Ethics

Ethics in Counselling & Psychotherapy

A practice primer on professional ethics: the seven core principles, the issues that come up most often (dual relationships, confidentiality and its limits, gifts, records, social media), a six-step decision model, and the Chinese regulatory context.

3 readsapprox. 3 min5 sections

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You are entitled to informed consent: the nature of the service, its methods, risks, confidentiality and its limits, and the fees.
You are entitled to confidentiality, and its exceptions (risk of harm to self or others, abuse of minors, legal requirements) should be explained to you in advance.
You have the right to be respected, to refuse, to end, or to be referred — and never to be asked to accept harmful or boundary-crossing behaviour.
If you feel harmed, offended, over-charged or overdependent, you can raise it and complain to the registration body, the agency or an ethics committee.

Codes of ethics are both the floor for practice and a decision aid; when in doubt, consult peers, your supervisor and the ethics committee.
Keep the power asymmetry in mind and handle dual relationships, intimacy boundaries, gifts, fees, social media and records carefully.
When principles collide (confidentiality versus protecting life), use a structured decision process, document it, and review afterwards.

Ethics in Counselling & Psychotherapy — practice primer

This page is a Chinese-language practice primer on professional ethics. The outline below summarises it in English.

Why it matters

The counselling relationship is inherently power-asymmetric; ethics is the guardrail that keeps that power from being misused. Ethics is not the same as law, and cannot be reduced to rule-following.

Core framework

Sources of ethics (professional codes, law, agency policy) and seven principles: non-maleficence, autonomy and informed consent, competence, confidentiality and its limits, integrity, justice, and respect and boundaries.

Assessment and decisions

A six-step decision model (identify, gather, consult, evaluate, act and inform, record and review) plus practical handling of dual relationships, confidentiality exceptions, gifts, social media and records.

China

Registration systems and associations as the mainstay after the national counsellor qualification was retired in 2017; the Mental Health Law; personal information protection; and how family culture complicates consent and confidentiality.

FAQs and appendices

Gifts, WeChat requests, what to tell parents of adolescent clients, and what to do when you are out of your competence; quick-reference table and self-check list.