Your patient enters your session excited about the New Age therapy you tried last session. She had brought in an article, and because of her enthusiasm and the fact that it did not require any new training, you had agreed to give it a try. She asks you to continue during this session, but you have done your homework: it’s been proven ineffective and, in a select few clients, the condition was slightly worsened. You validate your patient, noting how glad you are that she’s excited to try something new. Then you tell her that, unfortunately, you won’t be able to continue with these types of treatments. With this act, you are expressing:
Non-malfeasance" is refraining from providing ineffective treatments or acting with malice towards a patient. "Anti-consumerism" is incorrect because is not a therapeutic or ethical term. "Beneficence" is incorrect because it means that you take actions to benefit others. "Exploitation" is incorrect because it is a therapist’s misuse of power to influence and exploit clients for their own benefit and to the clients’ detriment.
