title: Detrimental therapist-client relationships--beyond thinking of "dual" or "multiple" roles: reflections on the 2001 AAMFT Code of Ethics.
abstract: This article presents reflections on and a critique of the recent revision of the AAMFT Code of Ethics on the multiple relationship ethical standard. A brief historical overview of terminology and the debate surrounding "dual" and "multiple" relationship ethical rules in marriage and family therapy is provided. The term "exploitation" is also delimited. Ethical principles and a set of standards addressing "detrimental" versus "potentially beneficial" interactions are introduced, deriving from works in other mental health professions. The article recommends: (a) the terms "dual" and "multiple" relationships should be abandoned; (b) the ethical principles underlying the AAMFT Code of Ethics need to be examined; and (c) the debate on the topic of detrimental therapist-client interactions in marriage and family therapy needs to be revisited, especially in light of a "positive ethics."
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Family Therapy, University of Missouri, St. Louis, One University Blvd., (469 MH), St. Louis, MO 63121-4499, USA. cottone@umsl.edu
authors.forename: R Rocco
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Cottone
mesh_terms: D026686:Beneficence; D032781:Codes of Ethics; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000941:ethics*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008388:Marital Therapy / Q000941:ethics*; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012952:Societies; D009626:Terminology as Topic