"Without safety, therapists have little foundation to stand upon. Clients who are not safe or who feel unsafe in therapy are unlikely to benefit or progress, even with the most sophisticated evidence-based treatments. This is why ethical clinicians prioritize their responsibility to establish and maintain safety above all else, including the need to prevent or mitigate family estrangements. Safety is impossible without agency."
"Safety is impossible without agency. If clients are not allowed to make choices about their own lives, including who has access to them, they feel unsafe, and the therapeutic relationship collapses. Suppose they feel pressured by a therapist to maintain contact with someone against their wishes. In that case, their nervous system will likely retreat into survival mode, and therapeutic progress will stall or cease altogether."
"An ethical therapist might help clients explore options and risks. Yet, they do not override a client's autonomy when the client is not a danger to themselves or others. As psychologist Sharon Lamb explains, "If we truly listen to clients and honor their perspectives... by telling them that we know more about their agency in the world than they do... we do them an injustice." If a client chooses to initiate or maintain family estrangement, this is their decision."
Ethical therapists prioritize client safety and personal agency over preserving family ties. Without safety and a sense of control, clients cannot engage effectively with therapy or benefit from evidence-based treatments. Therapists should not impose cultural or personal beliefs about family onto clients and should avoid pressuring clients to maintain contact against their wishes. When clients feel coerced, their nervous systems may shift into survival mode and therapeutic progress can stall or stop. Therapists can help clients explore options and risks, provide support, and assess danger, but they do not override a client's autonomy when the client is not an immediate danger to themselves or others.
Read at Psychology Today
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