National survey of ethical practices among Chinese psychotherapists (vol 57, pg 380, 2010)

The present study is a cross-sectional national survey that investigated the ethical practices in a large representative sample of Chinese psychotherapists (N = 690). The results revealed that 76.4% of therapists had experienced feelings of incompetence, more than 80% of therapists had performed the basic principles of informed consent and confidentiality, 1.9% of the sample had engaged in sexual contact with a client, 1.8% had engaged in dual business relationships with their clients, and 34.2% had provided therapy for acquaintances in their practice. The role of the principles of Confucianism as a major influence on the ethical practices in Chinese psychotherapists is discussed. The results suggested that the Chinese Psychological Society should concentrate efforts on educating trainees on how best to maintain therapeutic boundaries when there was a preexisting relationship between therapist and client. The current Chinese Code of Ethics for Clinical and Counseling Practice (Chinese Psychological Society, 2007) could be modified to better incorporate the characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, for example, considering the value of "face" when stipulating the guidelines of dual relationships. Cross-cultural psychotherapy could benefit the clients by examining the influence of traditional Chinese culture, for example, by paying more attention to the important others of the clients.