So let's discuss the ethics of mental health.

Question

Ethics and mental health are the topics of the week. So let's discuss the ethics of mental health. Some of the issues you might experience are data privacy, interpersonal boundaries, boundaries of professional competency, and personal problems and conflicts. Which of these issues do you consider to be the most serious and may happen most often? Why do you think this ethical breach occurs often? How can these issues be prevented in human service agencies? 

Answer 1

Coming from a perspective in Clinical Psychology, I believe it can become incredibly easy - and dangerous - to cross interpersonal boundaries. This happens often because it can be difficult to set explicit and implicit bias aside and look at a patient from a clinical perspective. Perhaps you have gone through similar and just want to connect with the patient, but they feel you are overstepping. More commonly, you may look down on practices that the patient is involved in and voice that opinion, forgetting it is not your place to do so in a judging manner. I believe this can be avoided by providing more training on how to set aside biases, as well as encouraging honest and accurate reporting for patients who feel their boundaries are violated.