Ethical Practice in Child and Adolescent Analysis and Psychotherapy

Protecting Safety in a Therapeutic Environment

By (author) Anita G. Schmukler, Paula G. Atkeson, Helene Keable, E. Kirsten Dahl Contributions by Denia Barrett, Moisy Shopper

Publication date:

30 December 2011

Length of book:

132 pages

Publisher

Jason Aronson, Inc.

ISBN-13: 9780765708182

Ethical Practice in Child and Adolescent Analysis and Psychotherapy: Protecting Safety in a Therapeutic Environment by Anita G. Schmukler, Paula G. Atkeson, Helene Keable, and E. Kirsten Dahl provides a detailed study of ethical dilemmas of the child therapist and the child analyst, whose work with children and their parents presents unique and perplexing problems. The book examines both the unconscious motives for ethical lapses and addresses ways in which such behavior may be prevented. It addresses working with parents, while maintaining privacy for the child, pitfalls for the child therapist and analyst, and ways in which the process of supervision, a cornerstone of clinical training, may lead to departure from ethical principles. Ethical Practice in Child and Adolescent Analysis and Psychotherapy addresses the benefits and risks of presenting and writing about clinical cases, examining the field of working as consultant in custody cases and the role of ethical practice from a historical perspective. Pivotal is the role of the unconscious processes of transference and countertransference, processes that are acknowledged but often not fully comprehended. Contributions on ethics and forensic work by Moisy Shopper, MD, and contributions on ethical writing about psychodynamic work by Denia G. Barrett, MSW.

Preface: Historical Perspective: Ethical Issues in Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Therapies of Children and Adolescents: A Selected Literature Review
Introduction
Chapter 1: Clinical Models of Child Psychotherapy and Ethical Issues
Chapter 2: Ethical Dilemmas Shaped by Transference and Countertransference
Chapter 3: Ethical Considerations in our Work with Parents
Chapter 4: Ethical Considerations in the Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship and Supervisory Process
Chapter 5: Ethical and Forensic Aspects of Work with Children and Their Families Moisy Shopper, MD
Chapter 6: Write or Wrong? Ethical Considerations in Writing about and Presenting Psychodynamic Work with Children, Adolescent and their Families
Denia G. Barrett, MSW
Chapter 7: Common Pitfalls for the Therapist
Chapter 8: Conclusion
Appendix: Curriculum: Ethical Practice in Child and Adolescent Analysis and Psychotherapy Study Issues and Questions: Samples and Suggestions

Ethics are the fundamental principles and rules of conduct that guide our professional life and clinical practice. It is then curious that ethics are rarely fully integrated with and applied to the complexities of our daily clinical work, complexities multiplied when working with children and adolescents. The authors of Ethical Practice in Child and Adolescent Analysis and Psychotherapy: Protecting Safety in a Therapeutic Environment have taken on the task of correcting this situation. With the use of illustrative clinical vignettes that bring the topic to life, and through an understanding of the role of conscious and unconscious processes, they consider how ethical dilemmas are shaped by the therapeutic relationship, what role they play in our work with parents, in the supervisor-supervisee relationship, in forensic work, and in our professional writing and presentations. In addition, the authors outline the pertinent theoretical and clinical issues, and examine the relevant questions. Ethical Practice in Child and Adolescent Analysis and Psychotherapy is thoughtful and thought provoking, clear and concise, and recommended reading for everyone in the field.