Informed Consent and the Vulnerable Therapist

Paper Summary:

This study provides relevant research on the legal issues involved in informed consent and appropriate signed releases, provides a review the importance of informed consent, and the ethical and legal liabilities involved for the treating therapist and the agency when this is not accomplished. Additionally, the non-sexual boundary crossings and violations, with particular attention to what the relationship of the therapist may mean to the client and how that can impact not only the therapy, but the ability of the therapist to maintain professional judgment and possible blurring of boundaries, which might lead to the perception of harm in the client's mind, are examined. A summary of the research and salient findings are presented in the conclusion.

From the Paper:

"The therapeutic relationship is in most cases at once both intensive and intimate by necessity - in many cases beyond anything experienced by either the therapist or the client outside the therapeutic setting, but it is also guided by the need to maintain careful boundaries between the therapist and client to ensure both are protected. It is also important to ensure that clients are adequately informed about the therapeutic procedures involved in their treatment and that this consent is appropriately documented throughout the treatment process. These considerations have assumed new importance today as treating therapists are being confronted by an increasingly litigious society, particularly as regards mental health practitioners (Hedges, 1997). To this end, this paper will provide: 1) an examination of the importance of securing informed consent and appropriate signed releases, and the legal and ethical liabilities involved for the treating therapist and the agency when this is not accomplished; and 2) the issue of therapeutic boundaries (also frequently called "boundary crossings" and "boundary violations"). There are different philosophies about what boundary crossings are and what the effect of these are on therapeutic relationships. The issue of informed consent also arises in this analysis."

More papers on Informed Consent and the Vulnerable Therapist:

• Essay # 40066 : "Informed Consent and the Surgical Patient"
• Term Paper # 105747 : "The Doctrine of Informed Consent and Patient Autonomy"
• Analytical Essay # 145662 : "Informed Consent and Patient Rights in Modern Medicine"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: