Ethical Considerations in Services Being Provided to and by Fellow Clinicians

Despite the knowledge and skills instilled upon psychotherapists throughout their training, personal and professional circumstances may drive psychotherapists of all experience levels to pursue personal psychotherapy. Such an experience is often positive, as it can both assist a clinician through challenging incidents, as well as provide benefit to their own clinical work. Although there is extensive literature describing the benefits and harm stemming from psychotherapists pursuing personal psychotherapy, there is little literature exploring the potential ethical pitfalls faced by the providing clinician. Even though the importance of making psychotherapy available to all members of society is undeniable, providing such services to a fellow clinician necessitates the consideration of several ethical issues to be optimally advantageous to all parties. This paper will describe the relevant ethical considerations for psychotherapists providing psychotherapy to fellow clinicians and provide recommendations based on the APA Ethics Code and existing literature (APA, 2017). Clinical Impact Statement The ethical and practical nuances of providing psychotherapy to a fellow clinician are discussed and several recommendations are provided to inform psychotherapist's clinical work.