ABSTRACT
Core ethical responsibilities include beneficence, which is the clinician's efforts to do good on the clients' behalf and non-malfeasance, which is the clinician's obligation to interact with the client without doing harm. Clinicians struggle with knowing when to continue to treat the couple or when it is appropriate to refuse to provide couples therapy and refer one or both partners to individual therapy. Confidentiality is the foundation of effective therapy and is one of the most important aspects of informed consent. The primary problem with the role change is the therapeutic alliance that is established in individual therapy. Guest invitations typically occur in individual counseling in which the clinician or client suggests having the client's partner attend treatment for a session or a number of sessions to support the person's individual treatment. If clinicians plan to use collection agencies, it is important that the policy is identified during the informed consent process.
