Purpose: The purpose of this task is for students to engage with an ACAP student code and identify how the principles within this code are reflected in one of the professional codes of their...

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Part I: Discussion
The Student Code of Conduct (CoC) issued by the Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) "empowers, encourages and promotes the personal and professional development of students" (ibid.). This document aims to create an environment of responsible conduct that helps its students grow as individuals and professionals. This is an obligatory scenario, failure to follow which may result in a penalty. On the other hand, the Code of Ethics (CoE) issued by the Psychotherapy and Counseling Federation of Australia (PACFA) is a comprehensive document that lays down the values endorsed by the federation and the ethical code of conduct that it expects all practitioners in the field must follow as individuals, practitioners, educators, researchers, and societal beings. Following are some of the significant points of convergence and divergence.
Similarities:
The focus of both the documents is to ensure a proper code of conduct amongst its followers; in the case of the ACAP CoC, the emphasis is on academic and interpersonal codes of conduct, whereas the PACFA document encompasses personal, professional, academic, and societal values and ethics. Both the documents promote an environment of mutual respect for colleagues, staff, and patients to create a tolerant attitude. Mutual respect, courteous behaviour, sensitivity in dealing with others, and impartiality are also some points of similarity. Following high standards of professional ethics takes a central place in both- the ACAP aims to prepare its students for a professional life defined by ethical conduct and strict academic integrity, which the PACFA further consolidates. Maintaining good interpersonal relationships through dignity and respect for others' freedom is upheld by both the documents.
Dissimilarities:
Despite these points of similarity in these two documents, there are some fundamental differences that define them. I shall discuss those under the following category: structure, focus, terminology and audience, self-care, and holistic approach.
· Structure: the structuring of these two documents vary massively. While the ACAP CoC is primarily a short guide to the students' purpose, scope, policy, and responsibility/ conduct, the PACFA CoE is a full-fledged handbook defining different aspects of an individual's life encompassing academic professional, personal, and societal roles. It can be said that the CoE is an extension of the CoC that mandates particular expected behaviour from the practitioners in the field. As a result, the PACFA details various abstract terms through definition and explanation, thereby providing a comprehensive manual to the readers.
· Focus: As mentioned earlier, the focus of both the documents is the same- ensuring a good code of conduct. Although the content of these documents is tantamount to similar expectations, the PACFA CoE begins with the organisational values, which are in stark contrast with the CoC. These values include both personal and professional dimensions that are then elaborated upon through the codes of ethics. The CoE also engages in detail with the ethical standards of clinical practice and issues pertaining to education, training, professional development, and research, making it a document with greater reach.
· Terminology and audience: The CoC and CoE include terms and definitions. A look at these terms will also point to the difference between the two documents. For example, the CoC defines terms such as Academic staff/teaching staff, College, International student/ Overseas student, and Unit, whereas the CoE lists our terms such as Client, Dignity of Risk, Educator, Learner, Practitioner, Reportable Breach, Sexual Relationship, Student, Supervisor, and Trainer. The terminology defines the target audience of these two documents, which in the case of the CoC is primarily the students of ACAP, whereas, for CoE, it is primarily the professional practitioners.
· Self-care: Self-care is an essential aspect of the PACFA CoE which underlines the personal well-being of practitioners,...