In these cases, therapeutic intervention may be warranted. However, there may be occasions in which the client holds beliefs that could bring harm to themselves or others. Although the psychotherapist may disagree with these beliefs, they are generally discouraged from interfering with a client’s autonomously fostered conclusions about the world ( Beauchamp & Childress, 2012 O’Brien & Golding, 2003). ![]() ![]() With rising rates of misinformation (e.g., Iammarino & O’Rourke, 2018) and public distrust in science (e.g., Specter, 2009), a variety of inaccurate “distorted beliefs” may increasingly find their way into the psychotherapy room. Psychotherapists will encounter a variety of clients in their day-to-day work, some of which may hold distorted beliefs about the world. The article concludes with questions for psychotherapists to consider and recommendations for how to proceed when confronted with harmful distorted beliefs. A vignette is offered, and relevant sections of the APA’s Ethics Code are discussed, both as they pertain to this scenario and as they apply more generally to the practice of psychotherapy. The current article addresses the relevant ethical considerations for navigating and addressing distorted beliefs in psychotherapy. Not all distorted beliefs warrant therapeutic intervention, but this judgment requires careful consideration. In such cases, psychotherapists are tasked with respecting the client’s autonomy, while simultaneously being of maximum benefit to the client and to society at large. Questions about whether and how the psychotherapist should address these distorted beliefs are therefore likely to arise. This is especially true if such beliefs are impairing treatment progress or resulting in safety concerns for the client or society. In situations where these beliefs are harmful (e.g., vaccination refusal, misunderstanding of sexual consent), psychotherapists may face an ethical dilemma regarding how to proceed with psychotherapy. ![]() With rising rates of misinformation, psychotherapists are likely to encounter clients with distorted beliefs that are scientifically unsound.
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