Ethical Issues in Psychotherapy Training in China

ABSTRACT

The growth of psychodynamic psychotherapy in China has been accompanied by a small number of ethical complaints. Some particular aspects of the logistics of building a practice in China have contributed to these ethical situations and are discussed. The CAPA Ethics Committee has worked with its Chinese counterparts to explicate the basic concepts of ethics and professional behavior, and ethics investigations, as they are articulated in the CAPA Ethics Procedures, the Ethics Code of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Ethics Code of the Chinese Psychological Society. Continued education by CAPA and CIC about the essence of ethical and professional behavior will be a feature of its training going forward, and should be extended after graduation by means of continuing education programs.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ralph E. Fishkin

Ralph E. Fishkin, D.O., was Secretary of The American Psychoanalytic Association from 2013–2019 and has been a member of its Board of Directors for many years. He is a Supervising Analyst and Co-President of the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia (2019–2021), and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson University. He has served on the CAPA Board of Directors and is currently a member of its Ethics Committee.

Frederic J. Levine

Frederic J. Levine, Ph.D., was President of the Florida Psychoanalytic Center from 2013 through 2018, and is currently a Member at Large of its Board of Directors and a Training and Supervising Analyst in its psychoanalytic training program. He has served on and chaired a number of committees of the American Psychoanalytic Association, including membership on its Joint Ethics Committee (2007–2014). He is an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.