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Is there a Duty to Warn When Working with HIV-Positive Clients?

Stephanie Chervenak Asks:
I am curious about ethical considerations when treating individuals who are HIV positive. What are my responsibilities as a clinician if I know that my client (HIV positive) is engaging in risky/unsafe sexual practices with someone? In this case, the other person’s life is endangered.
This issue always stumps me, thank you for your [...]

Ask the Ethicist: Supervisors Need Competence Too!

Taline Andonian Asks:
As graduate students we receive training not only in academia but in a myriad of different clinical settings, which often lead to a wide range of experiences in terms of supervision. Because of the emphasis that is placed on clinical/practical training for clinical psychology programs in particular a graduate student’s competencies are strongly [...]

Ask the Ethicist: Couples Therapy in an Abusive Relationship

Question by Faith Prelli.
I have a client (18yr female) who I have seen twice a week for 8 months who is currently in a relationship plagued with intimate partner violence. This has been dubbed “mutual combat” by several of my co-workers, but in exploration with her, it appears as though the severity of his violence, [...]

Ask the Ethicist: The Ethics of Making or Not Making Medication Referrals.

Question By Jennifer Weinstein.
Currently, there is a push for people to be on medication, and clients often come in stating that they want medication. This is especially true in multidisciplinary environments where psychiatrists and APRNs work alongside psychotherapists. However, some people do not have this mindset. For therapists [...]

Ask The Ethicist: Phone Therapy

Question by Dr. Betty Scott Noble.
I have a female client I have seen for several years (abusive marriage then divorce and a very recent re-marriage). She has moved with her new husband about two hours away and does all her work by computer, so she doesn’t come to Atlanta anymore. She asked if I could [...]

Ask the Ethicist Blog

Ask the Ethicist is a feature on the website of the APA Division of Psychotherapy that provides a forum for asking questions involving ethics and professional practice issues. All psychotherapists face ethically challenging dilemmas and situations in their professional work, whether it be in providing psychotherapy, in conducting research, in supervision or consultation, or [...]

Ask The Ethicist: The Role of Technology in Psychotherapy

Linda asks a number of very important questions about the role the use of technology in research and practice, to include the recording (audio and/or visual) psychotherapy sessions, supervision, peer consultation, research, and presentations.  Additional questions concern the role of informed consent when making such recordings, the role of HIPAA and other confidentiality and privacy [...]

Ask the Ethicist: A Request For An Anonymous Consultation

Question by Dr. Overtree
I have a client referral who is requesting, via an anonymous email message, to be screened by me as a possible patient anonymously. Although he states he is not suicidal or homicidal, nor does he meet any of the criteria for possible involuntary hospitalization (by his own report), he remains extremely concerned [...]

Ask the Ethicist: Therapist Shopping in a Client with PTSD

Question from Dr. Magnavita
I have been treating a man with complex PTSD who started to see me after his transference feelings toward his previous psychotherapist became unmanageable. He sees me infrequently and has consulted with about 5 subsequent therapists who he reports trigger his trauma. He frequently emails me and occasionally sees me for a [...]