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 9th 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 40th 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
