1-Mark Twain popularized the phrase, “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damne

1-Mark Twain popularized the phrase, “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics.” What do you think this phrase means? Share your thoughts with your classmates in Yellowdig. Give your post a hashtag (e.g., #statslies).
2-Provide substantive responses to the initial posts of at least two learners. Contribute to the conversation by asking questions, respectfully debating positions, or responding freely to the topic at hand. Your responses should reference assigned readings as well as other academic references that support your views and writings. Remember to follow APA Style and Format (linked in Resources) when citing references.
2.1Megan Shmyr
Aug 27, 2023Aug 27 at 8:32am
U8: D2: Adherence to Guidelines for Forensic Psychology
In legal proceedings or a courtroom, a forensic psychologist works for the court or the attorney who hired them. The court or lawyer is considered their client, and this relationship is something the forensic psychologist informs the defendant of before proceeding (Drogin, 2019). The forensic psychologist looks for multiple sources of information and remains objective in all their findings and evaluations.
A clinical psychologist who is called to testify is working for the client, and is to report what was said in session, or describe evaluations, assessments, or conversation had with the client. The clinical psychologist does not answer any of the legal questions at hand, such as “if they think the client is guilty”, or “who should have full custody of the child.” The clinical psychologist is there to provide honest information about the client they represent, which the lawyers and judge can decide what to do with. The clinical psychologist only needs to reveal information that is privy to the situation at hand, and does not need to disclose everything, as part of client-therapist privilege (Drogin, 2019).
Switching from one role to the other could lead to multiple relationships and conflict of interest. According to the Canadian Psychological Services for Litigation Support Guidelines, section 1.3 states that psychologists should avoid taking on more than one role when it comes to litigation services and avoid providing litigation support if they are or have already provided psychological support to a party of the litigation (client or family member) (The College of Alberta Psychologists, 2019). The APA also warns of multiple relationships and that forensic psychologists should “recognize that some personal and professional relationships may interfere with their ability to practice in a competent and impartial manner, and they seek to minimize any detrimental effects by avoiding involvement in such matters” (American Psychological Association, 2011). Forensic psychologists do not have an emotional tie in the litigation matter at hand, and a clinical psychologist does due to the natural evolvement of a relationship with one’s clients. If a clinical psychologist were to take on the role of a forensic evaluator for a current client, the relationship could cloud the objective and unbiased views that a forensic psychologist is supposed to present to the court.
The guidelines provided by the College of Alberta Psychologists (2019) includes a list of possible litigation roles and items that are considered unacceptable, such as “coaching a client on how to perform for a psychological evaluation” (p. 3). Psychological litigation services are never to support just one side of the argument to help a client win a case – all dealings need to be objective, unbiased, and scientifically truthful. Also, even though a psychologist may be called to court or requested by a lawyer, it does not mean they need to follow through if it is unprofessional and unethical to take on request (The College of Alberta Psychologists, 2019). This guideline would apply in the event of a multiple role circumstance or if the psychologist is incompetent in forensics they are being called to conduct.

References
American Psychological Association. (2011, January 1). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology. https://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/forensic-psychologyLinks to an external site.
Drogin, E. Y. (2019). Ethical Conflicts in Psychology (5th ed., pp. 667-731). American Psychological Association. Retrieved from vbk://9781433830518
The College of Alberta Psychologists. (2019). Psychological services for litigation support including work product review/critique. https://www.cap.ab.ca/Portals/0/pdfs/Psychological-Services-for-Litigation-Support-Including-Work-Product-Review-Critique-July-2019.pdfLinks to an external site.
2.2Jackie Izaguirre
MondayAug 28 at 8:41pm
The main concern that comes to mind is that clinical psychology requires trust in the client-therapist relationship. The client exposes themselves by disclosing statements they may not typically disclose to others. In addition, counseling services will review goals the client would like to improve upon as sessions progress. In a way, it is more client-centered. On the other hand, forensic psychology or an evaluation is more investigative as a psychologist will assess patients since the results can be used in law (Rocchio, 2020).

When a psychologist must enter a forensic role, they must be competent to do this role. If there is a circumstance such as a former client who worked with a psychologist to work on their confidence, the client has fallen victim to a traumatic event and is seeking compensation due to the events. In this case, the psychologist will need to assess the trauma received. The APA’s Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (2011) states that psychologists must be competent.

A clinical psychologist may not have enough comprehension of laws and regulations compared to forensic psychologists, as this is a part of education and training, and psychologists must be aware of any conflict of interest (American Psychological Association, 2011). It would be better for the client to undergo evaluation by a forensic psychologist.

A forensic psychologist completing counseling services may not have enough education or training compared to a clinical psychologist who specializes in this already. Forensic psychology aims to apply psychology to law during legal matters (American Psychological Association, 2011).
As the APA’s Ethical Codes (2017) understand, psychologists must indicate their education and competence, so a client may not find a forensic psychologist competent. This would violate Illinois since the Administrative Codes (2011) are straightforward, indicating that psychologists or counselors must practice within their competence. This is due to having the client’s best interest at heart.

Reference
American Psychological Association. (2011). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology. https://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/forensic-psychology
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.html
Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act, Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68 § 1375.225 (2011). https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068013750C02250R.html
Rocchio, L. M. (2020). Ethical and Professional Considerations in the Forensic Assessment of Complex Trauma and Dissociation. Psychological Injury and Law, 13(2), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-020-09384-9
3-As you respond to your classmates, share your experiences and anecdotal feedback regarding their posts. How have your personal experiences resonated with their ideas? What can you add to their ideas, building on the connections you have made to the material so far? Consider exploring the features of Yellowdig, such as your ability to embed videos and pictures, create polls and videos, use hashtags, love or like a post, and so on.
3.1
Brandon Smith
Today at 2:18 PM CDT
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The quote “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics.” to me refers to individuals that twist statistics to fit what they want. Usually it is by people who are at best misinterpreting the information that they have found. However, this can still led to the general public being given the wrong information.
3.2
Kaitlyn Cox
Today at 4:39 PM CDT
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Statistics can deceive people without them even knowing or understanding that it is occurring. It is easy for someone to manipulate statistic to turn out in their favor for support and used to mislead people to believing certain ideals. Multiple factors go into misleading statistics being created or caused such as the sample size number used, misleading visual used to support such statistics, and even biases that are either unknown or known.