A code of ethics for a community mental health program

The Orange County Department of Mental Health developed a code of ethics to give its variety of employees a single set of standards for patient care and professional behavior in a community mental health program. The need for the code grew from problems of role definition and interdisciplinary collaboration that repeatedly arose during the program's development. General principles for the code were extracted from various professional codes, from issues arising in the day-to-day workings of the program, and from existing laws. The code, presented here, defines principles related to confidentiality, professional conduct, quality of service, moral and legal standards, clients' rights, and therapist-client relationships.