A Lesson On Ethics in Psychotherapy

The case history of the 17 year-old adolescent male involves delinquency and an apparent indifference (or

inability) by the parents to maintain any sort of stability in the household. The father is a prominent leader in the community with a wandering eye for the females. His accounts of public infidelity have driven a wedge between him and his wife over the years and he has distanced himself from his son as well. The mother did not want the divorce because of her religious upbringing, but could not take the public embarrassment and shame. She thus became more distant, despondent, and turned to alcohol to ease the pain. 

The child has been in and out of trouble since the age of 14 when he and some friends stole a car and crashed after a high-speed chase with law enforcement. The child has since had issues with substance abuse and larceny to support his heroin addiction.  The child is now in therapy as a result of the court’s pressure on the father and threat of admittance to a children’s psychiatric hospital.

At odds with the custodial parent’s wishes for the noncustodial parent not to be involved in the child’s therapy, the psychotherapist takes the position of “do no harm” to the client. (APA, 2010).  The therapist then speaks with the child to better understand his wishes concerning his mother’s involvement. The child is emotionally indifferent and could “care less” either way. However, the therapist believes that having both parents involved would promote beneficence for the child client. The therapist now needs to get answers to his questions from other colleagues.

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