-By Timothy Lyons
In the ethics code 10.10(a) (American Psychological Association, 2010) Terminating Therapy, the therapist should terminate therapy when it becomes apparent that the client no longer needs the service. In this case the client feels that she no longer needs the service so it is unethical for the therapist to insist that it continue. In 3.08 (American Psychological Association, 2010) exploitative relationships it would seem that the therapist might be exploiting the client for additional monies for treatment. The California board of Psychology also has a patient’s bill of rights (California Psychological Association. n.d.). Although they are not law they are considered best practices. In it, the patient has the right to terminate therapy at any time. They do not need a reason.
Terminating Therapy
Terminating therapy and the reasons for doing so for both parties should be discussed as soon as is feasibly possible upon beginning treatment. It is inevitable that treatment will end. In some cases it will be that the treatment goals have been met. Other cases might be that the client feels as if the therapist is no longer helping. In another scenario it can often be the therapist who understands that the client is not gaining or receiving benefit from the treatment. With cases such as this, the counselor should be aware that to continue treatment on the patient that is no longer cooperating or changing from treatment could reinforce codependency.
The last thing, from the therapist standpoint, would be to keep seeing a client and have it appear as if the therapist were just doing so to exploit the therapeutic relationship. For the client, they would not want to have a therapist who was not meeting their needs.
It would be very important for the client to discover a therapist who could help them with their goals rather than stay in treatment with someone who could not.
References
American Psychological Association 2010 Ethical Principals of Psychologists and Code of ConductAmerican Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical Principals of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2003 ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association. 201604271742031248488665
Knapp S Younggren J N VandeCreek L Harris E Martin J N 2013 Assessing and managing risk in psychological practice: An indivicualized approachKnapp, S., Younggren, J. N., VandeCreek, L., Harris, E., & Martin, J. N. (2013). Assessing and managing risk in psychological practice: An indivicualized approach (2nd ed.). Rockviller, MD: The Trust.
LexisNexis 2015 California Board of Psychology Laws and RegulationsLexisNexis. (2015). California Board of Psychology Laws and Regulations (2015 ed.). Charlottesville, VA: LexisNexis. 201604161236441130416155
Liang L T Davis A S Arnold T A Benjamin A 2013 Ethics for Psychologist: A Casebook ApproachLiang, L. T., Davis, A. S., Arnold, T. A., & Benjamin, A. (2013). Ethics for Psychologist: A Casebook Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Consumer Resources- Patient Bill of Rights – California Psychological Association. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2016, from http://www.cpapsych.org/?52 201604150647011537058473