Ethical Values of Master Therapists

This chapter presents a study in which the authors employed Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methods (Hill, Thompson, & Williams,1997) to reanalyze interview data from a previous qualitative study of the personal characteristics of master therapists (Jennings & Skovholt, 1999). The purpose of the study was to better understand the ethical values of therapists considered to be “the best of the best” by their professional colleagues. Previous research has demonstrated that therapists utilize a variety of resources when making ethical decisions, including professional codes of conduct and their own values. The current study’s analysis of 10 master therapists’ interviews resulted in the identification of nine ethical values related to their clinical practice: (a) relational connection, (b) autonomy, (c) beneficence, (d) nonmaleficence, (e) competence, (f) humility, (g) professional growth, (h) openness to complexity and ambiguity, and (i) self-awareness. It is hoped that these findings will help to illuminate the ethical values that these master therapists draw upon in their work.