Truth, Lies and the In Between – Ethical considerations and clinical realities in practice.

ABOUT

A presentation on ethical and clinical issues that may arise in therapeutic practice related to honesty and dishonesty. 

Ethical ideas regarding consequentialism, virtue ethics, and deontology and relation to truthfulness (or not) - with clinical examples to make this idea accessible. The clinical and ethical implications of the human clash of dual motivations - to maintain a sense of ourselves (personally and professionally) as good, caring ethical people but at the same time to gain an advantage (e.g. materially, in terms of status, power, etc).

Defining and understanding lying including developmental and relational perspectives, lying in everyday life.

Lying in clinical practice - the clinical, diagnostic, legal and ethical challenges faced when clients/patients/colleagues lie. This will also draw on considerations of personality pathology, reality testing and dissociation, malingering, secondary gain, pseudologia fantastic.

A psychodynamic/analytic understanding of lying in psychotherapy and the ethical conundrums this poses.

Lying as practice: when practitioners lie. 

The ethical implications and legal consequences of lying.

“Therapeutic lies” / placebo in relation to the ethical considerations of beneficence and non-maleficence, informed consent, and considerations of autonomy and dignity. 

4 Ethics CEUs approved for attendance. In addition, attendees can read and answer 15 MCQs on an accredited journal article on lying (Blanchard, Matt & Farber, Barry. (2015). Lying in psychotherapy: Why and what clients don’t tell their therapist about therapy and their relationship) for 1 General CEU (Questions will be sent once registered/attended the workshop)

Judith Ancer is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Johannesburg. She is extensively involved in the training and supervision of mental health professionals, has worked in clinical, educational, and corporate settings, and has recently published a book on mental health in the workplace. She has an interest in helping others to tolerate imperfections and uncertainty and understands that we can survive the discomfort this may generate, always learn more, and strive to be better