Guest editor Jeffrey Barnett discusses a few key takeaways from a special section in the December 2019 issue of Psychotherapy that highlights ethics issues and challenges relevant to emerging areas of practice in psychotherapy.
What is the special section about?
The articles in this special section on ethics in psychotherapy provide the latest thinking in several rapidly evolving areas of practice.
The introductory article offers a proactive approach to ethical practice, highlighting emerging areas of practice such as telepsychology, interprofessional practice and collaboration with other health professionals, and the role of self-care in promoting ethical practice.
The articles that follow focus on issues such as how psychotherapists should respond when they are threatened, stalked, and harassed by current or former clients (including online); ethical dilemmas associated with addressing distorted beliefs presented by clients in psychotherapy; the role of routine outcomes monitoring as both an ethical and clinical issue; how to prevent and address burnout for psychotherapists; the ethics issues and challenges associated with psychotherapy in the #MeToo era; and how to integrate a social justice framework into psychotherapy research, going beyond ethics codes, laws, and regulations to achieve our profession's ideals.
Each article offers practical steps to address common challenges in these areas.
What is the significance of the section?
Psychotherapists face an ever-increasing number of complex ethical dilemmas. Unfortunately, advice to “follow the ethics code” is not sufficient to deal with the range of challenges that arise as the world we live in, the lives our clients live, and the practice of psychotherapy continue to evolve. Psychotherapists need additional guidance to fulfill their ethical obligations to clients in keeping with the highest ethical ideals of our profession.
Tell us about a few key takeaways.
The ethics code is an excellent starting point for preventing and responding to ethical dilemmas and challenges. But as the world around us continues to rapidly change, the ethics code cannot provide guidance to address every challenge. The articles in this special section provide clear and practical guidance on new areas of psychotherapy practice and research.
Key takeaways include the use of ethical decision-making models, consultation with expert colleagues, use of online resources, and prevention strategies. The role and importance of ongoing self-care and the prevention of burnout have a direct effect on many of these ethical dilemmas and on how we can address them ethically and appropriately.
What are some practical implications of the articles featured in the section?
Psychotherapists may struggle with how to effectively prevent and respond to common ethical dilemmas. While all psychotherapists ought to practice ethically, sometimes that is easier said than done. The articles in this special section provide practical, timely guidance for ethical practice.
Citation
- Barnett, J. E. (2019). The ethical practice of psychotherapy: Clearly within our reach. Psychotherapy, 56(4), 431–440. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000272
Note: This article is in the Clinical Psychology topic area. View more articles in the Clinical Psychology topic area.