ABSTRACT
Therefore, it is no surprise to find ethics as a central concern in this book and at the heart of any research design or proposed framework from which to carry out field research. In this chapter we explore the ethics involved in writing and researching therapeutic work in the specific and general meanings of the term. The moral dimension of reflecting, writing and researching is discussed in terms of how it affects the counselling relationship and the implicit and sometimes explicit balance of power between the knower and the known. Issues of difference and associated value judgements are explored in the context of the integrity of writing about clients. The ethics of trust and research partnership is another theme covered in this chapter, alongside the concept of duty of care and the associated responsibility and necessary rules of engagement of writing about another person who is by definition vulnerable and in some sort of emotional distress.
