Ethical Issues in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice

This edited volume comprehensively examines the critical ethical challenges that arise in the practice of counselling and psychotherapy. It translates philosophical positions and professional ethical guidelines in a way that can be applied to practice. The various chapters focus on specific ethical issues that emerge in working with a range of different client groups; for example, children, couples and families. While some ethical imperatives are common across the board, others could be more closely associated with certain client groups. Practitioners might experience uncertainty in working with vulnerable client groups; for example, lesbian/gay/transgender/intersex (LGBT) clients, or persons who report intimate partner violence. Several chapters raise questions, provide information and additional resources to enhance ethically informed practice. Chapter contributions also highlight the ethical dilemmas that might be unique to certain contexts; for example, private practice, schools and consultation-liaison settings. This volume also addresses contemporary and relatively less understood playing fields like ‘digital ethics’ related to therapist-client interface in the internet space and the navigation of ethical dilemmas in the newly emerging field of employee assistance programmes which address mental health needs in the corporate sector.   Written by experienced practitioners of psychotherapy, and culturally contextualized, this is a valuable resource for academics and practitioners interested in psychotherapy and counselling.

“This book provides a space for possible answers to ethical dilemmas, as most authors elucidate principles and factors that can help in critical thinking and decision making. In addition, it facilitates the crucial skill of reflecting, thinking and debating about these issues especially when there are no finite or clear-cut answers available. Ethical issues in counselling and psychotherapy practice: Walking the line is a must-read for all students and practitioners of mental health.” (Vidya Sathyanarayanan, Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, February, 2018)

"I found the book as a whole volume, well written and accompanied by very high level of knowledge and thought. … I added this book to the basic reading list of both my courses in Professional ethics in clinical psychology and Introduction to psychodynamic psychotherapy. I enthusiastically recommend mental health practitioners to assimilate this worthy book into their practice manuals and routine, and teachers and supervisors to use it in teaching and training.” (Gaby Shefler, International Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 22 (1), 2018)

“The book is especially appropriate for use in graduate training courses in counselling and psychotherapy. The volume is clearly and thoughtfully organized and achieves a consistent tone and direction across the variously authored chapters. … in addition to presenting a solid, nuanced treatment on the subject of ethics in counselling and psychotherapy, this volume also represents a small step of progress towards authoritative, globally informed, yet indigenously grounded texts on various aspects of counselling  and therapy.” (Nigel S. Thompson, Asia Pacific Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Vol. 8 (2), July, 2017)



“This book discusses ethical issues involved in counseling and psychotherapy with children, families, and couples across India. … It is intended for academics and practitioners interested in psychotherapy and counseling. … This book is very interesting because it presents ethical issues in counseling and psychotherapy with various populations and contexts in India.” (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody's Book Reviews, March, 2017)

Poornima Bhola, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. She has over 18 years of experience as a therapist and has previously worked in a consultation-liaison context at St. John’s Medical College & Hospital, Bangalore. Her keen interest in ethical questions is reflected in her involvement in teaching, training and research concerning the ethics of practice. She is a member of the Ethics Committee of the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists and of the Institutional Ethics Committee at Karunashraya Trust. She is deeply interested in understanding and enhancing the professional training and development of psychotherapists and has also been involved in the International Study of the Development of Psychotherapists. In addition, her clinical and research interests include psychotherapy processes, youth mental health and suicidality, personality disorders, psychosocial rehabilitation and workplace mental health. 

Ahalya Raguram, PhD, is Professor at the Department of Clinical Psychology and the former head of the department, NIMHANS, Bangalore, with over 25 years of experience. Her clinical, teaching and research interests reflect a long-standing and abiding interest in families and interpersonal relationships as well as individual, family and couple therapies. Her research work has focused on exploring the role of client and therapist factors in the outcome of therapies in addition to examining the efficacy of different approaches to intervention. She is the coordinator of the psychotherapy training programme in in the department. In addition, she has conducted numerous training programmes to impart basic counseling and therapeutic skills to various groups including counsellors from family counselling and rehabilitation centres, lay counsellors, nursing staff as well as school and college teachers. She was an expert member of the Advisory Committee of the Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi for curriculum development of a course on family counselling. She has been a member of the Institutional Ethical Review Board at NIMHANS.