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Ethical Issues and At-Risk Behaviors in Marriage and Family Therapy: A Qualitative Study of Awareness

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Abstract

This exploratory study investigated perceptions of and relationship with professional ethics of therapists-in-training. A focus group of marriage and family therapy doctoral students explored self-awareness and “at-risk” behaviors regarding ethical competence and compliance. A grounded theory analysis of data is presented as a conditional matrix, which offers a theory of development between therapists and their perception of ethics. The Practitioner-Relationship Ethics Model represents findings of interaction between confidence in ethical principles, field experience, use of justification, and at-risk behaviors. Implications and limitations of these findings are presented, as are suggestions for research.

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Correspondence to Shamla L. McLaurin.

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McLaurin, S.L., Ricci, R.J. Ethical Issues and At-Risk Behaviors in Marriage and Family Therapy: A Qualitative Study of Awareness. Contemporary Family Therapy 25, 453–466 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027364804008

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027364804008

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