Thinking, Doing, and the Ethics of Family Therapy

Abstract

In this article, we examine how family therapists develop their capacity to make ethical decisions in clinical practice. We present an approach to clinical ethics that builds upon, and integrates the central features of, professional training and development in family therapy itself. We also explore the similarities and differences between the theoretical, top-down approach of bioethics, with its emphasis on “principled decision making,” and the clinical, pragmatic, bottom-up approach discussed here.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Ursula Ptok, Megan Chambers, Hugh Martin, and Loy McLean for their comments on earlier drafts of this article.