Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T01:52:49.826Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An ethical dilemma in psychotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jeremy Holmes
Affiliation:
North Devon District Hospital, Raleigh Park, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4JB
Gwen Adshead
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Jeanette Smith
Affiliation:
Fromeside Clinic, Blackberry Hill, Bristol BS16 1EP
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This paper examines the ethical principles of justice and autonomy in psychotherapy. A case history is presented which illustrates how ethical dilemmas concerning the type of psychotherapy to be offered are powerfully influenced by often unconscious counter-transference feelings in the resource allocators. The question of how autonomous a psychotherapy patient can be, when unconscious motivations could be affecting rational choice, is also explored and possible answers provided.

Type
Original papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994

References

Armstrong, D. & Humphrey, C. (1993) Health care, sociology, and medical ethics. In Principles of Health Care Ethics (ed. Gillon, R.). Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Beauchamp, T. & Childress, J. (1989) Principles of Biomedical Ethics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Brody, H. (1993) The Four Principles and Narrative Ethics. In Gillon (1993) op cit. Google Scholar
Fulford, K.W. (1989) Moral Theory and Medical Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Fulford, K.W. & Hope, T. (1993) Psychiatric ethics: a bioethical ugly duckling? In Principles of Health Care Ethics (ed. Gillon, R.). Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Gillon, R. (1985) Philosophical Medical Ethics. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Gillon, R. (1993) (ed.) Principles of Health Care Ethics, Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Holmes, J. & Lindley, R. (1989) The Values of Psychotherapy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Holmes, J. & Lindley, R. Ethics and psychotherapy. In Gillon (1993) op cit. Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.