Be An Ethical Therapist or Seriously? Seriously! Seriously?

I have a confession to make. Every time my copy of Therapy Today hits the doormat, I flick through towards the back to the Professional Misconduct section. I started doing this during my training as a way of quickly working out what not to do in therapy and to get clarity on the ethical code to which I subscribe. They’re a bit like case studies that highlight what our code of ethics means in practice…well, that’s how I see them.

But what never ceases to amaze me is some of the bizarre stuff that comes before the panel, for example:

• The therapist terminated the work because she found the complainant’s disclosures too personally disturbing
• Inappropriate expressions of affection via text message with a client
• The therapist behaved in an aggressive and rude manner, intimidating the client
• The therapist altered the terms of the contract and then terminated the work without sufficient consultation and without the consent of the client

Seriously…seriously…seriously!? Would you do anything like what I’ve highlighted above if you worked somewhere else doing completely different work? Would you tolerate that kind of behaviour from another business that you had dealings with? I’m willing to bet the answer is no.

For me, the ethical code to which I adhere also applies to how I see myself as a business person. I’m a therapist in private practice. But I also run a business, the business of providing therapy. It’s a very delicate type of business, my clients come to trust me, they reveal details about their lives which are intensely personal. I want to honour and respect that, but at the same time I also want to honour and respect myself as the owner and leader of my business and that means not being a douche.

The ethical codes we all adhere to and the work we do is can seem like it occupies much more of the grey areas than the black or white ends of the spectrum, but our ethical codes are also there to protect us as well as our clients. I encourage you to think not only about what type of therapist you want to be but also what type of business you want to lead.

Yes, that will mean making some incredibly tough decisions. We work with emotions, relationships, communication, boundary issues. The decisions we make that effect our work and our businesses ARE a lot more intricate and delicate than the decisions other business leaders have to make. That’s why we must avail ourselves of the support of our colleagues, our supervisors and our own therapists.

Ask yourself if the decisions you make are right for your clients, right for you and right for your business.