Codes of ethics typically provide rules and guidelines for best practices in marriage and family counseling. An emerging model for ethical decision making emphasizes the ethics of virtues and aspirations. Exploring fundamental models of helping, as well as contemporary issues in community systems, affords context for examining the professional development of marriage and family counseling. Dialectical reasoning, professional discourse, and case study present means by which 21st-century marriage and family counselors can resolve ethical dilemmas.
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2001). AAMFT code of ethics. Washington, DC: Author.
2.
American Association of Sex Educators Counselors and Therapists. (1993). Code of ethics. Ashland, VA: Author.
3.
American Counseling Association. (1995). Code of ethics and standards of practice. Alexandria, VA: Author.
4.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
5.
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1060-1073.
6.
Barnett, J. E., & Yutrzenka, B. A. (2002). Nonsexual dual relationships in professional practice, with special applications to rural and military communities. In A. A. Lazarus & O. Zur (Eds.), Dual relationships and psychotherapy (pp. 273-286). New York: Springer.
7.
Bennett, B. E., Bricklin, P. M., & VandeCreek, L. (1994). Response to Lazarus’s “How certain boundaries and ethics diminish therapeutic effectiveness.”Ethics & Behavior, 4, 263-266.
8.
Borys, D. S. (1994). Maintaining therapeutic boundaries: The motive is therapeutic effectiveness, not defensive practice. Ethics & Behavior, 4, 267-273.
9.
Brickman, P., Rabinowitz, V. C., Coates, D., Cohn, E., & Kidder, L. (1982). Models of helping and coping. American Psychologist, 37, 368-384.
10.
Brown, D. (2003). The Da Vinci code. New York: Doubleday.
11.
Brown, L. S. (1994). Concrete boundaries and the problem of literal-mindedness: A response to Lazarus. Ethics & Behavior, 4, 275-281.
12.
Christensen, T. M. (2001). A bold perspective on counseling with couples and families: An interview with Arnold A. Lazarus. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 9, 343-349.
13.
Christensen, L. L., & Miller, R. B. (2001). Marriage and family therapists evaluate managed mental health care: A qualitative inquiry. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27, 509-514.
14.
Cole, E. (1998). Self-disclosure as an approach to teaching ethical decision-making. Women & Therapy, 21, 31-39.
15.
Cortes, L. (2004). Home-based family therapy: A misunderstanding of the role and a new challenge for therapists. The Family Journal, 12, 184-188.
16.
Crews, J. A., & Hill, N. R. (2005). Diagnosis in marriage and family counseling: An ethical double bind. The Family Journal, 13, 63-66.
17.
Erickson, S. H. (2001). Multiple relationships in rural counseling. The Family Journal, 9, 302-304.
18.
Fall, K. A., & Lyons, C. (2003). Ethical considerations of family secret disclosure and post-session safety management. The Family Journal, 11, 281-285.
19.
Fergus, K. D., & Reid, D. W. (2002). Integrating constructivist and systemic metatheory in family therapy. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 15, 41-63.
20.
Gabbard, G. O. (1994). Teetering on the precipice: A commentary on Lazarus’s “How certain boundaries and ethics diminish therapeutic effectiveness.”Ethics & Behavior, 4, 283-286.
21.
Gibson, M. (Director). (2004). The passion of the Christ [Motion picture]. Los Angeles, CA: Fox Home Entertainment.
22.
Glasser, W. (2004). A new vision for counseling. The Family Journal, 12, 339-341.
23.
Gottlieb, M. C. (1994). Ethical decision making, boundaries, and treatment effectiveness: A reprise. Ethics & Behavior, 4, 287-293.
24.
Gutheil, T. G. (1994). Discussion of Lazarus’s “How certain boundaries and ethics diminish therapeutic effectiveness.”Ethics & Behavior, 4, 295-298.
25.
Harris, R. S. (2002). Dual relationships in university counseling center environments. In A. A. Lazarus & O. Zur (Eds.), Dual relationships and psychotherapy (pp. 337-347). New York: Springer.
26.
Hill, N. R., & Crews, J. A. (2005). The application of an ethical lens to the issue of diagnosis in marriage and family counseling. The Family Journal, 13, 176-180.
27.
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. (2002). Ethical code for the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. Retrieved May 5, 2004, from http://www.iamfc.com/ethical_codes.html
28.
Ivey, D. C., Jankowski, P. J., & Scheel, M. J. (1999). Relational diagnosis: Potential advantages and drawbacks associated with a universal system for the classification of couple and family difficulties. The Family Journal, 7, 335-341.
29.
Jencius, M., & Sager, D. E. (2001). The practice of marriage and family counseling in cyberspace. The Family Journal, 9, 295-301.
30.
Jordan, A. E., & Meara, N. M. (1990). Ethics and the professional practice of psychologists: The role of virtues and principles. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 21, 107-114.
31.
Kahn, C. H. (1979). The art and thought of Heraclitus. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
32.
Kertesz, R. (2002). Dual relationships in Latin America. In A. A.Lazarus & O. Zur (Eds.), Dual relationships and psychotherapy (pp. 329-334). New York: Springer.
33.
Lau, D. C. (1985). Tao te ching. Oxford, UK: Penguin.
34.
Lazarus, A. A. (1994a). How certain boundaries and ethics diminish therapeutic effectiveness. Ethics & Behavior, 4, 255-261.
35.
Lazarus, A. A. (1994b). The illusion of the therapist’s power and the patient’s fragility: My rejoinder. Ethics & Behavior, 4, 299-306.
36.
Lazarus, A. A. (1996). Fixed rules versus idiosyncratic needs. Ethics & Behavior, 6, 80-81.
37.
Lazarus, A. A. (2002). How certain boundaries and ethics diminish therapeutic effectiveness. In A. A. Lazarus & O. Zur (Eds.), Dual relationships and psychotherapy (pp. 25-31). New York: Springer.
38.
Lazarus, A. A., & Zur, O. (Eds.). (2003). Dual relationships and psychotherapy. New York: Springer.
39.
Lazarus, J. A., & Sharfstein, S. S. (2000). Ethics in managedcare. Psychiatric Clinics in North America, 23, 269-284.
40.
Lazarus, J. A., & Sharfstein, S. S. (2002). Ethics in managedcare. Psychiatric Clinics in North America, 25, 561-574.
41.
Leon, K., & Jacobvitz, D. B. (2003). Relationships between adult attachment representations and family ritual quality: A prospective, longitudinal study. Family Process, 42, 419-432.
42.
Llewellyn, R. (2002). Sanity and sanctity: The counselor and multiple relationships in the church. In A. A. Lazarus & O. Zur (Eds.), Dual relationships and psychotherapy (pp. 298-314). New York: Springer.
43.
O’Neill, J. (Ed.). (1996). Hegel’s dialectic of desire and recognition: Text and commentary. Albany: State University of New York Press.
44.
Pence, G. E. (2004). Classic cases in medical ethics: Accounts of cases that have shaped medical ethics, with philosophical, legal, and historical backgrounds (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
45.
Pettifor, J. L., Sinclair, C., & Strong, T. (2005). The role of dialogue in defining ethical principles: The Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 18, 183-197.
46.
Rauch, J. (2004). Gay marriage: Why it is good for gays, good for straights, and good for America. New York: Henry Holt.
47.
Rothenberg, A. (1971). The process of Janusian thinking in creativity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 24, 195-205.
48.
Smith, J. A., & Smith, A. H. (2001). Dual relationships and professional integrity: An ethical dilemma case of a family counselor as clergy. The Family Journal, 9, 438-443.
49.
Smith, R. L. (1991). Ethical issues in marital and family therapy: Who is the client?The Family Psychologist, 7, 16.
50.
Steigerwald, F., & Forrest, A. (2004). An examination of gender and ethics in family counseling—part 2: A case study approach using a social constructivism model of ethical decision making. The Family Journal, 12, 278-281.
51.
Steigerwald, F., & Janson, G. R. (2003). Conversion therapy: Ethical considerations in family counseling. The Family Journal, 11, 55-59.
52.
Sternberg, R. J. (2001). What is the common thread of creativity? Its dialectical relation to intelligence and wisdom. American Psychologist, 56, 360-362.
53.
Sullivan, W. M. (2005). Work and integrity: The crisis and promise of professionalism in America (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
54.
Walker, L. E. A. (2002). Feminist ethics, boundary crossings, dual relationships, and victims of violence. In A. A. Lazarus & O. Zur (Eds.), Dual relationships and psychotherapy (pp. 298-314). New York: Springer.
55.
Weber, M. (1958). The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. New York: Scribner.
56.
Weigel, D. J., & Baker, B. G. (2002). Unique issues in rural couple and family counseling. The Family Journal, 10, 61-69.
57.
Welfel, E. R. (2001). Responsible interactions with managed care organizations. In E. R. Welfel & R. E. Ingersoll (Eds.), The mental health desk reference (pp. 496-502). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
58.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., & Bitter, J. R. (Eds.). (1998). Social construction in couple and family counseling. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
59.
Younggren, J. N., & Gottlieb, M. C. (2004). Managing risk when contemplating multiple relationships. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 35, 255-260.
