Prejudiced Patients: Ethical Considerations for Addressing Patients' Prejudicial Comments in Psychotherapy

Psychologists will often encounter patients who make prejudiced comments during psychotherapy. Some psychologists may argue that the obligations to social justice require them to address these comments. Others may argue that the obligation to promote the psychotherapeutic process requires them to ignore such comments. The authors present a decision-making strategy and an intervention based on principle-based ethics for thinking through such dilemmas. Public Significance Statement This article identifies ethical principles psychologists should consider when deciding whether to address their patients' prejudicial comments in psychotherapy. It also provides an intervention strategy for addressing patients' prejudicial comments.