Bill Doherty’s Ethical Stance within Discernment Counseling

DC 2025 Bill Doherty’s Ethical Stance within Discernment Counseling

This lesson outlines Bill Doherty’s ethical framework for decision-making in discernment counseling, focusing on the ethical responsibilities of therapists when working with couples considering divorce. Bill emphasizes the importance of commitment and the ethical dilemmas that arise when one or both partners are considering ending a lifelong commitment.

Key Points:

Lack of Neutrality:

Therapists are not utterly neutral when clients are dealing with serious ethical dilemmas, such as divorce decisions.
An analogy is drawn to a parent considering sending their children to foster care, where therapists would not be completely neutral and would strive to help the parent manage the relationship better.

Ethics of Commitment in Marriage:

When individuals have made a lifetime commitment to their partner, they owe their partner a serious effort to work through problems and live out their original commitment.
This ethical responsibility is based on the promise made and the expectations built around that commitment, often including children and shared lives.

Ethical Dilemmas:

The ethical dilemma arises from the conflict between personal desires for happiness and health and the commitment made to the partner.
Therapists should walk with clients through this dilemma, acknowledging the ethical responsibility to the partner and the original commitment.

Therapist's Role:

The therapist's role is to lean towards helping clients commit to path three (couples therapy) while respecting their autonomy and supporting their decision-making process.
This involves exploring the reasons for path two (divorce) and path one (separation) but also encouraging a serious effort to make the marriage work.

Path Three and Effort:

Path three involves committing to at least six months of hard work, including looking at one's own contributions to the problems.
The therapist should encourage clients to put in the effort to see if the relationship can be turned into something good, healthy, and viable.

Critique of Neutrality:

Some therapists believe in complete neutrality regarding the client's decision, but Bill argues that this neutrality essentially opts for the ethic of individual self-interest.
This ethic suggests that marriage is primarily based on self-interest, and when it no longer meets one's interests, it is appropriate to end it without a serious effort.

Responsibility and Autonomy:

While the client is in charge of their life, the therapist has an ethical responsibility to lean towards helping clients preserve their marriage.
This involves using therapeutic skills to help clients sort things out, respect their autonomy, and encourage them to live out their ethical responsibility to their partner.

Conclusion:

Bill Doherty's ethical framework for decision-making in discernment counseling emphasizes the importance of commitment and the ethical responsibilities of therapists. By leaning towards helping clients commit to path three, therapists can support couples in making informed decisions about their relationship's future, respecting their autonomy while encouraging a serious effort to preserve the marriage.

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