Professional Ethics and Parents as Consumers: How well are we Doing?

Concerns of parents of children with emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems with respect to the behavior and attitudes they encounter from professionals coincide with concerns professionals have about their own behavior as set forth in professional codes of ethics. Thirty-four experts on professional ethics evaluated items on a behavioral questionnaire. Parents then used the questionnaire to rate professionals who had worked with the mental health problems of their children. Problem areas identified included informed consent, parent self-determination, and respect and compassion for parents.