Operational Psychology: Legal and Ethical Considerations

Graham Danzer, PsyD

$29.00

CE Credit Hours : 2

Target Audience : Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy, Psychology, School Psychology, Social Work, Teaching

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Course Abstract

Operational Psychology: Legal and Ethical Considerations is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that explores the differing viewpoints on the necessity, legality, and ethical use of psychologists to aid the U.S. government in military commitments.

Whether psychologists should aid the U.S. government in hostile actions against its enemies may be the most controversial topic in the history of the helping professions. The military operational psychologists and their supporters in APA governance advance indirect assessments, consultations to interrogators, and other such duties as protecting the government and American society from what could otherwise be catastrophic harms.

They advance the position that such duties are not unlike other third-party consultations, in which the psychologist’s primary duties are to an agency or governmental authority, informed consent is not required, and the targeted individual may be seriously harmed. They attribute the major atrocities of the past to a small number of rogue psychologists, behavioral drift, and poor supervision, which all but ushered in the recently published Professional Practice Guidelines for Operational Psychology.

The self-identified peace psychologists, who have led the movement in disfavor to what they consider unethical adversarial military operational psychology, conclude the alleged rogues were not alone in supporting a torture program and they, like their self-interested supporters in APA governance, have never taken personal responsibility or been held professionally or legally accountable. The peace psychologists conclude military demands and psychology ethics may be irreconcilable, the operational psychologists’ primary duties to the U.S. government subordinate the human rights of individuals who are the target of intervention, and amount to a perversion of professional ethics unbefitting the helping professions in entirety.

Each side attributes the other’s criticisms to conflicts of interest and other forms of bias. This course neutrally reviews the key legal and ethical issues, presents the peace and operational psychologist positions, and concludes with a summary and implications for the future of military operational psychology.

Outline

Introduction
Section 1: Professional Ethics & National Security
Section 2: Law
Section 3: Mental Health Treatment and Evaluations
Section 4: Psychology Ethics
Section 5: Recourses and Resolutions
Section 6: Conclusions

Course #21-69 | 2026 | 36 pages | 15 posttest questions | Mobile-Friendly

Learning Objectives

Discuss the operational and peace psychology conclusions about the ethics of psychologists aiding the U.S. government in interrogations and via indirect assessments
Differentiate the operational psychologist and peace psychologist positions on classified information restrictions
Explain the operational psychologist and peace psychologist positions on mental health evaluations
Distinguish between the operational psychologist and peace psychologist positions on informed consent
Describe the operational psychologist and peace psychologist positions on operational psychology as akin to other third-party consultations
Discern the operational psychologist and peace psychologist positions on ethical recourse

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. The course is text-based (reading) and the CE test is open-book (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Successful completion of this course involves passing an online test (80% required, 3 chances to take) and we ask that you also complete a brief course evaluation.

About the Author(s)

Graham Danzer, PsyD : Find out More

Graham Danzer, PsyD, is a research-informed forensic psychologist with multidisciplinary training and 19 years of experience. Dr. Danzer provides innovative training, teaching, and expert consultation to senior officials and representatives within the state and federal government, academic institutions, and professional organizations. He has designed and executed research projects associated with the publishing of five textbooks and one book chapter, 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 32 presentations at professional conferences. Cross disciplinary training includes Advanced Interviewing Techniques for Law Enforcement Investigators, Counterterrorism, and Threat Assessment at FLETC. Accomplishments have been recognized via 19 merit-based commendations or awards from 2006-present.

Disclosure

Financial: Receives author compensation from Professional Development Resources, Inc.
Nonfinancial: No relevant nonfinancial relationships exist.

CE Information

Counseling

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Approved Continuing Education Provider

Professional Development Resources (PDR) has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5590. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. PDR is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Professional Development Resources is also approved as a provider of online (home study) continuing education by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#50-1635); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135 - Note: New York counselors will receive 2 continuing education credits for completing this self-study course); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 47 boards).

Marriage and Family Therapy

American Psychological Association Approved Sponsor

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#50-1635); the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100 - Note: New York MFTs will receive 2 continuing education credit(s) for completing this self-study course); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 47 boards).

Psychology

School Psychology

Social Work

Professional Development Resources, #1046, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 6/12/2025 - 6/12/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits. ACE format: Reading-based asynchronous distance learning.

Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346); the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664 - Note: New York social workers will receive 2 continuing education credit(s) for completing this self-study course); the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 47 boards).

Teaching

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346), Board of Psychology, and Office of School Psychology; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145), State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135) and marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100), and the State Board for Social Workers as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 47 boards).