When clients want to pay more for psychotherapy: ethical issues and implications

Abstract

One ethical issue that commonly comes up in clinical practice is the negotiation of fees with clients. Although the APA Ethics Code provides standards regarding clients who are unable to or do not pay (Standard 6.04), little guidance is given pertaining to fee limits for clients who want to pay more. This issue is explored using a real case example, including the relevant ethical codes to be considered. The necessary “gray” areas of ethical decision-making are demonstrated through my own decision process. Implications for future scenarios are discussed.

Keywords:

• ethics
• fees
• clinical practice
• ethical dilemma

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.