Name:

Norman Scott

Picture of Dr. Norman Scott

Address:
 
W259 Lagomarcino Hall


Department of Psychology
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-3180

 

Voice Mail:

(515) 294 - 1509

E-mail:
nascott@iastate.edu

Personal Page:

None

Courses Taught:

     Psych 460:  Abnormal Psychology

     Psych 542:  Psychoeducational Assessment

     Psych 561:  Psychopathology and Behavior Deviations

 

     Psych 691:  Practicum in Psychology

 

     Psych 692M:  Seminar in Ethics and Professional Issues

 

Interests:

Counseling ethics, informed consent and expectations; personality assessment with objective inventories; concepts and attributions of dangerousness

 

MAKING TREATMENT DECISIONS IN UNAVOIDABLE ETHICAL DILEMMAS

"What you live with you learn; what you learn you practice; what you practice you become; what you become has consequences."

Norman Scott is studying how and why professional therapist psychologists make assessment and treatment decisions when confronted with unavoidable ethical dilemmas. Unfortunately, therapeutic endeavors in which a client reports child abuse, or instances in which a client makes credible threats of harm directed at a third party, are frequent experiences in clinical practice. 

The ethical issues that provide a basis for this research involve balancing the ethical confidentiality principle of protecting the client's privacy against legal mandates to report child abuse, or competing ethical principles to protect the welfare of others, as is often the case in instances of client threats uttered against a third party. 

Scott's research addresses under what conditions of client informed consent that confidences may be breached so that third parties can be warned of impending potential violence or so that child protective services can be notified. The study also examines clinicians' confidence and satisfaction in decision making.

Research in this area has great relevance to practicing clinicians, such as counseling, clinical, or school psychologists. Scott's research is usually collaborative, involving counseling psychology doctoral students. Recent efforts in this counselor training relevant domain have been published in respected, practice-related American Psychological Association journals.

Publications:

 

Publications:

Nicolai, K., & Scott, N. A. (1994). Provision of confidentiality information and its relationship to child abuse reporting. Professional Psychology: Research, Theory and Practice, 25, 154-160.