ETHICAL EVALUATIONS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY: STUDY WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN SPAIN

Abstract

There are international studies that link professional variables to the ethical assessment of some professional situations. This study aims to: 1) analyze the ethical evaluations carried out by mental health professionals from within the Spanish public health system with respect to some situations that may arise in psychotherapeutic practice; 2) determine controversial and/or low consensus situations; and 3) study the relationship between the professional category and the psychotherapeutic orientation with the ethical-deontological evaluations. The sample was composed by 308 participants (209 women and 99 men), all of whom are practitioners in public mental health services, filled out fourteen items of the "Ethical and deontological adjustment scale" (Pastor, 2017). as well as a questionnaire on their socio-demographic and professional profile which had been prepared ad hoc. Descriptive analyses of the items were performed along with non-parametric contrasts. The professional category and the psychotherapeutic orientation had an influence on the ethical evaluations that were completed regarding the situations presented on the scale. Two items of low interprofessional consensus were found that were related to the right to patient autonomy and to family and couple therapy. The ethical aspects of the following matters are discussed: 1) the "technical" versus "relationship" debate; 2) professional biases; and 3) the maintenance of the therapeutic relationship.