Effective counselling and psychotherapy depend on the therapist's ability to provide objectivity and single-minded commitment to the client's welfare. When the practitioner has a special personal or professional relationship with the client, objectivity, selfless commitment to the client, and client trust are exposed to the risks associated with the treatment process.

"You are a counsellor providing psychological assessments in an urban hospital. A young woman is self-referred, complaining of anxiety. Through the process of the assessment, you learn that she is concerned about being "fat," often induces vomiting after meals, uses laxatives frequently, restricts her caloric intake, and exercises daily. She says that she feels you understand her and would like you to provide treatment. You tell her that you do not consider yourself competent to provide treatment for her eating disorder. You do not have training and experience in assessing eating disorders and a well-informed opinion on how best to treat them. Your therapeutic preparation consists only of having read several major works on the topic and attending a two-day workshop on treatment, however. She says that she has never told anyone about her problem and that if you do not treat her, she will not seek therapy from anyone else."

• What ethical considerations are owed to this client? Would you be more likely to help or harm the client in this situation if you were to provide treatment? Why?

References:

Martin, L., Shepard, B., & Lehr, R. (Eds.). (2015).Canadiancounselling andpsychotherapyexperience: Ethics-basedissues and cases.Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. (2020).Code of ethics.https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CCPA-2020-Code-of-Ethics-E-Book-EN.pdf