A model for addressing client-clinician value conflict.

What is it about?

Despite longstanding acknowledgment that values are intrinsic to the process of psychotherapy, the field of psychology has been hesitant to explore the implications of values for the client–clinician relationship. One important issue concerns disagreement between the treatment goals of the client and the personal values of the trainee clinician (referred to here as client–clinician value conflict). In this article, the theoretical and practical importance of values for psychotherapy outcomes is briefly reviewed, with an emphasis on the normative and unavoidable nature of value conflicts between clients and their trainee clinicians. A model for addressing client–clinician value conflict is then presented along with case examples and practical recommendations for professional clinicians, supervisors, and trainees. General guidelines for the application of the model are then discussed in more detail with specific warnings regarding the potential for misuse. It is argued that because value conflicts are an inescapable element of psychotherapy, the best protection that can be afforded to clients is for all trainee clinicians to develop greater personal and professional awareness of their own values and recognize the impact that those values have on the services they provide.

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