Ethical & Professional Considerations Flashcards

An ACT therapist learns that a client is using therapy insights to manipulate a romantic partner through coercive control. The therapist's primary ethical obligation is to:

Answer: Address the behavior directly in therapy, prioritize victim safety, and consider reporting obligations

Therapists must confront harmful behavior in treatment, assess victim safety, and consider legal reporting duties while maintaining ethical boundaries.

The ACT principle of 'committed action' in the therapeutic context most closely maps to which professional ethics concept?

Answer: Fidelity, by maintaining promises made within the therapeutic relationship

Committed action—following through on behavioral commitments aligned with values—parallels fidelity, the ethical obligation to keep one's therapeutic promises.

A practitioner delivers ACT workshops to the general public online without holding a clinical license. Which ethical and legal consideration is most relevant?

Answer: Unauthorized practice of psychotherapy, if the content crosses into individualized clinical assessment or treatment

Providing individualized psychological assessment or treatment without a license constitutes unauthorized practice regardless of the delivery format.

During an ACT session, a client expresses suicidal ideation with a specific plan but no immediate intent. The therapist's ethical and clinical protocol requires:

Answer: Conducting a thorough risk assessment, developing a safety plan, and documenting clinical reasoning

Ethical practice requires comprehensive risk assessment, collaborative safety planning, and thorough documentation when suicidal ideation with a plan is disclosed.

Which action best demonstrates an ACT therapist's commitment to ongoing professional competence?

Answer: Engaging in regular peer consultation, continuing education, and personal ACT practice

Maintaining competence requires ongoing education, peer consultation, and personal engagement with the ACT model to stay current with evolving evidence and practice.

A therapist practicing ACT becomes aware that a client is also receiving conflicting treatment from another provider without informing either clinician. The most ethical response is to:

Answer: Discuss the clinical and ethical importance of coordinated care with the client and seek consent to communicate with the other provider

Coordination of care requires client consent; the therapist should educate the client on the risks of uncoordinated treatment and obtain permission before contacting other providers.

In ACT, the therapist's use of self-disclosure (sharing personal values or experiences) is ethically appropriate when:

Answer: It serves the client's therapeutic goals and is consistent with the client's needs and cultural context

Ethical self-disclosure in therapy is client-directed, purposeful, and calibrated to benefit the client rather than satisfy the therapist's need for connection.