Ethical Decision Making in Therapy
Subtitle: Feminist Perspectives
Contributors: Elizabeth J. Rave (Editor); Carolyn C. Larsen (Editor)
Publisher: The Guilford Press; Guilford Press
Published: August 4, 1995
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 284
ISBN-13: 9780898620894
Subjects: Gender studies; Medical ethics; Social, group or collective psychology; Psychotherapy - General; Psychiatric Ethics; Psychology Of Women; Psychology; Ethics; Feminism & Feminist Theory; Psychology & Psychiatry / Clinical Psychology
First sentence: Codes of ethics for the mental health professions protect the welfare of clients by requiring professional competency.
Description: This volume offers an innovative feminist model that acknowledges the importance of affect in ethical decision making. Case scenarios raise ethical dilemmas typical of everyday practice and experienced feminist therapists explain how they might respond. Recognizing that women still comprise the majority of clients in most therapy settings, each section of the book begins with a discussion of why the issue is important to women.

At least two therapists respond to each ethical dilemma, applying the Feminist Therapy Institute's Code of Ethics (developed in 1987) as well as traditional ethical codes of the mental health professions. The discussions offer clear and practical guidelines for recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas, encouraging readers to compare their own philosophical viewpoints and ethical approaches. Each section concludes with a discussion of implications.

Differences and diversity in race, ethnicity, and sexual preference are integrated throughout the scenarios and responses. The editors and contributors to this book, who are from Canada and the United States, also represent these diversities as well as a range of disciplines and professions.

This book will be of lasting importance to psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and nurses, regardless of setting or theoretical orientation. Because ethics education, minimal until recently in many mental health training programs, is an essential component in training and continuing education, this volume also serves as a text for students.