Ethics in counselling research fieldwork

Abstract

Research dealing with sensitive subjects, feelings and emotional wellbeing requires constant reflection and rebalancing in order to meet the needs of all the parties involved and to be ethical. This paper examines some of the issues involved in applying ethical guidance to the reality of fieldwork in a study of the personal and emotional support needs of women who have left an abusive relationship. It considers organisational ethics, the complexities of informed consent, the duty of care and the need for reciprocity, and argues that the key to ethical research lies in respect for the individual.

Keywords:

• Violence and abuse
• ethics
• informed consent
• exploitation
• duty of care
• reciprocity
• respect

Acknowledgements

This research was a collaborative project between the Violence Against Women Research Group (School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK) and the Women's Aid Federation of England. It was supported by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council.

My thanks go to the residents and former residents of West Cornwall, Birmingham and York refuges, who were willing to share their experiences to help other women; to the workers, volunteers and managers who participated so enthusiastically; and to all the members of Women's Aid who helped to shape this research.