ABSTRACT
Most mental health professionals become employees of organizations, rather than practicing completely independently. Psychologists and counselors work in hospitals, universities, clinics, penal institutions, corporations, schools, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), and many other settings. In all of these professional contexts, mental health professionals are part of a larger organization (e.g., a company, hospital, state government, federal government). Working for an organization adds still another set of ethical considerations for mental health professionals because they now have professional obligations to the organization that employs them
and
to the clients or consumers they serve. This chapter will examine some of the organizations employing therapists and ways of dealing with the ethical issues and conflicts that can arise in these professional contexts. Special ethical issues involved in the treatment of children will also be addressed.
