofold:

•  to promote ethical conduct, awareness, and thinking among Association members and,
•  to provide consultation and advice to the IAAP Board on ethical issues and related matters.

The Committee fulfills its purpose by: (a) promoting the Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists, (b) developing and/or providing educational ethics resources for members, (c) developing and refining ethical guidelines and policies as needed, and (d) providing consultations, opinions, and/or recommendations to the Board regarding Association-related ethical issues.

The Committee does not review complaints of alleged ethical conduct against Association members. 

Internal Terms of Reference

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS

Resources

Professional Associations of Psychology Around the World

National and Regional Ethics Codes and Frameworks

Division 10: Psychology, Law & Ethics

Global Developments in Ethics Relevant to Psychology

United States

The development of a new ethics code from the American Psychological Association is ongoing. Thousands of comments from the 3-month public comment period that ended in March 2025 are now being reviewed by the Ethics Code Task Force (ECTF). The ECTF meets every other week virtually and had an in-person meeting in Washington DC at the end of May. There will be another comment period in the future.

Published June 11, 2025

Latin America

The Ethics Committee of the Interamerican Society of Psychology that was created in 2024 will be officially presented by the Board of Directors at the 9^th Regional Congress in the city of Arequipa, Peru. The first activity of the Committee was to submit a proposal to the Executive Board for the promotion and use of non-discriminatory language. The Ethics Committee will also be present at the Interamerican 40^th Congress of Psychology that will be held in Puerto Rico, hosted by Albizu University, from 14 to 18 July 2025.  The Ethics Committee continues reviewing the Code of ethics in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists.  This is also happening in respect of the codes of several provinces in Argentina and the intention is to do the same with the Argentinian national Code of ethics.

Published May 27, 2025

Nepal

Nepalese psychologists are currently not regulated by a specific registration authority even though the Ministry of Health and Population has oversight over them.  The Nepalese Association of Clinical Psychologists (NACP) uses its code of ethics, which was published in 2019,  to regulate its own members, but not all psychologists in the country are members of the NACP.  The NACP is therefore currently campaigning for the formal registration and regulation of all Nepalese psychologists.

Published May 27, 2025

Singapore

The Singaporean Ministry of Health is working towards introducing the registration of psychologists in Singapore in response to concerns about client safety and questions in parliament. News reports suggest that “the focus will be on psychologists providing direct care, involving higher-risk assessments and interventions across various sectors”.  A committee has been established to oversee the process.

Published May 27, 2025

Australia

The Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA), which since 2010 regulates psychologists in Australia, recently published a Code of Conduct.  The PsyBA will use the code to regulate all Australian psychologists from December 1, 2025. The code will co-exist with the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) Code of Ethics, which the APS as a professional body will use to govern its members. 

Published March 12, 2025

Early Career Marathon Presentations on Ethics

Mark Leach - 2025 ECM

Alfred Allan - 2022 ECM

Janel Gauthier - 2021 ECM