Ethics

PSA - Third Trimester 2006-07
Third Year Candidates
11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.

Rita Clark, M.D.
Alberto Goldwaser , M.D.

The goals of this course are to increase sensitivity to ethical dilemmas that occur in psychoanalytic practice and to consider these problems from several points of view. Discussion will focus on developing consensual solutions, if possible.

Vignettes that have been written for the Ethics Casebook of the American Psychoanalytic Association will be used to illustrate topics such as confidentiality, analyst impairment, exploitation and boundary problems, and professional relationships. Contributions from the class about their own experiences will be given priority for attention.

We will use the methods of ethical analysis including how to identify the conflicts of interest and multiple players as well as the inevitable biases and assumptions that permeate all value systems. Expectations about gender, age, illness, status, friendship, finance and family all affect thinking about ethical issues.

The application of a Code of Ethics to real situations is fraught with difficulties. The practice of thinking about this using vignettes will help to prepare analysts for a professional life where these concerns will not be denied and avoided

1 Ethics Casebook of the American Psychoanalytic Association edited by
Dewald and Clark 2001 This includes the ethical code.
2 Medical Ethics A Reader edited by Zucker, Borchert and Stewart, Prentice
Hall 1992
3 Clark, R.W., “The Professional Will Revisited”, PANY Bulletin 2005
4 Finell, J.S., “Narcissistic Problems in Analysts”, IJP Vol. 66 pp.433-445
5 Gabbard and Peltz, “Speaking the Unspeakable”, JAPA Vol 49/2 pp.659-673 2001
6 Firestein, S.K., “On Thinking the Unthinkable; Making A Professional Will”, TAP 1993
7 Gutheil and Gabbard, “Misuses and Misunderstandings of Boundary Theory”, American Journal of Psychiatry Vol 155 #3 pp. 409-414 March 1998

8 Gutheil, “Paranoia and Progress Notes”, Hosp. and Comm. Psychiatry Vol 31#7 1999
9 “The Final Session” from the NY Times Magazine August 11,1996
10 “Shrinking” from the NY Times Magazine March 3, 2002
SCHEDULE
March 10 Review the Code in #1 and #2 pp.1 37
March 24 Confidentiality #1 pp. 21 40 and #8
March 31 Safeguards #1 pp. 79 85 and #5