Ethical Dilemmas in Treatment of Trauma

Adhering to moral and ethical practice standards is an expectation for all mental health professionals, whether they are in the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, social work, marriage and family counseling, pastoral counseling, or substance abuse. Each discipline has a distinct code of ethics that must be followed and is reinforced by licensing boards and respective professional associations. Although there are some differences between disciplines, all share commonalities that will be addressed here. For simplicity's sake, hereafter these professionals will be referred to as therapists. The domain of ethical practice is meant for every therapist-client professional relationship, but it is especially important in working with trauma survivors, who may already be emotionally vulnerable as a result of their experiences and may find it difficult to establish ...