Ethics in Child Psychotherapy: A Practitioner’s Perspective

Abstract

Children represent one of the most vulnerable populations and it is the responsibility of the mental health professional to identify ethical issues and incorporate ethical principles into the practice of psychotherapy. In this chapter, basic ethical principles such as boundaries, privacy, confidentiality, autonomy and competence as they apply to psychotherapy for children and adolescents are discussed. Approaches to challenging situations such as counter transference, child custody disputes, revelation of abuse, multiple relationships and multiple therapists are highlighted. Commonly encountered issues such as online practices, public encounters and termination are reviewed. The chapter uses vignettes as a method to exemplify ethical challenges and each vignette is followed by a discussion of the process of assessing the situation, taking into account all the relevant factors and principles to come to a conclusion regarding the course of action in a given therapeutic situation. A balance of unwavering commitment to their safety, dedication to act in their best interests and perusal of issues from a rights-based perspective is the cornerstone of the ethical practice of child and adolescent therapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)