This article examines the unique ethical considerations for the provision of family therapy as substance abuse treatment. Use of family therapy as substance abuse treatment has grown rapidly, but the ethical codes that guide clinical practice have not kept pace. Ethical pitfalls specific to family counseling within alcohol and drug treatment programs are identified and guiding ethical principles are presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Banister, E. M.
, & Peavey, R. V. (1994). The erosion of self: An ethnographic study of women’s experience of marriage to an alcoholic husband. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 28(3), 206-221.
2.
Banken, J. A.
, & McGovern, T. F. (1992). Alcoholism and drug abuse counseling: State of the art consideration. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 9(2), 29-51.
3.
Bissell, L.
, & Royce, J. E. (1994). Ethics for addiction professionals. Center City, MN: Hazelden Education Resources.
4.
Bressi, C.
, Cerveri, G., Cova, F., Frongia, P., Maggi, L., Razzoli, et al. (1999). Family therapy in substance abuse disorders: A follow-up study. New Trends in Experimental and Clinical Psychiatry, 15(1), 33-40.
5.
Collins, B. G.
(1993). Reconstruing codependency using self-in-relation theory: A feminist perspective. Social Work, 38(4), 470-477.
6.
Corey, G.
, Corey, M. S., & Callahan, P. (1993). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (4th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
7.
Easton, C. J.
, Swan, S., & Sinha, R. (2000). Prevalence of family violence in clients entering substance abuse treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 18(1), 23-28.
8.
George, R. L.
(1990). Counseling the chemically dependent: Theory and practice. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
9.
Goodwin, D. W.
, & Warnock, J. K. (1991). Alcoholism: A family disease. In R. J. Frances & S. I. Miller (Eds.), Clinical textbook of addictive disorders (pp. 485-500). New York: Guilford.
10.
Hill, M.
, Glaser, K., & Harden, J. (1995). A feminist model for ethical decision making. In E. J. Rave & C. C. Larsen (Eds.), Ethical decision making in therapy: Feminist perspectives (pp. 18-37). New York: Guilford.
11.
Kaplan, D.
, & Culkin, M. (1995). Family ethics: Lessons learned. The Family Journal, 3(4), 335-338.
12.
Kimmel, L. H.
(1994). Educating the paraprofessional staff on the psychiatric unit: A neglected topic. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 32(6), 23-27.
13.
Kitchener, K. S.
(1984). Intuition, critical evaluation and ethical principles: The foundation for ethical decisions in counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 12, 43-55.
14.
Lawson, G. W.
, Lawson, A. W., & Rivers, P. C. (2000). Essentials of chemical dependency counseling (3rd ed.). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen.
15.
Longbaugh, R.
, Beattie, M., Noel, N., Stout, R., & Malloy, P. (1993). The effect of social investment on treatment outcome. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 54, 465-478.
16.
Marsh, D. T.
(1997). Ethical issues in a professional practice with families. In D. T. Marsh & R. D. Magee (Eds.), Ethical and legal issues in professional practice with families (pp. 3-26). New York: John Wiley.
17.
Mejita, C. L.
, & Bokos, P. R. (1997). Improving substance abuse treatment access and retention using a case management approach. Journal of Drug Issues, 27(2), 329-341.
18.
Menees, M. M.
, & Segrin, C. (2000). The specificity of disrupted processes in families of adult children of alcoholics. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 35(4), 361-367.
19.
Monti, P. M.
, Abrams, D. B., Binkoff, J. A., Zwick, W. R., Liepman, M. R., Nirenberg, T. D., et al. (1990). Communication skills training with family and cognitive behavioral mood management training for alcoholics. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 51, 263-270.
20.
Mulligan, D.
, McCarty, D., Potter, D., & Krakow, M. (1989). Counselors in public and private alcoholism and drug abuse treatment programs. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 6(3), 75-89.
21.
O’ Farrell, T. J.
(1994). Marital therapy and spouse-involved treatment with alcoholic patients. Behavioral Therapy, 23(3), 391-406.
22.
O’Farrell, T. J.
, Choquette, K. A., Cutter, H. S., Brown, E. D., & McCourt, W. F. (1993). Behavioral family therapy with and without additional relapse prevention sessions for alcoholics and their wives. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 54, 652-668.
23.
Rahav, M.
, Rivera, J. J., Nuttbrock, L., Ng-Mak, D., Sturz, E. L., Link, B. G., et al. (1995). Characteristics and treatment of homeless, mentally ill, chemical-abusing men. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 27(1), 93-107.
24.
Usdan, S. L.
, Schumacher, J. E., Milby, J. B., Wallace, D., McNamara, C., & Michael, M. (2001). Crack cocaine, alcohol, and other drug use patterns among homeless persons with other mental disorders. American Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, 27(1), 107-120.
25.
Weissberg, M. P.
(1983). Dangerous secrets: Maladaptive responses to stress. New York: Norton.
26.
Welfel, E. R.
(1998). Ethics in counseling and psychotherapy. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
